Smoked Salmon Bagel
Bagel au saumon fumé (BAY-gul oh soh-MON foo-MAY)
Montreal Bagel with Lox
A wood-fired Montreal bagel topped with cream cheese, smoked salmon, capers, red onion, and fresh dill.
Nutrition & Info
Allergen Warnings
Equipment Needed
Presentation Guide
Vessel: plate
Garnishes: capers, red onion rings, fresh dill
Accompaniments: cream cheese, lemon wedge
Instructions
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1
Slice the Montreal-style bagels in half horizontally. If desired, toast them lightly, cut-side down, in a dry skillet or under the broiler for about one minute until the cut surface is just golden and slightly crisp while the exterior remains chewy.
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2
Spread a generous layer of softened cream cheese on each bagel half, using about twenty-five grams per half. Apply it thickly and evenly, creating a smooth base that extends to the edges of the bagel.
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3
Drape the thin slices of cold-smoked salmon over the cream cheese in loose, folded layers rather than flat sheets. This creates an appealing ruffled appearance and allows the delicate flavour and silky texture to come through in each bite.
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4
Scatter the drained capers across the salmon, distributing them evenly. Place the paper-thin red onion rings on top, separating them gently so they lie in a single layer across the surface.
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5
Tuck small sprigs of fresh dill between the layers of salmon and over the top. Finish with a few grinds of black pepper and serve each bagel with a lemon wedge alongside for squeezing over the salmon just before eating.
Did You Know?
Montreal bagels differ from New York bagels — they are smaller, sweeter, denser, and always baked in a wood-fired oven.
Chef's Notes
Equipment Tips
- sharp knife
- toaster
Garnishing
capers, red onion rings, fresh dill
Accompaniments
cream cheese, lemon wedge
The Story Behind Smoked Salmon Bagel
The Story: The Montreal smoked salmon bagel represents the intersection of two of the city's greatest food traditions: the wood-fired Montreal bagel, smaller, denser, and sweeter than its New York cousin, and the cold-smoked salmon perfected by Eastern European Jewish immigrants who settled in Montreal's Mile End neighborhood. Montreal bagels are boiled in honey-sweetened water then baked in wood-fired ovens, producing a chewy, slightly sweet base. Topped with cream cheese, silky smoked salmon, capers, red onion, and fresh dill, the combination is Montreal's signature breakfast.
On the Calendar: Smoked salmon bagels are breakfast and brunch food, eaten on weekends, at celebrations, and as an everyday indulgence at legendary shops like Fairmount and St-Viateur.
Then & Now: The Montreal versus New York bagel debate is one of North America's most enduring food arguments. Montreal partisans insist the wood-fired, honey-boiled method produces a superior bagel.
Legacy: The smoked salmon bagel is the taste of Montreal's immigrant genius, a dish that combines Jewish baking tradition with Canadian smoked fish to create one of North America's perfect breakfasts.
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