A Lunch Surprise -- Lox Sandwich

Back in college, there was nothing that I'd like more than a lox bagelwich as my grab-and-go sandwich from the dorm. The saltiness and smokiness from the salmon fillet, balanced with a hint of lemon juice and fresh dill, a generous smear of cream cheese, all encompassed with a bagel fresh from the bakery. Give me a lox bagelwich and I will stop complaining about the fact that I had to run during lunch hour.

So here is what I put in D's lunch box today as a surprise -- believe it or not, for over three years, we have never even had smoked salmon together! Some twists from a typical lox sandwich: I used lime instead of lemon, just because I prefer the tanginess from it. Also I used fennel fronds instead of dill. I love fennels and keep buying them faster than we can consume, and we always have plenty fennel fronds to spread here and there, and everywhere!

It is needless to say that lox is traditionally eaten at breakfast, but with one or two additional dishes, it actually is great for bagged lunch as well!

Lox Sandwich

serves 1 

• 2 oz smoked salmon fillet
• 2 slices bread (we used whole wheat sandwich buns)
• 1 Tbsp cream cheese
• fennel fronds (or dill)
• 1 dash freshly squeezed lime juice
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Spread the cream cheese on top of a slice of bread
2. Sprinkle some fennel fronds on cream cheese
3. Break the smoked salmon into small piece and arrange evenly on top of the cream cheese
4. Drizzle some lime juice and sprinkle salt, pepper, and more fennel fronds if you'd like
5. Top it off with the other slice of bread (also with cream cheese)

Nutrition

Each serving offers about 270 calories, a lot of which comes from fat. (As you know salmon is a fatty fish and the cream cheese is mostly fat. But the deliciousness is surely worth it!)

Cost

Around $3.75 per serving. The most expensive thing here is probably the smoked salmon, the price of which can vary quite a bit. We used the smoked wild salmon which can be a bit pricy. But hey, it's not like we have it everyday, right?