Growing up with my New-York born Jewish parents, weekend bagel brunch was a given, and I have such fond memories of us sitting around the table, laughing, my father reading the paper and me reading the Sunday funnies, surrounded by all the classics: bagels, cream cheese, lox or smoked salmon, whitefish salad, fruit, cheeses, coffee, and more. Those were the days!
At the time, I may not have known how lucky I was. In my younger days, I was genuinely scared of most fish products, including smoked salmon, and I would not even look at whitefish salad. I started working at a local Jewish deli in high school (and had also worked at a different one in middle school), which definitely increased my interest in these foods. But it was a while until I got any kind of curiosity about cold, apparently uncooked fish.
Fortunately, my taste buds started changing in high school. I remember one day walking home from school and craving canned tuna! I went home and ate the whole thing. If you knew me as a kid and my deep, deep disgust for tuna, you would have been utterly shocked by this. I was shocked myself.
Fast forward a little bit, and I started having these same cravings for smoked salmon on a bagel with cream cheese (or shmear as it’s lovingly referred to in Yiddish). Whitefish was the last of these fishy Jewish foods to pique my interest, but I came to love this too. (Likewise, I also started to crave sushi – which was just starting to explode on the American food scene – in my high school days.)
If you are here, you probably love these foods as well. In more recent years, I was unsure which was at the top… smoked salmon or smoked whitefish? I’m not sure if you’ll agree with this level of mega-fishiness, but I came to find out from a close friend that having both on your bagel at the same time is THE ULTIMATE! Here take a look… doesn’t that look good?
If you’d like to make your own smoked salmon, I have one of my all-time favorite recipes, everything-seasoning smoked salmon, in my cookbook. Otherwise, I have a couple other smoked salmon recipes on this blog.
There’s nothing like a bagel with some Philly cream cheese (unless you’re making your own cream cheese!) and your own smoked salmon and whitefish salad. Or, as an alternative, you can use smoked salmon with whitefish spread… meaning it has the cream cheese already in it.
If you are more of a purist and prefer to have just one of these components, or a single fish plus cream cheese, that’s great too! We all have different tastes. But if you’re here, I’m guessing you might be open to some experimentation and creativity!
Below are my recipes for whitefish spread (cream cheese-based) and whitefish-salad (sour cream & mayo based). They are both delicious. If you make whitefish salad, it may be eaten on a bagel alone but I suggest serving it atop cream cheese. Whitefish salad is also good as a dip for bagel chips or pita chips.
Note: If you want to make your own smoked whitefish, I have complete guidance here. Otherwise, you will need to purchase smoked whitefish. Whole smoked whitefish are typically available at Jewish delis. Some grocers carry it vacuum-sealed, such as Whole Foods. and some Costco locations. It can be mail ordered from the legendary Fulton Fish Market and other providers as well.
Whitefish Spread Recipe (Scroll Down for the Whitefish Salad Recipe)
Yield:
About one pound; serves around 4 for bagels
Shelf life:
Around 7-10 days in the refrigerator. Not recommended for freezing due to texture.
You will need:
- Medium to large mixing bowl, large fork for mixing
- Measuring cups & spoons
- Suggested: lemon juice press
- Knife & cutting board (as needed)
Ingredients:
- 1/2 lb. smoked whitefish (227g), well chopped
- 1/3 lb. whipped cream cheese (150g, or 2/3 cup)
- 2 TBSP sour cream
- 1 TBSP mayo (or sub with sour cream)
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp black pepper
- Optional: salt to taste (may not be necessary due to the whitefish’s saltiness)
- Optional: 1/4 tsp cayenne powder or Cajun seasoning
- Optional add-ons: minced chives; minced dill; minced onion
Directions:
1.) Combine all the ingredients in the mixing bowl. Break down the ingredients by pressing down with the fork and mix well, The ingredients should be mixed evenly until the spread is of a uniform consistency. It should be fairly smooth but won’t be as smooth as cream cheese. Transfer to snapware or other desired storage container and refrigerate. Suggested to wait at least one hour before serving for the flavors to meld.
Whitefish Salad Recipe
Yield:
About one pound; serves around 3-4 for bagels
Shelf life:
Around 10 days in the refrigerator. Not recommended for freezing due to texture.
You will need:
- Medium to large mixing bowl, large fork for mixing
- Measuring cups & spoons
- Suggested: lemon juice press
- Knife & cutting board
Ingredients:
- 1/2 lb. smoked whitefish (227g), diced
- 1/3 cup mayor
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 TBSP lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
- 6-7 fronds dill, minced (4-5g, or 1 rounded TBSP)
- 1/4 – 1/2 tsp salt, to taste
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 TBSP finely diced onion and/or 2 TBSP finely diced celery
- Garnish with thin-sliced green onion (1-2)
Directions:
1.) Prep all the ingredients as described above and combine in mixing bowl. Break down the ingredients and mix well with a large fork, The ingredients should be mixed evenly but you want to leave some texture to the whitefish (it does not need to be smooth like the whitefish spread). Transfer to snapware or other desired storage container and refrigerate. Suggested to wait at least one hour before serving for the flavors to meld.
