Smoked Salmon Cream Cheese Dip
Silky cream cheese whipped with smoked salmon, capers, and dill - elegant holiday luxury
- 8 ozcream cheese(softened)
- 4 ozsmoked salmon(finely chopped)
- 0.25 cupsour cream
- 2 tbspfresh dill(chopped, plus more for garnish)
- 2 tbspcapers(drained and chopped)
- 1 tbspfresh lemon juice
- 1 tsplemon zest
- 2 tbspred onion(finely minced)
- 0.25 tspblack pepper(freshly ground)
Best made 1 day ahead to let flavors develop. Keeps refrigerated up to 4 days. Bring to cool room temperature 30 minutes before serving for best spreadability.
- 1Beat softened cream cheese until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes
- 2Add sour cream and beat until combined
- 3Fold in chopped smoked salmon, dill, capers, lemon juice, lemon zest, and red onion
- 4Season with black pepper - salt is usually unnecessary due to salmon and capers
- 5Transfer to serving bowl and cover tightly
- 6Refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight for flavors to meld
- 7Before serving, garnish with additional dill and a few whole capers
- 8Serve with bagel chips, crackers, cucumber rounds, or endive leaves
Hot-smoked salmon gives a more intense, flaky texture while cold-smoked (lox-style) creates a silkier dip. Reserve a few nice pieces of salmon for garnish. Rinsing capers removes excess brine. Everything bagel seasoning sprinkled on top adds crunch and visual appeal.
This dip transforms the classic bagel and lox combination into an elegant party format. It became popular in the 1980s as smoked salmon became more widely available beyond Jewish delicatessens, and remains a sophisticated choice for holiday entertaining.