Bagel and Lox
Bagel and Lox Say it: BAY-gul and loks
Bagel and lox is New York City’s signature deli breakfast: a chewy boiled-and-baked bagel split and toasted, spread with cream cheese, and piled with silky cured salmon. It is eaten across the city for brunch and weekend mornings, often with capers, red onion, tomato, dill, and a squeeze of lemon. The combination is rich, salty, bright, and clean-tasting, with the bagel’s crisp crust and dense crumb holding everything together. It is simple enough to assemble at home but feels unmistakably special.
Bagel and Lox
Bagel and Lox
Pronounced BAY-gul and loks
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 5 min
- Total
- 20 min
- Level
- Easy
Also nut-free and egg-free.
Allergens: contains gluten, milk, fish. Check labels on packaged ingredients.
Ingredients
Amounts are scaled. Cooking times and pan sizes stay the same.
For the sandwiches
Method
Split the bagels horizontally with a serrated knife. Toast the cut sides in a toaster, toaster oven, or dry skillet over medium heat until golden and crisp at the edges, 2 to 3 minutes; keep warm.
While the bagels toast, slice the red onion and tomato thinly, drain the capers, chop the dill, and cut the lemon into wedges. Let the cream cheese soften at room temperature for a few minutes so it spreads without tearing the bagel.
Spread about 2 tbsp (30 g) cream cheese over the cut side of each bagel half. Lay about 2 oz (55 g) smoked salmon on each bottom half, folding the slices loosely rather than pressing them flat.
Top the salmon with tomato slices, a few thin rings of red onion, a scattering of capers, and a pinch of chopped dill. Squeeze a lemon wedge over each sandwich and finish with the black pepper.
Close with the bagel tops, or serve open-faced if you prefer. Serve immediately while the bagel is still crisp and the salmon is cool.
Regional variant: Montreal Bagel and Lox (Bagel Montréalais au saumon fumé)
Use a Montreal-style bagel: smaller, denser, boiled in honey water, and baked in a wood-fired oven, traditionally topped with sesame seeds. Split and toast it, then top with cream cheese, smoked salmon, red onion, capers, tomato, and dill as above. The sweeter, smokier bagel changes the balance, so skip the lemon if you prefer a richer sandwich.
Cook's notes
- Use fresh, high-quality bagels; day-old bagels toast especially well and stay crisp under the toppings.
- Let the cream cheese soften for about 15 minutes before spreading so it coats the bagel evenly without tearing the crumb.
- If the lox is very salty, drain the capers well and taste before adding extra salt; the pepper is enough seasoning for most batches.
Serve with
Serve with pickles, coleslaw, and coffee or an iced tea.
Make ahead and storage
Prep the components up to 1 day ahead and refrigerate; assemble just before serving so the bagel stays crisp.
