Salmon Sandwich (Alaska)
It’s week two of Sandwich Sundays, which means this week’s sandwich was representing the great state of Alaska.
According to the list, the Alaska sandwich is a Salmon Sandwich and is vaguely described as, “add some mayo lettuce and bread to your grilled or smoked salmon.”
The nice thing about vague descriptions is that it’s very open to interpretation. The bad thing about vague descriptions is that sometimes a girl likes a little more guidance when building a sandwich, you know? And I think we made some decisions that made this sandwich decidedly less “Alaska” (specifically using a bagel as our bread), but what’s done is done and is already in our bellies. So, no take-backs.
We don’t have a grill or access to one right now, so we opted to use smoked salmon for our sandwiches — it was listed as an option, after all. After we made that decision, it didn’t take much for us to go down the obvious path of using a bagel for the bread. I know there’s a difference between lox and smoked salmon, but they are cousins if not outright siblings, and it just felt right to use a bagel here.
Once it was all put together — bagel, mayo, lettuce, tomato (audible addition at the last minute), and smoked salmon — it actually made quite a good looking sandwich, if I do say so myself.
This was actually my first time having smoked salmon. I like salmon. I like trying new things. And I don’t have any particular aversion to food textures, so I’m not sure how I’ve made it this far in life without trying it. And I am pleased to report that I liked it and am glad that I tried it. Even our 16 month-old, Wyatt, tried some and liked it.
Only the finest for our toddler.
That said, I don’t know that this sandwich would become a go-to sandwich for me. It makes me feel more likely to have a bagel and lox for breakfast the next time I’m in NYC, but I don’t know if I would go to the trouble of making this for myself at home or ordering it at a restaurant for lunch or dinner. It did have a “brunch” feel about it. Something that I think was only accentuated by my choice to serve it with asparagus and hollaindaise sauce and potato latkes.
I feel like my brain just went full brunch here. Maybe because it was also Mother’s Day and Mother’s Day Brunch is a thing? I don’t know. I can’t be held fully accountable for how my brain works all the time.
Of the two sandwiches we’ve made so far, this one lands squarely in the second (read: last) place position. Unfortunately for this sandwich, it comes on the heels of a pretty tangy, tasty, umami-ish sandwich that felt more satisfying overall. I’d definitely make the Alabama sandwich again. But this one, a solid “probably not.”
It was still very tasty for a loser, though.
