New York deli smoked salmon bagel
A dense, shiny bagel, split and toasted, spread with cream cheese, topped with thin slices of smoked salmon, red onion rings, capers and a squeeze of lemon. The archetype of the New York breakfast, both hearty and bright.
A dense, shiny bagel, split and toasted, spread with cream cheese, topped with thin slices of smoked salmon, red onion rings, capers and a squeeze of lemon. The archetype of the New York breakfast, both hearty and bright.
You know, before the sets and the gowns, there was Sunday morning in New Jersey, and the deli on the corner. You'd pick your bagel still warm, have them split it, and the lady behind the counter would spread the cream cheese with a flick of the wrist I found magical. I loved the salmon with lots of red onion and capers — the bite that wakes you up. Eat it without ceremony, standing up, fingers a little greasy: that's when it's best.
- •Plain or sesame bagel — 1 per person (base)
- •Cream cheese — a good layer (creamy binder)
- •Smoked salmon (lox or nova style) — a few thin slices (umami topping)
- •Red onion — a few thin rings (bite)
- •Capers — a pinch (salty acidity)
- •Lemon — a squeeze (acidic freshness)
New York deli smoked salmon bagel
A dense, shiny bagel, split and toasted, spread with cream cheese, topped with thin slices of smoked salmon, red onion rings, capers and a squeeze of lemon. The archetype of the New York breakfast, both hearty and bright.
Why this dish? Anne Hathaway grew up in Millburn, New Jersey, a stone's throw from Manhattan, then studied at the Tisch School of the Arts in New York. The bagel with salmon and cream cheese is the weekend ritual of an entire youth in the region: you eat it on Sunday morning, taken out of a paper bag, on a bench or at a deli counter.
You know, before the sets and the gowns, there was Sunday morning in New Jersey, and the deli on the corner. You'd pick your bagel still warm, have them split it, and the lady behind the counter would spread the cream cheese with a flick of the wrist I found magical. I loved the salmon with lots of red onion and capers — the bite that wakes you up. Eat it without ceremony, standing up, fingers a little greasy: that's when it's best.
Ingredients (period version)
- Plain or sesame bagel — 1 per person (base)
- Cream cheese — a good layer (creamy binder)
- Smoked salmon (lox or nova style) — a few thin slices (umami topping)
- Red onion — a few thin rings (bite)
- Capers — a pinch (salty acidity)
- Lemon — a squeeze (acidic freshness)
Ingredients
- Bagels — 2 (base)
- Cream cheese — 100 g (creamy binder)
- Smoked salmon — 120 g (umami topping)
- Red onion — 1/4, thinly sliced (bite)
- Capers — 1 tablespoon (salty acidity)
- Lemon — 1/2 (acidic freshness)
- Fresh dill — a few sprigs (aroma)
Method
- Split the bagels in half and toast them until golden and crispy on the outside.
- Generously spread cream cheese on both cut sides.
- Arrange the smoked salmon slices, slightly waving them to give volume.
- Sprinkle with sliced red onion, capers and dill.
- Squeeze a little lemon just before closing (or serving open) and enjoy immediately.
How it was made : The bagel and smoked salmon arrived in New York with Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. 'Lox' (from Yiddish/German for salmon) was salted for preservation before refrigeration; 'nova', milder, is cold-smoked. The bagel-cream cheese-lox combination became a New York institution between the two world wars.
The contemporary twist : Sprinkle the cream cheese with 'everything bagel' seasoning before adding the salmon, to concentrate the entire East Coast signature in one bite.
Anne Hathaway · Charactorium