7 Ways to Serve Smoked Salmon (2024)

Smoked salmon may be best known as a bagel topping, but it deserves credit for all it can do beyond breakfast. The rich flavor and meaty texture ofProvisions smoked wild salmonplays well with a wide variety of flavors and ingredients. These firm, flaky retort-packed fillets are similar to hot-smoked salmon. The fillets are delicious on their own, topped with fresh herbs or paired with creamy cheese; in a light grain salad or a seafood stew; or in tacos, pastas and scattered over pizzas. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with eating it right out of the pouch with a slice of crusty bread, either.

Here are some of our favorite ideas and recipes for serving smoked salmon.

Provisions Wild Sockeye Salmon on an everything bagel, with purple winter radish and daikon sprouts for crunch and color. Photo by Amy Kumler

Breakfast

When you’re trying to get out of a breakfast rut, smoked salmon is your ally. Toss it into your usual scrambled eggs and top with chives. Pile it on toast that you’ve spread with cream cheese, or, if you have a few extra minutes in your morning, try it with poached eggs and greens fora deluxe take on a bagel sandwich. Smoked salmon’s plentiful protein—along with omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D—will keep you satisfied till lunchtime or beyond.

Kimi Werner's Wild Salmon Omelet. Photo byThomas J. Story

Brunch

Smoked salmon is a brunch staple for a reason. It elevates everything it’s served with, whether you add the fish to abig fat omelet or pan-sear it insalmon cakesto pair with a green salad. Or, for a smoked-salmon platter, lay out the fillets with other brunch fixings—like cucumbers, hard-cooked eggs, capers, tomatoes, red onions, dill, cream cheese, and bagels or toast—so people can help themselves.

Lunch

That salad or veggie sandwich you make for lunch on autopilot every week can instantly become more appealing—and nutritious—with the addition of smoked salmon. For workday desk lunches or a weekend picnic, try adding salmon to afour bean salad, acucumber, avocado and tomato salador a tangle of soba noodles. If you’re off for a hike, take two minutes and pack up thissalmon wrap. In camp? Stir smoked salmon into heartyTsampa Soup for a satisfying midday meal. Have a little more time? Put together a tangy, gingery take onceviche, using smoked salmon instead of the usual raw fish.

Wild Salmon Spread. Photo by Amy Kumler

Appetizers

Salmon with cream cheese on a cracker is the classic. There’s nothing wrong with that, but sometimes it’s fun to break out of the box and go forsalmon spring rollswith lots of fresh herbs, or addictive, crunchySalmon Hush Puppieswith Chimichurri Tartar Sauce. For a twist on the smoked-salmon cracker, try thisWild Salmon Spread(one of Provisions’ most popular recipes ever).

Dinner

Smoked salmon tends to get the glory earlier in the day, and is often underestimated as a dinnertime main. But it can handle a wide range of strong seasonings for dinnertime. And, because the fish is already cooked, it’s especially convenient for weeknights. Try smoked salmon any number of ways in tacos—withpineapple tomatillo salsa,pickled radishesorcilantro slaw and mango salsa. Or use the salmon in pastas likeSalmon and Broccoli PenneorSpinach Pesto Fusilli, orover crisp rounds of baked polenta.

Seafood tacos for a crowd. Photo by Amy Kumler

Ways to Serve Smoked Salmon for a Party

Smoked salmon makes for easy main dishes that seem like they took a lot of work. Add hunks of it to mixed-seafood tacos and top with seasonal vegetables (like watermelon radishes, above), or check out recipes like our decadentPuff Pastry Salmon TurnoverorWild Salmon Chanterelle Pizza. Or go all out and pair it with other seafoods in a festiveFeast of 7 Fishes Seafood Soupor a piping hot bowl ofcioppino.

Blanched spring vegetables with Provisions Wild Sockeye. Photo by Thomas J. Story

Easy Pairings for Smoked Salmon

Of course, you don’t need a recipe for enjoying smoked salmon—just a sense of what foods pair best with it. A few suggestions:

With crackers, softened cream cheese and capers
Tossed into a green salad with a lemony dressing
Stirred into hot pasta with a light tomato sauce, green onions, fresh parsley and extra-virgin olive oil
As deconstructed sushi: Eat it with steamed short-grain rice, avocado, cucumber, and seaweed strips for folding up the bites
On lightly steamed or blanched vegetables
Mixed into any grain-and-veggie bowl
In an egg salad (capers are great here)
On avocado toast
In a creamy risotto with dill and chives

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