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The Flavor Bender Recipes Courses Appetizers & Tapas The Best Sumac Smoked Salmon Dip

The Best Sumac Smoked Salmon Dip

20 mins
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Author: Dini K.
Posted: 11/4/2017
Updated: 11/5/2017
Sumac Smoked Salmon Dip - The BEST smoked salmon dip ever! Easy recipe and better than store bought because you can actually taste the smoked salmon! Plus, it's a perfect appetizer and spread for morning bagels!

This Sumac Smoked Salmon Dip really is the BEST smoked salmon dip that I’ve ever tasted! It takes all of 10 minutes to put together from start to finish, and the ingredients are chopped with a knife (not processed in a food processor) so that you can actually taste all of the ingredients separately with great texture and flavor. Sumac adds a lovely citrusy/tangy flavor profile too. Plus it works well as a smoked salmon spread on your bagels and toast for breakfast/brunch! 

Sumac Smoked Salmon Dip - The BEST smoked salmon dip ever! Easy recipe and better than store bought because you can actually taste the smoked salmon! Plus, it's a perfect appetizer and spread for morning bagels!

This Sumac Smoked Salmon Dip was actually our dinner two nights in a row, and now I’ve slathered the rest of it on a bagel and having it for brunch! Usually a recipe for a blog post takes me several days to plan, test/make, photograph, write, edit and publish. But this sumac smoked salmon dip took less than 24 hours from conception to execution, and now it’s on the blog! 🙂 It’s a ridiculously simple recipe, but with bold flavors.

Sumac Smoked Salmon Dip - The BEST smoked salmon dip ever! Easy recipe and better than store bought because you can actually taste the smoked salmon! Plus, it's a perfect appetizer and spread for morning bagels!

This smoked salmon dip is an EASY APPETIZER to serve a crowd, PLUS it works great as a breakfast spread on your bagels and toast. It’s packed with so much flavor, no one will know that you put this together in just 10 minutes from start to finish.

Sumac Smoked Salmon Dip - The BEST smoked salmon dip ever! Easy recipe and better than store bought because you can actually taste the smoked salmon! Plus, it's a perfect appetizer and spread for morning bagels!
Sumac Smoked Salmon Dip - The BEST smoked salmon dip ever! Easy recipe and better than store bought because you can actually taste the smoked salmon! Plus, it's a perfect appetizer and spread for morning bagels!

There are so many smoked salmon dips out there, so what’s different about this sumac smoked salmon dip? This dip doesn’t simply add all the ingredients into a processor and mush everything until you end up with a light pink salmon flavored dip. Here I chop the ingredients and just fold them through whipped, creamy cream cheese to get a creamy dip where you can taste actual bits of smoked salmon that enhances the texture. Plus, the addition of the tangy spice sumac gives it another layer of flavor.

Sumac Smoked Salmon Dip - The BEST smoked salmon dip ever! Easy recipe and better than store bought because you can actually taste the smoked salmon! Plus, it's a perfect appetizer and spread for morning bagels!

What’s even better about this sumac smoked salmon dip (smoked salmon spread) is that you can personalize it to suit your tastes. I added chopped shallots, horseradish, dill, chives, pepper and lemon, in addition to the sumac, smoked salmon, cream cheese and sour cream. But you can also add other ingredients like,

  • some chopped capers (although this dip was perfectly seasoned without any salt, I feel like adding capers would have made it too salty for us).
  • parsley
  • chopped walnuts (for some extra crunch)
  • cayenne pepper or sriracha (to make it spicy)
  • garlic

Sumac Smoked Salmon Dip - The BEST smoked salmon dip ever! Easy recipe and better than store bought because you can actually taste the smoked salmon! Plus, it's a perfect appetizer and spread for morning bagels!

Chopping all the ingredients took me all of maybe 5 – 7 minutes. You could use a small food processor (with the chopping function), but I preferred using a knife. This prevents the shallots from being too watery (so they stay nice and crunchy in the dip), and prevents the smoked salmon from being too “gummy”.

Then I whisked the softened cream cheese with the sour cream until light and fluffy, then simply folded in the chopped ingredients and spices to make the sumac smoked salmon dip.

Sumac Smoked Salmon Dip - The BEST smoked salmon dip ever! Easy recipe and better than store bought because you can actually taste the smoked salmon! Plus, it's a perfect appetizer and spread for morning bagels!

What I really enjoy about this smoked salmon spread is that you can really taste all of the ingredients paired together, but also separately. They don’t lose their integrity, especially the smoked salmon, because they are not completely processed until mushy. It’s a great dip to serve guests during the holidays. And if you’re hosting Thanksgiving, Christmas or any kind of brunch, this dip turns into a great smoked salmon spread that’s perfect on bagels and toast. You could even top it up with a poached egg for an impressive brunch. Like, the one I’m having right now! 😉

Sumac Smoked Salmon Dip - The BEST smoked salmon dip ever! Easy recipe and better than store bought because you can actually taste the smoked salmon! Plus, it's a perfect appetizer and spread for morning bagels!

