Smoked Salmon Breakfast Flatbread Recipe

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Fresh-baked flatbread, zesty lemon whipped cream cheese and a flurry of smoked salmon, veggies and fresh herbs. Brew the coffee, juice the oranges and fire up Lionel Richie. When it comes to brunch recipes, this Smoked Salmon Flatbread Breakfast Recipe is easy like a Sunday morning.

Smoked Salmon pizza with cream cheese and toppings

This recipe is perfect for hosting a brunch party. The perfectly constructed flatbread cuts through the clutter and gives you the option to plate a fully dressed lox flatbread, sliced into serving sizes that won't slow down the buffet line.

It's easy and impressive and every bit as delicious as the bagel and lox of our youth, with the added bonus of a beautiful presentation.

What you'll need to make this recipe:

Ingredients for recipe laid out on a table and labeled

Before we get to the instructions, a few notes about ingredients.

Flatbread: I started with a homemade pizza dough, but please use whatever works best. A store-bought ball of dough or cooked flatbread will both do the trick.

Eggs: quail eggs are widely available and economical in Portugal, so I love adding them here. If chicken eggs are your best option, no problem.

Fish: traditional smoked salmon is ideal here, but not your only option. Kippers, lox and smoked trout would also work well. Hot smoked salmon and even leftover flaked and cooked salmon fillets would be a good addition.

Full ingredient measurements and instructions included in the printable recipe card below.

Step by step instructions:

1. Prep flatbread

I used this flatbread pizza crust recipe for my base, but if your local grocery store sells one pound bags of fresh pizza dough, that is a great option. Press and gently stretch the dough into a roughly oblong shape on a sheet pan. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with coarse sea salt. Bake according to recipe instructions. Remove and allow the flatbread to cool to room temperature.

sprinkling salt on top of pizza dough before baking

2. Prep toppings

Combine cream cheese, creme fraiche and lemon zest in a small bowl. Season with a pinch of salt. Prepare the rest of the toppings by slicing the red onion, chives and dill, portioning the salmon and capers, and using a vegetable peeler to create thin ribbons of cucumber.

lemon cream cheese mixture being stirred on a blue painted table

3. Boil eggs

Soft boil the eggs by bringing a small saucepan of water to boil. Carefully drop in the eggs and cook for 90 seconds. Remove from the heat, drain, rinse in cold water and shell.

small pan of boiled quail eggs in cold water, slicing one peeled egg in half to show runny yolk

4. Build breakfast flatbread

When the baked flatbread has cooled enough to handle (and not melt the creamy topping), transfer to your serving platter. Spread the lemony cream cheese over the bread, using a spoon to distribute evenly.

Next, add the smoked salmon, red onions, halved eggs, capers, cucumber ribbons and fresh herbs. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the runny egg yolks.

finished recipe garnished with fresh herbs and served on a large cutting board

5. Serve and enjoy

Slice the smoked salmon flatbread and serve with lemon wedges.

finished recipe served on a large cutting board sliced into wedges.

FAQ's and Serving Suggestions This Recipe:

I can't find quail eggs - can I use regular eggs?

Absolutely. Quail eggs are abundant in Portugal and are beautiful in this dish, but you'll get the same general effect from using 2 chicken eggs, soft boiled and quartered. Bonus points if they're farm-fresh eggs.

Can I use regular salmon on this flatbread recipe?

Literally any kind of salmon is delicious on this flatbread. I've used leftover salmon fillets in this easy recipe - just flake the cold salmon fillet and serve it over the lemon whipped cream cheese. Non-smoked salmon will have a more mild flavor, so consider adding an extra pinch of salt or fresh herbs to the recipe. Hot-smoked salmon, which has the texture of cooked salmon with a deep, smoky flavor, is also rich and lovely in this recipe. Salmon is a great source of protein and fatty acids and it works well in this recipe in almost any form.

What can I use in place of creme fraiche?

Sour cream is the easiest substitute in flavor and texture, but greek yogurt would also work.

Can I add seasonings or spices to the flatbread dough?

If you're making the dough from scratch or from raw dough purchased at the store, you can fold in any seasoning you like before baking. Depending on my mood, I've sprinkled everything bagel seasoning or sometimes just sesame seeds on the crust to give it a crunchier bite for my weekend brunch extravaganza.

I don't have any fresh herbs - what can I substitute?

Dry dill is an adequate option, although I recommend you reduce it to about 1 teaspoon and mix it in with the lemon whipped cream cheese mixture. Taste and add more, as needed. Dry dill is much more potent than fresh dill, so proceed with caution. For the chives, green onions or scallions would work beautifully.

How to store leftover salmon flatbread?

This recipe is best served shortly after building it. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a day, but the cream cheese will create a soggy flatbread situation after a few hours.

Hungry for more smoked fish brunch options? Try these next!