Bagel And Lox Board

What Is Lox?

Lox is brined salmon; that is, salmon that is cured in salt. Sometimes lox is smoked after curing, but not always, and there is some debate about whether smoked salmon can be considered lox. The origin of lox can be traced to 19th century Scandinavia.

When lox is served on a bagel with cream cheese, it’s common to also add fresh tomato, sliced onions, cucumbers, and capers. (But because this is a DIY bagel board, your guests who aren’t fans of fish can make theirs without the lox!)

Bagel and Lox Board

Impressive looking but easy to make. The beauty of breakfast boards and bars is that they look like an elaborate spread (and they’re fun for your guests!) but they’re a cinch to put together. All you need is a big board or tray and an assortment of ingredients. For this bagel and lox board, you don’t even need to cook anything! The most work you’ll have to do is slice the cucumbers and tomatoes, and maybe slice the bagels if you buy them fresh from the bakery.

A fun idea for special occasions. You’ll love this bagel and lox board for all your brunching needs: Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Easter, baby showers, bridal showers, or those casual just-because get-togethers.

Lots of ways to specialize your board. I’ll give you ideas for traditional toppings but I’ve also included lots of other items you can add to your bagel and lox board if you feel like it. You can get creative with your board and customize it to fit your guests’ preferences.

Serve a specialty coffee or cocktail. For special occasions, it’s nice to offer something special to drink, too. Try my cinnamon dolce latte, iced pumpkin spice latte, or crockpot hot chocolate (perfect for a crowd). If you’re leaning more toward cocktails, serve hibiscus mimosas (so beautiful and unique! or red wine spritzers.

Ingredient Notes

• A variety of bagels: Choose bagels that lean toward the savory side, such as everything, plain, and sesame. Salt bagels and asiago bagels are other fun choices. Offer a variety so guests can choose what they like.
• Toppings: This list is really just a jumping off point. Feel free to add or remove anything you’d like to make this perfect for your group of friends and family. (I’ll give you more ideas later on in the post.)
  • Smoked salmon or lox
  • Cream cheese (8 oz. block of plain cream cheese, softened)
  • Capers
  • Mini English or hothouse cucumbers
  • Thinly sliced red onion
  • Sliced tomatoes (heirloom tomatoes would be especially pretty!)
  • Alfalfa sprouts
  • Everything bagel seasoning (make your own or buy it)
  • Chives (fresh chives, snipped into small pieces)

How To Make A Bagel and Lox Board

Prep the ingredients. Slice the tomatoes, onions, and cucumbers. I find that it works best if they are sliced as thinly as possible. Cut the block of cream cheese into 6 triangles. (Depending on the size of the board you use and how long you’ll be keeping your lox bagel board out, you might want to only put some of them on the board at first and replace them as they are used.)

Arrange the toppings. Place the cream cheese triangles on the board, with the smoked salmon alongside.

Place a small bowl of capers in one corner of the board; fill in the other corners with cucumber slices. Fill in the remaining spaces with the sliced tomatoes, onion, and sprouts.

Season the cream cheese. Sprinkle the cream cheese with the everything bagel seasoning and chives, if you’re using them.

Set it all out. Place your board of toppings on the table, countertop, or serving area, next to a tray or basket of sliced bagels. Be sure to include serving utensils (small tongs, forks, spoons).

How To Build A Bagel and Lox

To create a traditional bagel and lox, slice a bagel in half horizontally. Spread softened cream cheese on each half. Arrange a slice of lox or smoked salmon on top of the cream cheese. Add thinly sliced red onion and capers. Sprinkle with fresh dill, chives, or everything bagel seasoning.

More Topping Ideas

• Add more veggies. Sliced or mashed avocado, green onions, baby arugula, thinly sliced radishes, cornichons, pickled red onions, and other pickled vegetables are all great additions to your build-your-own-bagel spread.
• Use flavored cream cheese. Instead of seasoning plain cream cheese, you can buy tubs of flavored cream cheese and set those out, or get creative and make your own! The tubs are easier to spread, too.
• Make it sweet and savory. Arrange lox and savory toppings on one side of the board, then add fruit, honey butter (for those who prefer a bagel without cream cheese), and sweet bagel toppings on the other. You could offer two separate boards, if you prefer.
• More topping ideas. Roasted red peppers! Grilled asparagus! Hard-boiled eggs, fresh dill, chimichurri (hey, why not?!), olives, or sliced cheeses are great, too. Feel free to mix things up and make your own epic bagel and lox board.

Prep the different components ahead of time and refrigerate them separately. You can also assemble the bagel and lox board, cover it in plastic wrap, and keep it in the fridge for up to a day. When you’re ready to serve it, take the board out of the refrigerator and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes, to give the cream cheese time to soften a bit so it’s easier to spread.

• ▢ variety of savory bagels (plain, sesame, poppyseed, onion, garlic, everything, salt)
• ▢ 8 oz. lox (cured or smoked salmon)
• ▢ ¼ cup capers
• ▢ 4 mini English cucumbers, sliced (or 1 large English cucumber)
• ▢ ½ red onion, very thinly sliced
• ▢ 2 large tomatoes, sliced
• ▢ 1 pkg. (3 oz.) alfalfa sprouts (see note)
• ▢ 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• ▢ everything bagel seasoning or chives, optional

• Slice block of cream cheese into 6 triangles. Arrange the cream cheese triangles on the board, evenly spaced, and place the salmon along one side of each triangle. Depending on the size of the board, you might want to only put 3 triangles on the board at first, replacing them as they are used.

• Place bowl of capers at a corner and then fill in the other corners with cucumber slices.

• Line the open spaces with tomatoes and red onion.

• Fill the edges with the sprouts. Top cream cheese with everything seasoning and/or chives, if desired.

• Serve the board, letting guests build their bagels as they like. Be sure to include small tongs, forks, or other serving utensils.

• Board details: The board pictured is 17.5 in long (excluding the handle) and 5 inches wide. Your board may have different dimensions so you can arrange it as you please. 
• Alfalfa sprouts: It may be difficult to find alfalfa sprouts in the grocery store. If you can’t find any, omit them or substitute another type of sprouts, microgreens, or finely chopped arugula. It’s easy and fun to grow your own sprouts, too. Be sure to buy seeds that are labeled as sprouting seeds.
• Alternative toppings: Refer to the post above for more ideas. 
• To create a traditional bagel and lox, slice a bagel in half horizontally. Spread softened cream cheese on each half. Arrange a slice of lox or smoked salmon on top of the cream cheese. Add thinly sliced red onion and capers. Sprinkle with fresh dill, chives, or everything bagel seasoning.

Serving: 1bagel with toppings, Calories: 164kcal, Carbohydrates: 13g, Protein: 21g, Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 20mg, Sodium: 1157mg, Potassium: 608mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 932IU, Vitamin C: 16mg, Calcium: 234mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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