Smoked Salmon Cheese Ball

This easy smoked salmon appetizer is at once familiar and unique because the pairing of salmon and cream cheese is a classic one. This salmon cheese ball is a blend of goat cheese, salmon, and cream cheese coated in everything bagel seasoning. I love this recipe because it’s a simple make-ahead, no-cook appetizer that everyone enjoys and goes equally well with a cold lager as it does a chilled glass of sauvignon blanc! Bonus! 

This post is sponsored by Corona Extra® / Kim Crawford. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

It’s smart to have a supply of Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc and Corona Extra on hand for both beer and wine lovers to suit everyone’s tastes.  So, in addition to soft drinks and bubbly water, we always stock up on these two universal favorites. They’re easy sippers and go well with so many foods.

Corona Extra is the # selling import brand in the US, and its crisp, clean, well balanced flavor goes well with so many foods. This is Scott’s go-to lager.

Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc consistently over delivers on great taste at an affordable price. We first tried Kim Crawford at a local Wine and Food Festival and I’ve been buying it ever since.

Pairings

This combination of Corona and Kim Crawford is always a winner with our friends and pairs well with all kinds of make-ahead, no-cook appetizers, like my Smoked Salmon Cheese Ball with Everything Bagel Seasoning. Entertaining is truly effortless when you rely on crowd-pleasing beverages and snacks like these.

Speaking of…if you enjoy salmon and cream cheese on your morning bagel, you’ll really love this smoked salmon appetizer. In fact, it was that morning deli favorite that inspired this yummy salmon cheese ball…right down to the Everything Bagel Seasoning.

Ingredients For Salmon Cheese Ball

• Cream Cheese
• Goat Cheese
• Horseradish
• Lemon Zest
• Worcestershire Sauce
• Smoked Salmon
• Chives

I promised you easy, so here it is… If you’ve got 10 minutes and a food processor, you can make this salmon and cream cheese spread.

Directions:

• In a mini prep food processor, combine the cream cheese and goat cheese. Pulse until smooth.
• Add the horseradish, Worcestershire sauce and lemon zest. Pulse again to combine.
• Add half of the smoked salmon and pulse until you have a creamy spread.
• Transfer the salmon and cream cheese mixture to a small bowl.
• Add the chopped chives.
• Dice the remaining salmon very finely and add it to the cream cheese mixture.
• Stir to combine and taste for seasoning.

At this point, you’ll have a very tasty smoked salmon cream cheese spread, which is very good on crackers. In fact, just to be sure the cheese to salmon ratio is right, this is a good time for a taste test (with a sip or two of Kim Crawford for me and Corona for Scott—hey, it’s for quality control, folks.) 

Forming the cheese ball

• Use a small bowl that will hold all of the salmon and cream cheese mixture.
• Line it with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic against the sides of the bowl with plenty of overhang on all sides.
• Fill the plastic lined bowl with the smoked salmon cream cheese mixture and use the back of a spoon or knife to smooth the surface.
• Wrap the cheese ball with the overhanging plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or overnight). Chilling will give the smoked salmon appetizer an opportunity to set up and for the flavors to marry.

DIY Everything Bagel Seasoning

You might be tempted to use a jar of pre-made Everything Bagel Seasoning for this dish but, trust me, you don’t want to do that… Here’s the thing. Most Everything Bagel Seasoning contains salt—more than you’d imagine—and the smoked salmon and Worcestershire sauce add enough salt to the salmon cheese ball without adding more. Believe me, I’ve tried it and depending on the brand—you could end up with a real SALT LICK. Not good. Besides, making your own seasoning mix is quick and easy.

Ingredients for seasoning mix:

• Toasted Sesame Seeds
• Dried Onion Flakes
• Dried Minced Garlic
• Black Sesame Seeds
• Poppy Seeds

How to coat the smoked salmon cheese ball with seasoning

• Mix together all the ingredients and place them in a shallow dish or bowl.
• Unwrap the chilled cheese ball and gently turn it out onto the poppyseeds. 
• Turn the salmon cheese ball over and onto the sides to completely coat the cheese ball. 
• If there are spots that didn’t quite cover, press a little extra everything bagel seasoning onto the empty areas.
• Transfer the smoked salmon appetizer to a serving tray and serve. We like this with a mix of crispy bagel chips (of course), assorted crudité, and either Corona or Kim Crawford to wash it down. That’s the great thing about this easy hors d’oeuvre—it goes as well with a chilled sauvignon blanc as it does with an icy lager. Win-win!

Party prep

For smaller groups (10 people or less), we like to fill a large beverage bucket with ice and merchandise the Corona and Kim Crawford so that guests can help themselves.

For a larger crowd, we load up a cooler (or even a {clean} bathtub) with ice, tucking the wine and lager into the cubes along with sparkling water and soft drinks. 

This is my kind of relaxed entertaining. Everything ready in advance with a simple spread of quick, easy, and delicious nibbles and a help-yourself bar that includes everyone’s favorite libations. 

This tasty smoked salmon cheese ball is tangy and cheesy with a balanced but not overly fishy seafood flavor.

What to serve with the cheese ball

• It’s great on any type of cracker or crostini but to tie the whole lox and schmear vibe together, we really like it with toasted bagel crisps.
• For the low-carb or gluten-free crowd, an array of gluten-free crackers or sliced English cucumbers, radishes, jicama, or carrot sticks make a great accompaniment.

More smoked salmon appetizers:

• Elegant Smoked Salmon Canapés
• Smoked Salmon Pizza
• Chunky Salmon Cucumber Dip

More cheese appetizers:

• Southern Pimento Cheese Spread
• Best Cheese Board Ideas
• Roasted Grape Goat Cheese Crostini
• Cheesy Spinach Artichoke Dip

 

More Make Ahead Appetizers: 

• Pork Rillettes
• Curried Cocktail Nuts
• Smoked Fish Dip
• Cheese Crackers
• Florida Style Smoked Whitefish Dip
• Asian Pork Dumplings

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