This past Sunday, the hubs and I hosted brunch for 10 at our place. Specifically, a serve-it-yourself Bagels and Lox Brunch and Bloody Mary Bar. Trust me when I say this is your next Brunch idea. It’s chill; there is no cooking involved, just great ingredients, set it up, and watch your guests have fun constructing their own.

The inspiration? A recent trip to New York, where I got the best Bagel and Lox sandwich of my life from Russ and Daughters, a Manhattan institution opened in 1914 by a Polish immigrant who started the business to cater to Jewish immigrants of the Lower East Side. But this Bagel and Lox was different – so good that we went there twice on our trip, and upon our return, I found myself daydreaming of that sandwich. So I went on a fact-finding mission to understand why this sandwich tasted unlike any other Bagel and Lox I had ever had. After a little bit of research, I found it’s all about the ingredients, so I went around town to find the best ingredients to make this sandwich.

This recipe isn’t so much a recipe, as it is a breakdown of what you can find to make the best Bagel and Lox sandwich either for yourself, or set it up as a Brunch idea for your nearest and dearest. Pair it with a DIY Bloody Mary Bar, and you got yourself a Brunch Party.

Disclaimer – I’m using the terms Smoked Salmon and Lox interchangeably, as most people do. True aficionados will know that Smoked Salmon and Lox are different, but we’re being colloquial here!

• Highest Quality Smoked Salmon – I found Catsmo Smoked Salmon to be the best one I could find. It is Scottish Salmon smoked in the Catskill Mountains in New York. You can buy it online at https://www.solexcatsmo.com/organic-smoked-salmon-farm-raised. You can also buy it at Eataly. Not convinced it’s top notch? It’s one of Oprah’s trademark “Favorite Things.” ‘Nuff Said.
• The Everything Bagel – Get it fresh the same day from a bagel bakery.
• The Cream Cheese – Buy your cream cheese from the bakery you got your bagels – unlike supermarket versions, it likely won’t contain any preservatives. Alternatively, Gina Marie’s has a great cream cheese without any gums or preservatives, and can be bought online at Instacart https://www.instacart.com/.
• Sliced Tomatoes
• Thinly Sliced Red Onion
• Capers to taste

Lay it all out for your brunch guests to assemble and enjoy. Cheers!