Name: Smoked Salmon Canapés
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 8 ounces cream cheese softened to room temperature.; 2 tablespoons heavy cream or sour cream; ¼ cup chopped green onions, green parts only; 1 6-ounce bag of bagel chips; 4 ounces cold smoked salmon (lox); ½ of a red onion; 1/4 cup capers, drained; 1 tablespoon everything bagel seasoning

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Smoked salmon canapés on crispy bagel crackers slathered with a cream cheese spread. Then topped with lox, capers, onions, and a sprinkling of everything bagel seasoning. They look like something from a Michelin Star restaurant but are simple and easy to assemble. These delicious appetizers will delight and impress your guests.

I’m channeling a New York style lox bagel with these cold smoked salmon canapés.

We’re using little New York style bagel chips as the base and spreading them with a cream cheese schmear. Then, topping them with cold smoked salmon, capers, onions, and a sprinkling of everything bagel seasoning. They are so easy to assemble and don’t need any cooking! Fancy & delicious.

What are canapés?

Canapés are bite sized French hors d’oeuvres or finger food. They’re typically served during cocktail hour or as an appetizer.

They consist of a base often made from thin, stale bread, crackers, crostini, or even sliced cucumber. Then a spread, then toppings, and a garnish.

Canapés are delicious, easy to grab, and visually appealing. A perfect choice to serve at parties, showers, weddings, or other gatherings.

Ingredients for smoked salmon canapés

Lox, heavy cream, cream cheese, everything bagel seasoning, green onions, red onions, capers, and New York style bagel chips ready to make smoked salmon canapes.

New York style bagel crisps are the base for these canapés. They are crispy, don’t need any prep, and bring home the lox bagel vibes in this dish.
Green onion cream cheese spread provides a flavorful and creamy layer to build the toppings on. These are a great way to use up leftover double whipped chive and onion cream cheese or scallion cream cheese spread.
Cold smoked salmon or Nova Lox is the main topping of these canapés. It’s smoky and flavorful. And a small amount makes a big impact. Cold smoked salmon is in the refrigerated seafood section of the grocery store.
Red onion adds bold flavor, a bit of crunch, and a pretty pop of color.
Capers pop in your mouth and add a briny and tangy flavor that cuts the richness of the salmon and cream cheese.
Everything bagel seasoning sprinkled on top to garnish the canapés. It’s crunchy, savory, and salty and rounds out the New York Bagel Vibe. Make a batch of my homemade everything bagel seasoning!

Substitutions & Variations

Make smoked salmon crostini: Use homemade crostini as the canapé base instead of the bagel crisp.

Use cucumber slices as the base: Replace the bagel crackers with ¼ inch slices of cucumber. This will make the smoked salmon canapés gluten-free, grain-free, and low-carb.

Add more veggies: Small, thin slices of cucumber and tomato are excellent additions to these canapés.

How to make smoked salmon canapés

How to slice the onion

1. First, use a chef’s knife slice the onion in half vertically.

2. Lay it cut side down, then slice off the stem and remove the peel. Keep the root end intact.

3. Make 4 vertical slices, toward the root. Do not cut the root.

4. Now make thin horizontal slices all the way to the root. Discard the remaining root end.

Make the cream cheese spread

1. Add the cream cheese and heavy cream to a large mixing bowl. Use the beater attachments on a hand mixer to beat until fluffy. 2. Add the chopped green onions. 3. Fold them into the whipped cream cheese using a wooden spoon or a spatula.

Assemble the canapés

A New York style bagel chip on a cutting board.

Whipped green onion cream cheese on a bagel crisp.

Lay out the bagel crisps. 2. Add a layer of cream cheese schmear.

Cold smoked salmon, red onion, and cream cheese on a bagel crisp.

3. Roll up a small piece of smoked salmon and place it on top. 4. Add a few slices of onion.

Capers, lox, red onion, and cream cheese on a bagel crisp smoked salmon canape.

A smoked salmon canape with everything bagel seasoning.

5. Add some capers. 6. Sprinkle on everything bagel seasoning.

6. Arrange them on a platter and serve!

How to serve smoked salmon canapés

These canapés are a perfect finger food when you want to impress! Arrange them on platters for your guests to munch on while they mingle. Try serving them with assorted bite-sized foods like my candied pecans or make crostini misti for a fun and elegant spread.

Serve them at cocktail hour with wine spritzers or martinis.
Serve them at brunch with mimosas and coffee.
Serve them in a luncheon spread with assorted tea.
Serve them as an appetizer or starter before a dinner party.
Serve them at bridal showers and wedding receptions.

A marble platter of smoked salmon canapes.

Looking for more bite sized appetizers?

I’ve got you covered! Check out my guide to crostini misti or mixed crostini. It’s full of ideas and recipes for more types of crostini.