This Scandi-inspired sharing spread is ideal for a crowd. Pile bagels high with dill soft cheese, smoked salmon, capers and pickled red onions, or top rye toast fingers with chopped egg, avocado and a sprinkling of seaweed salt
Tamsin learned the tricks of the trade from cookery legend Delia Smith. A trusted recipe writer for the magazine for over 25 years, she is now our Senior Food Producer, overseeing testing and editing to ensure that every recipe tastes great, is straightforward to follow and works without fail. In her home kitchen, Tamsin creates fuss-free flavour-packed food for friends and family, with baking being her ultimate form of comfort cooking
See more of Tamsin Burnett-Hall’s recipes
Tamsin Burnett-Hall
Tamsin learned the tricks of the trade from cookery legend Delia Smith. A trusted recipe writer for the magazine for over 25 years, she is now our Senior Food Producer, overseeing testing and editing to ensure that every recipe tastes great, is straightforward to follow and works without fail. In her home kitchen, Tamsin creates fuss-free flavour-packed food for friends and family, with baking being her ultimate form of comfort cooking
See more of Tamsin Burnett-Hall’s recipes
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Ingredients
For the dill cheese and soft-boiled eggs
300g full-fat soft cheese
½ x 20g pack dill, fronds chopped
zest and juice of ½ lemon, plus wedges to serve
1 tsp Dijon mustard
6 eggs at room temperature (we like Burford Browns for their golden yolks)
For the seaweed salt
1 half-cut sheet nori seaweed
2 tbsp flaky salt
1 tsp pink peppercorns or nigella seeds
For the pickled onions
1 red onion, very thinly sliced
2 tbsp cider vinegar
½ tsp caster sugar
To serve
2 ripe avocadoes, thinly sliced
300g smoked salmon
½ x 90g jar miniature capers
4-6 bagels, halved
6 slices rye bread
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Get ahead
Make the dill soft cheese and the pickled onions the day before. Boil the eggs on the day, and assemble the platter up to an hour before serving.
Mix together the soft cheese, dill, lemon zest and a squeeze of juice, mustard and a few grindings of black pepper and spoon into a serving bowl. Cover and chill until ready to serve.
Add the eggs to a pan of boiling water and simmer for 7 minutes (8 minutes if fridge cold). Drain and cool in running cold water, then peel and halve; they should have slightly soft yolks.
Dry-toast the sheet of nori in a frying pan (or carefully toast directly over a gas flame) to crisp it up (only a few seconds each side). Cool, then tear into a small food processor and whiz with the salt (and peppercorns if you wish, or nigella seeds) until flecked through (you can also use a pestle and mortar). Tip into a small bowl or pinch pot.
Put the red onion in a bowl and cover with boiling water for a couple of minutes, then tip into a sieve to drain. Mix the vinegar, sugar and a pinch of salt in the bowl then stir in the onions. Leave to pickle for at least 10 minutes, although they can be made the day before.
When ready to serve, stone and slice the avocadoes and drizzle with the juice from the zested lemon, to stop them from going brown. Arrange on a large platter with the smoked salmon, halved eggs, lemon wedges, bowls of dill soft cheese, seaweed salt, pickled red onion and capers. Toast the bagels and rye bread and serve up, for people to mix and match toppings as they wish.
Since it is already 'cooked', you can eat the succulent slices straight off the package (my personal favorite); put it on toast with cream cheese for a great quick snack; make yourself a smoked salmon sandwich on the go; or prepare a four-course gourmet meal based on the delicate treat.
Or, for a smoked-salmon platter, lay out the fillets with other brunch fixings—like cucumbers, hard-cooked eggs, capers, tomatoes, red onions, dill, cream cheese, and bagels or toast—so people can help themselves.
Arrange the smoked salmon, crostini, breads, and ramekins of cream cheese spread on a large platter. Fill in the spaces with as many of the ingredients and optional ingredients as you'd like. Garnish the platter with sprigs of fresh dill and sprinkle some of the capers over the smoked salmon.
Getting soft cheeses like Neufchatel cheese, brie, and cream cheese is an amazing way to pair them with the smoked salmon! We also definitely recommend you try some sort of cheese spread. You can do plain cream cheese, or something flavored and more elevated.
Salad – A leafy green salad, chopped salad or potato salad are all perfect pairings. Vegetables – Any vegetable side such as carrots, green beans, Brussels sprouts, bell peppers, pickles, grilled corn or corn on the cob taste great alongside this rich-tasting fish.
How much lox or smoked fish should I allot per person? 1 pound of smoked fish will typically feed about 4 people (4 ounces per person, at minimum – about 2 slices per bagel half).
For a subtle and nutty flavor, try pairing smoked salmon with whole-grain crackers. If you're looking for a more traditional option, water crackers are a classic choice that won't overpower the delicate flavor of the fish.
Here's the main difference: smoked salmon is cured and then smoked, whereas lox is only cured, typically in a salt brine and typically for longer periods of time, but not smoked. Smoked salmon is preserved with a combination of salting and smoking, so the flavor can be slightly salty and slightly smoky.
Spread on a plate or clean cutting board in a single layer until cool. Arrange salmon, potatoes, onion, cucumber, radishes, tomatoes, eggs, roe, capers and lemon wedges on a platter (or platters).Sprinkle with chopped dill and pepper.
Smoked Salmon Appetizer Platter. You'll love this loaded smoked salmon platter with fresh veggies, creamy cheese (in this case Labneh) and Mediterranean favorites like capers, olives, and marinated artichokes! Serve it for brunch with bagels or as an appetizer platter with your favorite crackers or pita wedges.
Large board includes a variety of smoked salmon flavors and all of the toppings: capers, onions, artichokes, cheese spread, and so much more! This platter is sure to please! Smaller board contains: Sliced smoked salmon, capers, onion, olives, tomato, cream cheese spread, honey mustard spread, and sliced baguette.
Arrange lox, sliced pumpernickel, goat cheese spread, cucumbers, red onion, lemon slices, and dill on a large platter for serving. Sprinkle lox with capers. To enjoy, spread a piece of pumpernickel with the goat cheese spread, and top with cucumber, red onion, lox, dill, and capers.
Using the back of a spoon, swirl the cream cheese to create nooks and crannies for the toppings to sit. Lay the slices of smoked salmon on top of the cream cheese. Garnish the board with fresh dill sprigs, scattering them over the top. Serve the salmon board with your choice of crackers, cucumbers or bread on the side.
Heat your oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. When fish is thoroughly cooked and ready to keep warm, transfer it to a wire rack placed over a baking sheet. Do not cover or wrap in foil! Hold in the oven for up to 30 minutes. When it's ready, eat it immediately, and eat it all -- especially if it's fried.
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Prep time: 25 mins
