Lox & Cream Cheese Bagels
Servings
4-6
Prep Time:
30 Minutes
Time & Temp:
20 Min @ 350 F.

Introduction
Lox & Cream Cheese Bagels
with Classic Caesar Salad
The Best Lox & Bagels
I have visited New York City twice and do not really remember having a bagel experience either time. Sad, perhaps? But that pastrami sandwich I ate was memorable in its three-inch-thick mas¬siveness. And the Caesar salad, with its croutons made of thick slices of baguette, was also some¬thing I thought about for a long time. Later, de¬spite my missed opportunity with New York bagels, I discovered this classic at a local bagel shop: lox and cream cheese bagels. I love the creamy cheese juxtaposed with the salty, rich cold smoked salmon. The capers and thinly sliced red onions on top were piquant and crunchy and, as such, the perfect counterpoint to the rich bed on which they lay. Maybe it would have been better in New York, but I was hooked on lox and bagels out West. I have served this dinner in a bar format. My kids love having some control over their dinners and seem to be more willing to try things like capers when they are optional. It also takes some pressure off the cook in that last frenzied minute of getting dinner on plates and on the table. Once there, the bar style of service also makes it neces¬sary to learn to pass the food and listen to your tablemates. Manners!

Ingredients
- ½ baguette
Dressing:
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 1 large clove garlic, pressed
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¹⁄8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Ingredients:
- 2 hearts romaine lettuce
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 4–6 ounces sliced cold-smoked salmon
- ¼ cup capers
- ½ red onion, sliced very thin
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon garlic salt
- 6 large bagels (plain or everything)
- 8 ounces plain cream cheese
Gluten-Free Variation: Use gluten-free bagels. Use gluten-free bread for croutons.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1
½ baguette
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cut the baguette into 1-inch-thick slices and then quarter them. Spread the bread cubes on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes.
Step 2
Dressing
¹⁄³ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 large clove garlic, pressed
¼ teaspoon salt
¹⁄8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Whisk together, then taste to adjust seasonings.
Step 3
2 hearts romaine lettuce
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Wash and dry the romaine. Layer Parmesan on the bottom of a large serving bowl and top with lettuce. Keep cool.
Step 4
4–6 ounces sliced cold-smoked salmon
¼ cup capers
½ red onion, sliced very thin
Arrange on serving dishes in the center of the table.
Step 5
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon garlic salt
Heat a sauté pan over medium heat and add the butter and olive oil. Stir together as the butter melts. Add the bread cubes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cubes absorb the fat and become toasty and crisp on the outside. Sprinkle the croutons with garlic salt and allow them to cool in the pan.
Step 6
6 large bagels (plain or everything)
8 ounces plain cream cheese
Toast the bagels, either in the toaster or by placing them in a single layer on a rimmed half-sheet pan under the oven broiler for a minute or so (watch carefully!). Toss the salad with the dressing, checking to make sure the seasonings are right. Place two halves of a bagel on each plate and spread with cream cheese. Serve immediately. Diners will add their desired toppings at the table.
People Who’ve Made This
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