Cured Salmon Cream Cheese

Pictures don’t do this recipe justice….

IT. IS. SO. GOOD.

Let me start this by giving credit where credit is due: this recipe was inspired by the salmon cream cheese from Bottletree Bakery in Oxford, MS. I was picking up some coffee as a gift for a friend, and saw the cream cheese and knew I needed to try it. Even better? A tub of the salmon cream cheese came free with the purchase of four of their fresh bagels. Um, sold?

My second inspiration came from the idea that I wanted to serve lox and bagels at a baby shower I’m throwing in May for my best friend. However…lox is not the most budget-friendly brunch food. I read online that it’s possible to use fresh salmon and cure your own, so I decided to try it.

I used Ina Garten’s recipe for curing the salmon, loosely. I mixed 1/2 cup each of sugar and kosher salt, the zest of one lemon, 3 sprigs of fresh dill (chopped). I made an effort to find the piece of salmon that was the most even thickness throughout, and cut it in half across the middle (fat side). Lining a casserole dish with tin foil, I placed one half of the salmon, skin side down onto the foil, then topped with half of the salt mixture. I topped that with the other half of salmon, flesh side touching the bottom flesh side. covering it all with the remaining half of the salt mixture, I packed it very tight with the tin foil. I would have topped with a brick, but I didn’t have one, so I topped it with another casserole dish with 4 cans of ginger ale.

The hard part is waiting. I let mine sit from Thursday around lunchtime until Sunday morning. When it’s cured, it should hard and able to thinly shave into slices. Perfection!

I sliced the salmon super thin, then gave it a rough chop. In a bowl, I combined cream cheese (softened), lots of fresh herbs and aromatics, and the salmon. Holy cow. Mine didn’t need salt because of how salty the salmon was, but that’s easily adjusted to taste.

I love how beautiful this recipe is. I plan on serving this at Caroline’s baby shower on small toasts, with dill or chives for garnish. Simple enough for an elevated breakfast at home, and fancy enough for a gathering of friends. Enjoy!

CURED SALMON CREAM CHEESE

For the salmon:

1 large filet of fresh salmon

1/2 cup kosher salt

1/2 white sugar

Zest of one lemon

4 fronds fresh dill, chopped

For the cream cheese:

Cured salmon, thinly sliced and then chopped

1 block cream cheese, softened

1/2 jalapeno, chopped*

1 bunch green onions, chopped

6 fronds fresh dill, chopped

Handful fresh chives, chopped

*If you don’t like heat, definitely skip the jalapeno or simply remove the pith and the seeds before adding.

1. Line a small casserole dish with aluminum foil. Cut the salmon in half across the short side.

2. Coat each salmon piece on the flesh side fully with the salt mixture (each fleshy side should be saturated/covered with the salt mixture).

3. Place one half of the salmon skin side down in the lined casserole dish.

4. Top with the other salmon half, flesh side down so that the skin side is in the air (basically, the fleshy sides of the salmon are touching).

5. Make sure the salt mixture is coated all over. Wrap tightly in the aluminum foil.

6. Top with another small casserole dish and something heavy to weigh it down. A brick would be perfect, but I didn’t have a spare brick, so I used three cans of ginger ale.

7. Let sit in the fridge for approximately 48 hours. When finished, the salmon should be very hard and look like regular lox.

8. Use a sharp knife to slice thinly. Repeat until you’ve gotten as much flesh away from the salmon skin as possible.

9. To make the cream cheese, mix the block of cream cheese with all of the chopped herbs. Add in the salmon and gently stir until incorporated. Spread on top of sliced bagels, french bread toasts, crackers, or even cucumbers. Enjoy!