How to Eat Smoked Salmon 15 Ways, According to Experts

If you want some ideas for how to eat smoked salmon, shift your mindset beyond a bagel with cream cheese. Yes, we adore this failsafe combo (which we'll delve into below) but given its luxurious qualities, smoked salmon has the potential to soup up every meal—plus the aperitivo hour in between. We connected with smoked fish experts to learn more about its versatility and the best food pairings.

What Is Smoked Salmon?

Smoked salmon is not the same thing as gravlax, a Scandinavian specialty, or lox. Lox is unsmoked and salt-cured, explains Peter Shelsky, co-owner of Shelsky's Brooklyn Bagels and Shelsky's of Brooklyn: Appetizing and Delicatessen, which specialize in Jewish delicacies. Lox is brined, silky, and salty. Gravlax is cured with sugar and salt and flavored with dill, juniper berries, and aromatics.

Smoked salmon lives up to its name. It's dry-cured with salt or salt and sugar and then smoked. 

Cold-smoked: Smoked at room temperature, cold-smoked salmon is typically sliced paper-thin. Varieties abound, including Scottish-style smoked salmon, Norwegian smoked salmon, and Nova—Nova Scotia-style salmon.

Hot-smoked: Also called kippered or baked salmon, this type is smoked while it's cooked through and sold in chunks.

Smokiness

The smoky intensity of the fish depends on factors including the kind of wood used, the length of time it's smoked, the salmon's size, and humidity. 

Subtle: Hardwoods like alder, applewood, and cherrywood impart a sweet, mild smokiness.

Smokier: Mesquite, oak, and hickory make a bold, super-smoky impact.

How to Eat Smoked Salmon

Classic Bagel

Starting with the tried and true, a bagel with cream cheese and smoked salmon is as epic a combo as, dare we say, tuna with mayo. "You're talking about one of the most balanced, crave-worthy bites out there," says Adam Witt, chef and brand ambassador for Bluehouse Salmon, a sustainable, land-based aquaculture company. 

Why the combination works: The textures contrast perfectly, Witt says."You've got the dense chew of a good bagel, the creamy tang of the cream cheese, and the smoky, salty richness of the salmon." If the bagel has malt, it may also lend a slight sweetness to the mix. 

Bagel alternative: Shelsky notes that a bagel's dense crumb can overshadow the nuances of a top-notch smoked salmon. "I say, with complete confidence, that what's good on a bagel is better on a bialy!" he says."To me, the combination of a well-toasted bialy (the not-boiled, lighter, Polish cousin of the bagel) with the creamy lactic acid tang of cream cheese and the silky moderate salinity and smoke of smoked salmon is just an absolute party in your mouth."

Other Brunch Dishes

Smoked salmon takes eggs, egg-based dishes, and the humble potato to a higher realm. Here are some bagel-free ideas:

Potato cakes: Witt recommends teaming potato cakes with smoked salmon, crème fraîche, and chives. "It's a riff on lox on bagels, but with crispy, golden potatoes," he says.

Scramble: Shelsky loves a quick scramble of smoked salmon, eggs, and onions, a smoked salmon twist on lox, eggs, and onions, a classic Jewish breakfast dish.

Dutch baby: For a luscious, savory take on this brunchtime treat, try our Dutch Baby With Smoked Salmon and Capers.

Appetizers

Smoked salmon turns happy hour into an event.

Endive: Witt recommends filling endive "boats" with smoked salmon, dill, lemon zest, and mascarpone. "They're light, elegant, and easy to eat."

Deviled eggs: Our Smoked Salmon Radish Deviled Eggs are a bit decadent and devilishly good.

Blinis: Elegant yet earthy, savory buckwheat pancakes with smoked salmon and crème fraîche are pretty much party-perfect.

Flatbread: Witt notes that smoked salmon balances the earthiness of beets or nutty flavors like toasted sesame seeds. Our Smoked Salmon Flatbread With Pickled Beets unites all three flavors.

Salads

The fattiness of the smoked salmon pairs beautifully with bitter foods, says Shelsky. 

Chicories: "I love smoked salmon in a salad with endive or radicchio," Shelsky says. Toss our Radicchio and Endive Salad together, and top with a few slices.

Lentils: Lentil salad made with French green lentils (Le Puy) is also the ideal counterpoint. "Make sure to include lots of acid, lemon juice, or good vinegar," recommends Shelsky.

Dinner

Smoked salmon can easily take on main dishes. Here are a few ideas to get your creativity flowing:

Sushi rolls: Witt suggests making sushi with sushi-grade smoked salmon, cucumber, avocado, and pickled ginger. Add smoked salmon to our Avocado Sushi.

Pizza: For a novel take on tradition, top a thin, crispy crust with smoked salmon, crème fraîche, capers, and fresh dill.

Risotto: Finished with dill, lemon zest, and mascarpone, smoked salmon also redefines risotto. "It's creamy, comforting, and a little unexpected," Witt says.

Pasta: Creamy pasta dishes, like our Farfalle with Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese, are another winning combination.

Splurge Salmon

Then there are smoked salmon specialities so delicious that they stand on their own. One such fish is tsar's cut balik salmon, also called tsar-cut smoked salmon, made from the tenderloin cut, and sliced thick like sashimi. During the holidays, Shelsky's stores sell a version made from Scottish salmon filets. "To me, there's nothing as wonderful as just laying a slice on your tongue and enjoying the smoked salmon its purest form," he says.