Smoked Salmon Flatbread
From the smoked salmon to the chipotle cream cheese, this Smoked Salmon Flatbread packs a serious punch in the flavor department! Serve it for brunch, lunch or even a light dinner.
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Over the years, I’ve had a lot of fun attempting to recreate items from various restaurants. This recipe isn’t recreated – it’s the actual recipe from Two Urban Licks in Atlanta, Georgia. Back when we lived in Atlanta (more than a decade ago now…), one of our favorite restaurants was TWO urban licks. Located in the Old Fourth Ward section of Atlanta, this restaurant features American food with a culinary twist. A quick peek at the menu today shows things like wood-grilled artichokes with a black garlic aioli (yum!) and smoked fried ribs with a maple bourbon glaze (smoked and fried!?).
TWO urban licks was Laura’s favorite restaurant, and it was often where we went to celebrate birthdays or other special occasions. Case in point – Laura’s surprise bachelorette party. Shortly after Laura and I got engaged, her parents came down to visit. We booked reservations at TWO urban licks and headed off to our delicious dinner. What Laura didn’t know is that her sisters and several other friends were meeting us at the restaurant for a surprise bachelorette party. Laura’s Dad and I ducked out and left the ladies to enjoy the evening together. (We went and got burgers and beers – my kinda night!)
Smoked Salmon Flatbread
At the end of the evening, the staff gave each of the ladies a binder with the actual recipes from that night. (They had planned ahead to include Laura’s favorite menu items.) One of these was the “Salmon Chips.” Homemade potato chips topped with chipotle cream cheese, smoked salmon, capers, red onions and chives. They are amazing – if you ever go to TWO urban licks, then order the Salmon Chips!
Using Chef Scott Serpas’ recipe, I reimagined the assembly of that dish a bit to create this Smoked Salmon Flatbread. Instead of serving these on homemade thick-cut potato chips, I used a store-bought flatbread instead. (The potato chips would be delicious for sure, but it makes this recipe much more involved.) In the restaurant, this appetizer is served with chopped hot-smoked salmon, but I used sliced cold-smoked salmon instead. I’ve made hot-smoked salmon before – it’s amazing. But cold-smoked salmon is readily available in most grocery stores which makes this recipe much easier overall.
Finally, I did sprinkle some fresh arugula on top of this Smoked Salmon Flatbread once it was done. I primarily did this for color, but I also enjoy the slightly peppery flavor of arugula. (If you love arugula and decide to grow it in the garden, don’t let it go to seed. You’ll be mowing arugula for years to come!)
A final note about the chipotle cream cheese. This is one heck of a flavored cream cheese! It’s smoky in the best way possible, and I think it would be amazing on an everything bagel. In fact, you could easily reimagine the classic bagel + lox using this Smoked Salmon Flatbread. Instead of flatbreads, just use a bagel as the base. That’s the kind of savory brunch that’s worth waking up for!
No matter how you make it, I do hope you enjoy this Smoked Salmon Flatbread as much as we do. We live a long way (too far) from Atlanta these days, but this recipe brought back memories of one of our favorite Southern restaurants. Cheers!
Did you make this Smoked Salmon Flatbread at home? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog). I’d love to see your version of this tasty dish!
Smoked Salmon Flatbread
Ingredients
For the Chipotle Cream Cheese
- 2 chipotles in adobo canned (see note)
- 8 oz. low-fat cream cheese room temperature
- 2 Tbsp finely-chopped chives
- 1 Tbsp lime juice
- ¾ tsp kosher salt
- ¾ tsp granulated sugar
Instructions
For the Chipotle Cream Cheese
- Using a food processor, puree chipotles in adobo until smooth.
- Add cream cheese; mix until well combined.
- Add remaining ingredients (chives, lime juice, salt and sugar); mix until well combined.
For the Flatbreads
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Brush olive oil evenly on top of flatbreads. Bake flatbreads directly on oven rack for 6-8 minutes, or until edges are slightly crispy.
- Remove flatbreads from oven and spread chipotle cream cheese mixture evenly on top.
- Top flatbreads with smoked salmon, sliced red onions, capers and fresh arugula.
Notes
Looking for more tasty flatbread recipes? Check out these other favorites, too:
What an amazing restaurant – not only with their menu, but their customer service. I love how you made this into a flatbread. It really looks delicious with the chipotle cream cheese and the smoked salmon. I can’t wait to give this a try!