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Sumac Smoked Salmon Dip - The BEST smoked salmon dip ever! Easy recipe and better than store bought because you can actually taste the smoked salmon! Plus, it's a perfect appetizer and spread for morning bagels!
5 from 2 votes

Sumac Smoked Salmon Dip / Spread

Author: Dini K.
Yield: About 2 cups
Cuisine: Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, North American
This really is the BEST smoked salmon dip ever! It's an easy recipe and better than store-bought because you can actually taste the smoked salmon. Plus, it's a perfect appetizer and spread for breakfast bagels and toast.
EASY - This is a perfect dip recipe for beginners who want to impress.
US based cup, teaspoon, tablespoon measurements. Common Measurement Conversions. Weight measurements are recommended for accurate results.
Prep: 20 minutes minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes minutes
Servings: 16 servings
Print Rate

Ingredients:

  • 4 oz smoked salmon slices
  • 2 tbsp chopped dill
  • 2 tbsp chopped chives
  • 3 tbsp minced shallots about 1 - 2 shallots, depending on the size
  • 1 block cream cheese 226 g / 8 oz. Softened
  • ¼ cup sour cream
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp horseradish optional, but recommended
  • 1 tsp sumac
  • salt to taste
US Customary - Metric

Instructions:

  • Finely chop the smoked salmon slices and set aside. Chop and prepare the herbs and shallots as well.
    4 oz smoked salmon slices, 2 tbsp chopped dill, 2 tbsp chopped chives, 3 tbsp minced shallots
  • Using a small whisk, whisk the cream cheese, sour cream, lemon juice, horseradish and sumac together until fluffy and well-mixed.
    1 block cream cheese, ¼ cup sour cream, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp horseradish, 1 tsp sumac
  • Add the herbs and smoked salmon and fold them through. Taste and add salt if needed.
    4 oz smoked salmon slices, 2 tbsp chopped dill, 2 tbsp chopped chives, 3 tbsp minced shallots, salt to taste
  • Place the dip in a serving bowl. Keep refrigerated (covered) until needed.
  • Optional - sprinkle extra chopped herbs and sumac before serving.
  • Can be served with crackers or bagel chips. Or as a breakfast spread as well.

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 2tbspCalories: 17kcal (1%)Carbohydrates: 1gProtein: 1g (2%)Fat: 1g (2%)Saturated Fat: 1g (6%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 4mg (1%)Sodium: 60mg (3%)Potassium: 27mg (1%)Fiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 1g (1%)Vitamin A: 50IU (1%)Vitamin C: 1mg (1%)Calcium: 6mg (1%)Iron: 1mg (6%)

“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”

Course:Appetizer, Breakfast, Brunch, Sauces & Dips, Spreads, Tapas
Cuisine:Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, North American
Keyword:Cream Cheese frosting, Salmon, Savory Breakfast, Savory recipes, Seafood, Smoked Salmon, Spreads, Sumac
Did you make this?Tag me on Instagram!I love seeing what you’ve made! Tag me on Instagram at @TheFlavorBender or leave me a comment & rating below.

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  1. Sara A Smith says

    March 8, 2021 at 15:25

    Going to try it. Does it call for cold smoked salmon or can I use Hot smoked?

    Reply
    • Dini says

      March 8, 2021 at 17:06

      Hi Sara
      I used smoked salmon slices, which are usually are cold smoked in the supermarkets.
      Hope that helps!

      Reply
  2. Reiss Zaza says

    December 21, 2020 at 14:59

    5 stars
    Wow! Fantastic recipe. Delivers on flavour with so little effort. 100%

    Reply
  3. Otto Cutts says

    December 10, 2020 at 23:34

    5 stars
    Love this recipe looking forward to many more.

    Reply
  4. Sue says

    December 4, 2017 at 12:31

    Thank you so much!! I’m anxious to try it!!

    Reply
  5. Sue says

    December 4, 2017 at 11:19

    I’m not familiar with sumac. What is it, exactly?

    Reply
    • Dini says

      December 4, 2017 at 12:22

      Hi Sue,
      Sumac spice is made with ground up dried sumac fruit, from the Sumac shrub. It’s a spice that’s popular in middle eastern cuisine. It has a very tangy / lemony taste 🙂 You can find the dark red / reddish purple spice in spice stores and it’s delicious on grilled meat, toast or in drinks too!

      Reply

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Hi! I’m Dini, a third culture kid by upbringing and a food-geek by nature. I was born in Sri Lanka, grew up in New Zealand and lived in Australia, and then the US, before moving to Canada in 2019! My food is a reflection of those amazing experiences!

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