Smoked Salmon Spread Recipe
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This smoked salmon spread is a great way to stretch a pricey package of smoked salmon and impress a hungry crowd. I’m making this salmon dip for my sisters upcoming baby shower. I’ve been developing this spread for some time now and this version is my absolute favorite.
The ingredients are so simple. I lit up when I tried it and told my hubby, “this is it!” I was so excited :). It’s better than any store-bought version I’ve tried. It also keeps well in the fridge up to a week so you can absolutely make it ahead of time.
Ingredients for Smoked Salmon Dip:
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup (4 oz) sour cream
1/2 Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt or to taste
1/2 tsp Tabasco hot sauce, or to taste
4 oz smoked salmon, (about 1 cup chopped)**
1 Tbsp Chives, chopped plus more for garnish
French Bread Baguette, sliced (to serve)
**Note: Lox (as pictured) or hot-smoked salmon flakes work in this recipe
How to make the Best Salmon Spread:
1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine 8 oz softened cream cheese, 1/2 cup sour cream, 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce. Pulse until well blended.
2. Add 4 oz chopped salmon and 1 Tbsp chives and pulse a few times just to combine. Add more salt or pepper if desired and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Smoked Salmon Spread Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/2 cup 4 oz sour cream
- 1/2 Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp salt or to taste
- 1/2 tsp Tabasco hot sauce, or to taste
- 4 oz smoked salmon, (about 1 cup chopped)**see note
- 1 Tbsp Chives, chopped plus more for garnish
- French Bread Baguette, sliced (to serve)
Instructions
- How to make the Best Salmon Spread:
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine 8 oz softened cream cheese, 1/2 cup sour cream, 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce. Pulse until well blended.
- Add 4 oz chopped salmon and 1 Tbsp chives and pulse a few times just to combine. Add more salt or pepper if desired and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
**Note: Lox (as pictured) or hot-smoked salmon flakes work in this recipe
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Shown in this post: (nope, no one paid us to write this; just stuff we love):
*Reversible Cutting Board by John Boos 24 by 18 by 1.5-Inch, Walnut
* A food processor like this Cuisinart 11-cup pro can cut prep time in 1/2
You’re going to love this salmon spread! Let me know if you make it for your next shindig 🙂
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
I had a lot of cucumbers from my garden. I halved and seeded them, then spread/stuffed them with this dip and sliced into maybe 1/4” pieces. It was a great appetizer.
That’s a great appetizer! Thank you so much for sharing that with us!
Smoked salmon is so expensive in our country. Can I substitute canned salmon instead?
It would be a good experiment. It would still be a salmon spread but wouldn’t have that smoky flavor. I haven’t experimented with canned salmon so I can’t say for sure, but if you try it, make sure you drain well so the dip isn’t too wet.
I’ve seen smoked canned salmon in the store. It wouldn’t be quite the same but the smoke flavour would be there.
Very good recipe and so easy. I don’t have a food processor so I just stirred it together with a heavy spoon. I replaced the sour cream with fat-free plain Greek yogurt.
I’m glad you found a workaround! Thank you for sharing your substitutions with us!
Natasha, this recipe looks delicious. I have to make a smoked salmon appetizer for 400 people! We were thinking of putting it in small pastry cups. Do you think this will work or should we put between rye bread for tea sandwiches? Thanks for any help you can give!
Hi Lynna! 400! wow! That’s a lot of mouths to feed. I think both options would be great! The pastry cups sound like they will be visually beautiful! Taste-wise, I haven’t tested that in a pastry cup so I cannot advise. I hope you love this recipe and I can’t wait to hear what you chose!
Hi Natasha, Im planning on making this appetizer for my dads 60th bday. Do you know how many days ahead would it be safe to make it? i just dont want to be making it last minute as i will be very busy.
It stays fresh in the fridge up to a week.
I have just made this salmon spread for the third time. It just keeps getting better and better. Yah, I like to eat it with a spoon it is SO deliciously good!
Lol, that’s awesome! I’m happy to hear you love the recipe! Thanks for sharing your great review Carol!
Hi Natasha,
I don’t have a food processor could I mix it with a spoon or it won’t turn out creamy? Or maybe use a mixer on low speed? Thanks! The dip looks delicious!
Hi Vicki, I think you could make it work even blending with an electric hand mixer on low/medium speed.
Hi, i used a hand-held mixer , and it came out delicious !
Hi, I came across a similar recipe several years ago but it also used capers (maybe instead of the lemon juice). Have you tried that?
I haven’t tried that so I’m not sure. I bet it could work, but the color might be a little off if you’re ok with that 🙂
Thanks for the recipe! We didn’t have Tabasco, but used Siricha. Also, my husband added a tiny dollop of dill paste on top of each and it was delicious! Quick and easy, too.
Mmmmm! That sounds good! Thank you for sharing your review Donna 🙂
Hi Natash, can i make the spread the night before?
Thank, connie
Hi Connie, yes absolutely! 🙂
Thank you, can not wait to make it for Christmas Eve .
Connie
Mmmmm does look really way good Natasha unfortunately I cannot eat salmon would this work with another fish like whitefish or sable or semga always like recreating things soooo much fun
HI Tzivia, this might work with a smoked steelhead (trout) but I don’t know if it would taste right with any other kind of fish.
Oh okay I’ll hafta try it sometime with a steel head trout always looking for ways to recreate something that these type of food stores do thanx luv i will definitely keep this in mind cheers
Smoked walleye would taste good as well!