That restaurant really was (is?) a favorite – we haven’t been back to Atlanta in 10 years now, but we have good memories! And I’ve gotta say that the chipotle cream cheese combined with the smoked salmon is delicious. Smoky in the best way possible if you ask me! 🙂
Wonderful. I could eat this every day. I’d addicted to smoked salmon. Well, all kinds of salmon. Love the chipotle addition.
You’ve gotta try the chipotle cream cheese here, Mimi – it’s so tasty!
Such a sweet story, David. I bet Laura was so surprised! And how generous of the restaurant to share the recipes.
Love this flatbread too – pretty much any recipe with smoked salmon has my name written all over it and this one looks delicious!
That was a fun night – of course, I wasn’t there except for the lead up, but Laura’s Dad and I had fun bonding over burgers and beers together! 🙂
As far as this recipe, you’ve gotta try the chipotle cream cheese combined with smoked salmon. It’s an amazing combo!
Wow, David! Your description alone has my mouth watering! I love the idea of chile in adobo mixed into cream cheese for the base of this! I can’t imagine a better dish right now! Yum! And, I so agree with you – Atlanta has some of the best restaurants ever!
We haven’t been back to Atlanta in years now, but I can tell you that we certainly miss the Atlanta food scene. It was amazing! This chipotle cream cheese + smoked salmon is a great combination of flavors, Laura. I highly recommend it!!
Although this post is about smoked salmon flatbread – which sounds delicious – I’m mainly impressed with the idea that I could potentially have a lawn full of arugula! When people stop by unexpectedly during summer, and I don’t have anything to make for dinner, I could just invite them outside and sprinkle salad dressing over the lawn!
Oh, don’t be fooled by the arugula, Jeff. As I noted in that previous post, I thought it was cool to grow arugula. It was great in Year 1. Then it went to seed, and I didn’t think much of it…until it started to pop up all over the yard. And try weed-whacking or mowing arugula – it’ll clear your sinuses. 🙂
As far as sending folks outside for a salad, I think that depends on how much you like them. Hah.
What a cute story! I’ve always been intrigued about Atlanta… will have to make a trip one day (when this pandemic is over!) We love smoked salmon, but haven’t tried it with chipotle — definitely gonna try that now!
Atlanta was a great place, Michelle. We loved living there. The food scene was amazing – and I’m sure it’s gotten even better since we left. I have to say, though, that I don’t miss the traffic. It was pretty insane when we lived there – and that was 10 years ago now. Traffic never seems to get better in a city…only worse. Either way, it would be a great place to visit! Oh, and I highly (!) recommend the smoked salmon with chipotle cream cheese. It’s an amazing combo of flavors!
That was a really nice surprise for Laura that you arranged David. And I love how you “ducked out” for burgers and beer too. That’s exactly what I would have done to leave the ladies having their own fun. As a big fan of salmon this is a great recipe. I’ve not tried salmon on a flatbread before. Can’t wait to give it a try!
We did have a good time that night! Laura was totally shocked when she walked into the restaurant, and then her Dad and I had a blast heading off for a guy’s night.
I totally understand why you like salmon – the best smoked salmon I’ve ever had was over there in a little B&B in Fort William! We talk about that trip often. Either way, if you like salmon, then try combining it with the chipotle cream cheese. The flavors work so well together!
I’ve been hearing so much about Two Urbun Licks but still haven’t made it there. We moved to Covington and have been told of so many local restaurants to try
post COVID – TUL is quickly creeping up that list because menu items like those salmon chips! Gosh! What a treat!
Thank goodness for your recipe with those elements from those chips- only on a delicious flatbread! Lil S LOVES Arugula so she will enjoy your flat bread immensely! Hoping y’all are staying warm up there!
Ah, you have to make your way to Two Urban Licks at some point, Shashi! (It might be post-COVID, but still keep it on your list. And order the smoked salmon + chips!) This was a fun recipe, and it totally channeled the same flavors from Two Urban Licks. We enjoyed reminiscing about our days in Atlanta when we made this one! Stay warm down there!
That Salmon Chips you are talking about sounds really delicious, will definitely try to make one of those in the future. Meanwhile your flatbread looks so perfect, it would be a really nice appetizer.
Yes! Smoked salmon with chipotle cream cheese is an amazing combination of flavors. I highly recommend playing around with it a bit, Raymund!