How to Prepare Bagels and Lox

Serve lox and cream cheese on separate halves of the bagel.

Bagels and lox may be served at breakfast, brunch or even lunch. This brunch staple stars the lox, which is thinly sliced smoked salmon. When you bite into a bagel with lox, the lox should be the standout taste. Add other ingredients to enhance the flavor of the lox, not overpower it. Use fresh ingredients because the fresher the ingredients, the better the outcome may be.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Serrated knife
• Butter knife
• Cutting board
• Toaster
• Cream cheese
• Capers
• Tomatoes
• Red onion

1. Start with fresh, plain bagels. Slice the bagels in half and toast them if that is your preference.

2. Let the bagels cool slightly when they come out of the toaster.

3. Spread plain cream cheese on both sides of the bagel. You want enough cream cheese to cover the bagel, but the thickness of the cream cheese is up to your personal preference.

4. Fold over two pieces of lox onto each side of the bagel. The bagel halves are consumed separately, rather than together like a sandwich.

5. Add extra toppings to your bagels and lox, such as like a few capers without the brine and thinly sliced red onion. There is a debate about whether tomato belongs on a lox bagel, but you can add one slice of fresh tomato to each side of the bagel if you like.

Tips & Warnings

• Try preparing a tasty drink to enjoy with brunch, such as a mimosa or Bloody Mary, either virgin or alcoholic.

• Guests may want to dish out their own proportions of bagels with lox and cream cheese depending on how salty or creamy they desire their brunch delight. You may also want to ask how much spice they prefer in the bagel and lox recipe and adjust the pepper, capers and onions accordingly.

References

• Accidental Hedonist; Notes for a perfect Bagel and Lox; Kate Hopkins; April 2006
• New York Real Estate Lawyers' Blog; How To Make a Lox, Bagel & Cream Cheese Sandwich; Lucas A. Ferrara; Jan. 2008
• Judaism 101: Jewish Cooking: Bagels and Lox