Hi! Love your recipes but just wanted to let you know if you didn’t already know but your blog (well the appetizers part) was mentioned in a tv show called Young & Hungry 🙂 I sent a snapchat video but your private so you couldn’t receive it but it was really cool! Followed your blog since 2012-13ish time. Awesome to see how known you’ve got!
That’s so awesome!! I heard about that and it’s very exciting :). Thank you so much for sharing that with me and following my blog all this time. That’s quite a compliment 🙂
can i freeze the leftover dip/spread ?
Donna, I haven’t tried freezing it so can’t tell you how well it will freeze. If you decide to freeze it, let me know how it goes.
I am so Excited to try this recipie. My husband and I went to a restaurant recently and they had this appetizer. It was the most amazing thing that I have every tried. I was guessing what they put inside it. And I was so close. Thank you so much I am excited to try…..
I hope you love the spread! 🙂
Hello. Can I use frozen dill or is fresh preferable? Love your recipes. Diakuyu!
Luba, frozen dill is fine as well 😀, na zdodovlya.
This looks delicious, but I don’t see dill in the recipe. Did I miss something? Thanks for your post!
Hi Kathy, you can use dill if you wish. I used chives instead but I do think it would taste great with dill.
Just whipped this dip up for lunch using hot smoked salmon. Delicious. Went great with cucumbers just picked from our garden. The best part – kids loved it too!!!
That’s wonderful! Thanks for the great review. That does sound great with fresh cucumbers!
It’s really good. I used homemade hot smoked salmon, minced onion instead of chives (didn’t have) and plain greek yogurt instead of sour cream. It turned out really good too.
Thanks for the recipe.
Bethany, thank you for the great review and great job on improvising :).
Tried this spread this morning! So good!!! Thank you so much for sharing it!
I’m so happy you liked it! It’s a great choice for breakfast 🙂
I have the Kirkland canned salmon at home and I’m trying to figure out what I can make with it. Do you think I can sub that in for the smoked salmon in this recipe? Or would it drastically change the taste?
It would be a good experiment. It would still be a salmon spread but wouldn’t have that smoky flavor. I haven’t experimented with canned salmon so I can’t say for sure, but if you try it, make sure you drain well so the dip isn’t too wet.
Hello from Russia! Came across with your blog two weeks ago and since that time became your fan)) Each recipe looks so delicious and easy to cook))
Off topic)) Насколько я поняла у Вас и Вашего мужа славянские корни. На каком языке Вы общаетесь со своими родственниками?))
We really speak a mixture of Russian and Ukrainian. I was very young when we moved to this country so I get the two languages mixed up sometimes. To be honest we speak mostly English at home.
Great recipe Natasha! Looks delicious and it is so easy to make! I like to buy the same salmon from Costco 🙂
Thank you Lyubomira, it was easy to make indeed and was gone pretty quick :).
My hubby fishes a lot here in central Oregon and we smoke a lot of fish! Been known to can it also. I make a dip /spread very close to what you made up but use fresh dill instead of chives when I can get it. Dried is not bad either.
I bet fresh dill tastes great as well. My parents are big on smoking fish as well :).
Will try this, but question for you, presentation…can this be made into a log or rolled ball shape?? Just would like to up its looks more for a graduation party this June.
Thanks…
You might be able to make it into a log or a ball if you refrigerate it first. It still spreads pretty well even after being refrigerated but it will hold it’s shape better that way. I’m just not sure how long it will last in that shape once it’s served and gets to room temp.
I cannot even look at this recipe, it’s making me hungry!!! I have an urge to run to the store and get everything for it. Absolutely love salmon/lox cream cheese and this looks incredible. Will be making ASAP. Thank you!!
This recipe has the same effect on me! 🙂
Yummmm! I love smoked salmon..this would be so good on a bagel in the morning 🙂
oooh I love how you think! This does sound amazing on a bagel!
This dip looks perfect for crackers, bread and even bagels! Except its even easier because the salmon is already mixed in!
It does make for an awesome appetizer or meal! I do love that the salmon is already mixed in. Although there’s nothing wrong with putting a big strip of smoked salmon on top and eating it as a sandwich! 🙂
I was just at Whole foods the other day and they were sampling a delicious salmon spread. This looks just like it! Can’t wait to try it out!
I haven’t tried the Whole Foods version but I can tell you this one’s delicious. I hope you love it just as much (or more!) 😉
Just made this but with homemade hot smoked salmon. I think it’s a little different because it’s flaky and mine looks more pink. I also omitted the chives just because my hubby isn’t a fan of them and it came out so delicious! Thank you so much for the recipe!
I do think there is a difference between the hot smoked home-made salmon (flakier) and lox (the one in the photos from Costco), but this recipe would work well with either one. I love both the flakier one and the lox versions – It’s hard to have self control around that stuff! How nice to be able to have homemade hot smoked salmon. Do you catch it yourselves? It’s one thing I definitely miss about living in Seattle. Anyway, I’m so glad you enjoyed the dip! 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing your great review 🙂
I am actually from the Seattle area but my husband isnt really into fishing so we usually buy ours from Costco. Last night we had grilled salmon for dinner and had some left over and I told my hubby about your new recipe and he went out and put it in the smoker so I could make some 🙂 Perfect timing!
It’s awesome that you have a smoker at home. That’s something that I’m hoping to get in the future. For now, or parents do all the meat smoking for us.