Bagel with wasabi cream cheese, smoked salmon & avo recipe

I shamelessly stole this bagel idea from one of my favourite and luckily extremely local deli’s Kleinskys. They have it on the menu at the OZC Farmers Market on a Saturday and its called the Californian. It’s a delicious combination of wasabi cream cheese, smoked salmon (or trout), avocado and pickled ginger. Drizzled over the top they do a honey and soy reduction which gives it a salty sweet finish.

I made my own version using their bagels, which they sell in packs of 6.

January has been a whirlwind with a big TV shoot in the second week, a short trip up the West coast and then my birthday which went on for 2 days filled with celebrations. I’m trying to settle into the swing of things now that the initial dust has settled, and I’m looking forward to getting into a regular blogging routine. I loved my three days in the West Coast National Park where we did very little apart from swimming, floating, walking, napping and eating. My batteries were totally recharged and I share a few pics from my trip:

How to make a Californian bagel:

Toast your favourite kind of bagel. It’s just always better toasted and mix your cream cheese with some wasabi paste. Add as much as you like. I think around 1 – 2 teaspoons per 1/4 of cream cheese works well, but if you like to give your nostrils a solid blast then add much more. I like it quite mild here so just under a teaspoon was good for me. Spread a generous layer on your toasted bagel and top it with slices of avocado, smoked salmon or smoked trout ribbons and pickled ginger. I finished it off with sliced spring onions (scallions) and a touch of Togarashi spice, and a spritz of lime.

To make the honey & soy reduction, add equal parts honey and soy to a small pan and bring to the boil. I used a ¼ cup of each. Allow it to reduce by about a third (aprox 3 – 5 mins) and until its starts getting syrupy. Turn off the heat and it will thicken further as it cools.

Drizzle this over your topped bagel and tuck in.

Damn delicious.

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6 Comments

Oh this looks so good and I agree, bagels have to be toasted. I keep meaning to try making my own bagels, but I’ve seen some people’s attempts and the perfectionist in me wouldn’t like it if they turned out less than perfect – which I’ve no doubt they would!

Bagels are my favorite way to kick off a Saturday – it’s like my weekly treat. I would love to try this wasabi cream cheese, it sounds totally decadent 🙂