Smoked Salmon Is The Star Of This Delicious 3-Ingredient Dip

If you love smoked salmon but want another recipe to make besides summery hot-smoked salmon salad with potatoes and hard-boiled eggs, make a creamy, versatile dip you can enjoy in more ways than one. Especially if you don't like wasting time in the kitchen on meal prep, preparing a multi-purpose, salmon-based snack you can eat in various ways is key. That being said, the only ingredients you need to make a simple, flavorful salmon dip are smoked salmon, chive cream cheese, and lemon juice. Next to smoked salmon, chive cream cheese serves as a creamy, savory base while the addition of lemon juice ties everything together with a punch of zesty flavor.

While you don't need to learn everything about smoked salmon to make this convenient dip, understanding the differences between cold and hot-smoked varieties will help you prepare a spread you're sure to love. While both varieties are cured with woodsmoke, hot-smoked salmon is cured at a higher temperature, which gives it a firm and flaky consistency and a somewhat mild flavor. Conversely, cold-smoked salmon is much softer and has a smoke-heavy, salty flavor. Use hot-smoked salmon for a dip with a chunkier texture and cold-smoked salmon when you want a creamier end result.

To prepare, simply blend softened chive cream cheese and lemon juice in a food processor or with a hand blender and then mix in your salmon-of-choice. Serve this dip as is or better yet, incorporate a a few additional ingredients for a more complex flavor.

Now that you know how easy it is to prepare a flavorful salmon dip with just three ingredients, if you have the time and resources, feel free to add some additional flavor to this simple spread with a few tasty extras. For example, give your dip a more herbaceous flavor by adding in some chopped Italian parsley or fresh dill. Or, to incorporate some heat, add in a pour (or two) of your favorite hot sauce.

Depending on how you plan on consuming this versatile spread, you may also want to give it a looser consistency. In that case, besides using chive cream cheese, add in some sour cream or mayonnaise for a more scoopable texture. This way, you can enjoy this salmon spread not only on sandwiches and toast, but also as a veritable dip for raw veggies and snack crackers. Just keep in mind, you may want to add in some fresh chives to balance the addition of extra creamy ingredients.

Whatever extras you decide to add, prepare your recipe carefully and work to avoid a common mistake that's easy to make with smoked salmon dip: over-mixing your ingredients. That being said, any extraneous seasonings or sauces should first be blended into your cream cheese mixture before folding or stirring in your smoked salmon. Alternatively, if you want a more uniform consistency, use cold-smoked salmon and pulse it into your other ingredients for an ultra-smooth snack spread.