Smoked Salmon Cream Cheese Dip
Silky cream cheese whipped with smoked salmon, capers, and dill - elegant holiday luxury
Ingredients
- 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)
📝 Make Ahead
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.
Instructions
- Beat softened cream cheese until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes
- Add sour cream and beat until combined
- Fold in chopped smoked salmon, dill, capers, lemon juice, lemon zest, and red onion
- Season with black pepper - salt is usually unnecessary due to salmon and capers
- Transfer to serving bowl and cover tightly
- Refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight for flavors to meld
- Before serving, garnish with additional dill and a few whole capers
- Serve with bagel chips, crackers, cucumber rounds, or endive leaves
💡 Pro Tips
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.
📜 History
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.