Smoked Salmon Bagel Sandwich. One of my favorite hearty breakfast sandwiches is the Smoked Salmon Bagel Sandwich. Several of my favorite beach spots have an outstanding example of this sandwich. Since I’m not at the beaches every day (I wish!), I decided to recreate my own Smoked Salmon Bagel Sandwich at home. It’s a slightly healthier version to my favorite Delaware House Breakfast Sandwich.
The Point Coffee House in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware is a locally-owned cafe that caters to the beach crowd. Their house-made toasted bagel is packed with smoked salmon, cream cheese, capers, hard boiled egg and red onion. Can’t beat that sandwich along with a cup of their house-roasted Reckless Abandon spicy coffee. And their pastries are to-die for.
Another favorite spot, Coastal Living Market, in Bethany Beach, Delaware (which has since closed) had a very tasty smoked salmon bagel. It was made with house-cured salmon, capers, cream cheese and very fresh local organic farm tomatoes on toasted bagel halves. The bagel halves could be eaten open-face or put together as a sandwich. Super simple ingredients and the best available locally made for a superbly outstanding bagel sandwich. The best.
And another favorite spot which closed earlier this year was the Kool Bean Bistro. Another mom-and-pop local spot that catered to the surrounding community as well as the tourist industry. Kool Bean was ecclecticly decorated and a really fun place to have a meal. We mostly went there for breakfast. I really loved their white chocolate mocha beverage along with their smoked salmon bagel platter.
The Kool Bean Bistro smoked salmon platter was served with house-cured smoked salmon, sliced ripe tomatoes, sliced purple onion, and spreadable cream cheese along with a toasted bagel to be assembled as you saw fit.
For my own favorite Smoked Salmon Bagel Sandwich, I use a split toasted whole wheat bagel. My husband prefers a toasted pretzel bagel. Trader Joe’s carries pretzel bagels.
On that, spread softened plain cream cheese.
Then, top the bottom half with tomato slices. I didn’t have a nice giant beefsteak tomato, so I used Kumato tomatoes. It’s better to have one big tomato slice rather than smaller ones that can make your sandwich slide apart.
On top of the tomatoes, place a healthy amount of smoked salmon.
Then, sprinkle capers on the cream cheese on the top half of the bagel.
Add some thinly sliced purple onion.
And some fresh sprigs of dill. You could use a dilled cream cheese as well.
Put the bagel tops on the sandwiches and carefully cut in half.
Place the sandwiches on plates and garnish with half a tangerine and more dill springs.
And serve!
Enjoy!
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From the kitchen of A Food Lover’s Delight….
Smoked Salmon Bagel Sandwich
Ingredients:
2 bagels of your choice (I like to use whole grain bagels)
4 oz cream cheese, softened for spreading
4 slices fresh ripe tomato
4 oz smoked salmon
1 T capers, drained
4 very thin slices of purple onion
4 sprigs fresh dill, more for garnish
1 tangerine, halved
Method:
1. Split and toast the bagel slices under your broiler until they are golden brown.
2. Spread the cream cheese on the inside of the four bagel slices and set the two tops aside.
3. Add two tomato slices on top of the cream cheese.
4. Divide the smoked salmon between the bagel bottoms on top of the tomato slices.
5. Sprinkle the capers over the cream cheese on the top bagels.
6. Top the salmon with the purple onion.
7. Top the onion with the dill sprigs.
8. Place the bagel tops, cream cheese side down, on the dill sprigs.
9. Carefully cut each bagel sandwich in half and place on a serving plates.
10. Garnish the plate with more dill and a half tangerine, and serve!
Makes two bagel sandwiches. Serve with a small bowl of my Minty Fruit Salad. And to drink, offer Cucumber Peach Mint Smoothie or my Decadent Hot Chocolate, coffee, or tea.
Variations: Try some hard boiled egg slices on the sandwich. Use mayonnaise instead of cream cheese. Use your favorite bagel flavor. Use fresh tarragon if you don’t have dill. Substitute thinly sliced shallots for the purple onion. To lighten this recipe, you can use nonfat cream cheese or omit it from the sandwich. Also you could serve open faced sandwiches using one bagel half per person and putting the capers on top of the cream cheese before the tomato slices.
Buy a sampler of three different kinds of smoked salmon in one box from Amazon.com:
www.afoodloversdelight.com (Copyright Adroit Ideals 2017)
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