Smoked Salmon Bagel with Cream Cheese and Cucumber
A classic no-cook bagel sandwich: bagel spread with tangy cream cheese, layered with smoked salmon, crisp cucumber and briny capers. High in protein and ready in minutes.
- Total
- 10 min
- Prep 10
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Seasoning in layers
- Savory
- Quick
- No cook
Instructions
-
Slice the bagel in half horizontally.
~1 min
-
Slice the cucumber into thin 3 mm rounds and drain the capers well.
~3 min
Thin, even cucumber slices layer flat and stay crisp; draining capers removes excess brine that would make the bagel soggy.
-
Spread the cream cheese evenly over the cut sides of both bagel halves, about 30 g per half. Season the cream cheese with a pinch of salt and a pinch of black pepper.
~2 min
Softened cream cheese spreads without tearing the bagel, and seasoning it now distributes salt and pepper evenly.
Let the cream cheese sit at room temperature for a few minutes before spreading so it coats the bagel without tearing it.
Seasoning in layers Season the cream cheese before building so every bite is evenly seasoned. Taste a little first; under-salting is more common than over-salting here.
-
Layer the smoked salmon over the bottom bagel half, then arrange the cucumber slices on top and scatter over the capers.
~3 min
Salmon goes down first so its richness sits against the cream cheese, while cucumber and capers stay crisp on top.
Pat the cucumber slices dry with a paper towel before layering to keep the bagel from turning soggy.
-
Close the sandwich with the top bagel half, press gently, and serve immediately.
~1 min