Love lox and bagels with all of the traditional accompaniments? Then this dish could become a favorite. The salmon is seared with a dusting of everything spice, similar to the herbs and seasonings found on an everything bagel. The filet is served atop a salad of cucumbers, red onion and tomato tossed with a caper-cream cheese dressing. Still missing that bagel? Serve this with bagel chips on the side. This recipe makes a generous amount of dressing, if you have a little leftover, eat it as a snack with crudite made up of leftover salad ingredients.
The salad dressing can be made up to 3 days ahead. Leftover salmon can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.
Everything Salmon With Cucumber and Red Onion Salad
- For the dressing:
- 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 tablespoons milk, plus more if needed
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon drained capers
- 1 clove garlic, halved
- 1 teaspoon fresh dill fronds, plus more for serving (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon finely ground black pepper, plus more if needed
- For the salmon and salad:
- 4 (4- to 5-ounce) skin-on salmon filets
- 1 tablespoon everything bagel spice
- 1 cucumber, peeled or unpeeled, thinly sliced
- 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 small red onion, sliced into half-moons
- 4 small radishes, thinly sliced
- 1 lemon, for serving (optional)
Make the salad dressing: In the bowl of a food processor, combine the cream cheese, milk, and lemon juice or vinegar, and process until smooth. Add the capers, garlic, dill, if using, and pepper and pulse until well combined. The dressing should be thick enough to coat the vegetables. If you want it thinner, add more milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it reaches the desired consistency.
Transfer the dressing to a container with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Make the salmon and salad: Place a platter near the stove. Pat the salmon dry with a tea towel or paper towel. Sprinkle the everything bagel spice evenly over the skinless side the salmon fillets and gently press the seasoning into the fish.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until a drop of water sizzles when it hits the surface, but if it begins smoking reduce the heat. Add the filets, skin-side down, and cook until the skin is lightly crisped, 3 to 4 minutes. (If you do not have a nonstick skillet, add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan and heat until shimmering. Then add the salmon.)
Using a spatula, turn the filets over and reduce the heat to medium. Cook the salmon, without moving it, until it looks almost cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes; you can check by looking at the sides of each filet, where you should see pinker meat near the edges and a slightly darker center. The cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of the filet and the desired doneness.
Using a spatula, gently transfer the fish, spice-side up, to the platter.
While the salmon is cooking, in a large bowl, combine the cucumber, tomato, red onion and radishes.
When the salmon is ready, pour or spoon ½ cup of the dressing over the salad and toss until the vegetables are coated. Divide the salad among four plates and top each with a salmon fillet. Cut the lemon, if using, into wedges and serve alongside the fish and serve the remaining dressing in a small bowl on the side, if desired.
Makes 4 servings.
Nutrition information: Each serving without bagel chips contains approximately 342 calories, 36 g protein, 13 g fat, 9 g carbohydrate (5 g sugar), 102 mg cholesterol, 792 mg sodium and 2 g fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: 1
Note: A 1-ounce serving of bagel chips adds approximately 130 calories, 4 g protein, 4 g fat, 19 g carbohydrate (1 g sugar), no cholesterol, 290 mg sodium and no fiber.