If I had to choose one breakfast to eat for the rest of my days, it would probably be some sort of bagel with salmon like this Lox Breakfast Bagel Sandwich. Okay… or chicken and waffles. Or pancakes. But probably this lox situation.
Don’t make me choose!
This is the kind of sandwich that you might see on a fancy deli breakfast menu for $13, but it takes literally 15 minutes (on a slow day) to make at home and the only real cooking involved is toasting the bagel and making the cream cheese eggs. Speaking of that… don’t skip the cream cheese caper scrambled eggs. They absolutely make this bagel sandwich something special.
This sandwich is fancy enough that I’d be very comfortable serving it to guests over the weekend with some mimosas, but it’s also fast enough to slam together on a busy Tuesday before you fly out the door. Make it and enjoy breakfast!
- Not a bagel fan? Try this Croissant Breakfast Sandwich!
Toppings for this Lox Bagel Sandwich
I recommend getting all the toppings ready for the sandwich before you make the eggs or toast your bagels. Basically this is just slicing stuff. For me that includes:
- Tomatoes. If it’s summer, I’ll use fresh, ripe tomatoes. In winter, I’ll use the Vine-on grown tomatoes or dice up some cherry tomatoes.
- Red onion. I like the bite they give to the sandwich.
- Baby spinach. A little green veg is nice!
Lox vs. Smoked Salmon
There’s no hard and fast rule here and you could use either for this sandwich. Lox, if you aren’t familiar, is cured salmon that is generally sliced thin since it is very salty and flavorful. Smoked salmon can sometimes be salted but is smoked so use can use more of it in a sandwich.
You could use smoked salmon for this sandwich, but I prefer the saltier cured lox for my sandwiches. Use 1-2 ounces per sandwich and you should be good.
Making the Cream Cheese Eggs
The one thing that makes this sandwich kind of special is taking the time to make this quick caper scrambled eggs. I start the eggs with a little butter in a medium-heat skillet (see my perfect scrambled eggs tutorial) then fold in the cream cheese right at the end.
Stir in the capers and it’ll kind of look like a hot mess. It’s not exactly the kind of eggs I would want to eat on their own but they are AWESOME on sandwiches. Trust me on this one.
Assembling the bagel sandwich
Making the bagel sandwich is pretty straightforward. Toast a bagel (I like everything bagels) and then lightly butter it (optional). Top with some baby spinach, hot scrambled eggs eggs, and then the toppings!
The final lox sandwich is big, but not unwieldy. You could easily take it to go if you wrapped it in foil or parchment. Or you could stick it on a fancy plate with a bloody mary and call brunch done.
In short, everybody should be making these lox bagel sandwiches. RIGHT?!
Substitutions
Looking for substitutions? Well, there are many that you could try!
- Try smoked salmon instead of lox or a different fish like smoked trout for a change-up to the fish flavor.
- Instead of scrambled eggs, try an over-easy or chili-fried egg.
- To make a spicy version, add pickled jalapenos to the toppings or a dash of hot sauce to the finished sandwich.
- Instead of a bagel, add the ingredients to a tortilla for a fun breakfast wrap.
Lox Breakfast Bagel Sandwich
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 everything bagels, toasted
- 3-4 ounces lox
- 2 eggs, scrambled
- 1 teaspoon butter
- 2 tablespoons cream cheese
- 1 tablespoon capers
- ¼ red onion, sliced thin
- 1 small tomato, sliced thin
- Handful baby spinach leaves
- Butter, for bagel (optional)
Instructions
- For scrambled eggs, heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add butter and once melted, add whisked eggs. Cook, stirring regularly until eggs are almost completely set but still have some liquid. Add cream cheese and stir into the eggs. Finally stir in the capers. Remove eggs from the heat.
- Toast bagels and lightly butter them (optional).
- Build sandwiches with some spinach leaves on the bottom, topped with caper eggs, sliced red onion, sliced tomato, lox and the top half of the bagel.
- Slice in half and eat immediately!
Sarah Roberts
Ok..You got me with this. I want to eat this so badly right now. I will definitely try out your recipe. Thanks for sharing
Nick
Ha! Thanks Sarah. Hope you like it!