Lox Salmon Toast with Cucumber and Roe
Fancy Comfort Food
One of my biggest comfort foods is a salmon lox and bagel. More often than not, if I see it on a menu I can’t help myself and have to order it. I’ve eaten bagel and lox across the country, ordered it at nice restaurants, at walk-up bagel stands, and everywhere in between. I’m a sucker for the salmon bagel. Recently, I was contemplating how I can up-level my comfort food, and it dawned on me that I could take my favorite breakfast food, and fancy it up. At the same time, I’ve also been very into the “toast” craze that I’m seeing on social media. People have been taking their love of avocado toast, and experimenting to find the next big thing. Here's how my salmon toast was born. It’s a dish a truly love and even though nothing will beat a bagel with lox, this is my new go-to elevated brunch dish. I can’t wait to serve it to friends and family for a future brunch get-together.
Tips for Making Lox Salmon Toast with Cucumber and Roe
The number one tip for making this toast is buying the best quality smoked nova salmon you feel comfortable buying. With it being the star of the dish, this is the area to splurge. While your guests may find the roe particularly fancy, it’s surprisingly affordable in comparison to other types of caviar. Look for them in the fresh seafood section of your grocery store next time you’re there! Speaking of the roe, I know it may not be everyone’s jam. If you’ve never tried it before, give it a go! It tastes a bit salty and pretty salmon-y. If you enjoy lox, I would put money on that you’ll enjoy roe. If it gives you the heebie jeebies, though no stress. I would recommend subbing out the roe for caper berries. It’ll give you the same salty pop as the roe, but not have the extra fish taste. Last tip, make sure your cream cheese is softened. The softer the cream cheese the easier it will be to mix in the herbs and spread it over the toast. This is a “trust me” moment, I’ve made the mistake so that you don’t have to. Not softening your cream cheese means you’ll ruin your perfectly toasted slice of bread.
Recipe Details
The greatest part about this recipe is that it’s mostly assembly, with a minimum amount of actual cooking. It makes for a great meal to prep ahead and assemble when your guests arrive or give yourself a special treat without turning on the oven. To start, chop a tablespoon of fresh dill and mix it through your softened cream cheese. Once mixed, set aside and toast your bread. In this recipe, I toasted the bread in a skillet with foamy butter to evenly brown the toast and add a bit of extra flavor. If you don’t have the time, throwing them in the toaster will get you to the same place!
A luxurious brunch dish with smoked nova salmon and salmon roe with the delicious crispness of thinly sliced cucumbers. Perfect for impressing your guests for an at-home brunch or treating yourself on a weekend morning.
- 1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped, plus more for garnish
- 1/2 cup spreadable cream cheese, softened
- 2 1-inch slices of sourdough bread
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 hot Persian cucumber, very thinly sliced
- 4 oz Nova Lox salmon
- 2 oz salmon roe
- 1 wedge of lemon
In a small bowl, mix the tablespoon of chopped fresh dill with the half cup of softened spreadable cream cheese until the dill is evenly distributed. Set aside.
Heat a small frying pan of medium-low heat. Add half of the tablespoon of butter to the pan and melt. Once the butter begins to foam, add one of the slices of bread to the pan and turn the heat to low. Let the bread toast for about 5 minutes, flipping over to warm the back side if desired and removing from the pan. Melt the second half of butter in the pan and repeat the process with the second slice of bread.
Spread the dill and cream cheese mixture over the slices of bread and then layer the thinly sliced cucumbers over the top. Letting the cucumber overlap slightly to entirely cover the top of the toast.
Place slices of the nova lox salmon over the cucumbers, arranging it with open areas left to add the salmon roe. Spoon the salmon roe onto the toast.
Squeeze the lemon wedge over the two slices of toast and sprinkle with additional fresh dill for garnish. Serve right away and enjoy!
