Aldi's Smoked Salmon Is The Perfect Base For A 2-Ingredient Dip

Aldi has long been my go-to for affordable little luxuries, including imported chocolate, cheap but drinkable wine, and premium ice cream at half the price of the big-name brands. (You'll find each one on this list of must-buy Aldi items for first-time customers). Yet another product I usually toss in my cart as I pass by the refrigerated case is the Specially Selected brand of cold smoked salmon. While smoked salmon isn't cheap, a three-ounce package only costs about $4 at the Aldi where I usually shop. I generally eat it on toast or a bagel (or occasionally as a pizza topper), but I recently learned a great way to stretch it out and make it go farther: Blend it with cream cheese to make it into a dip.

All you really need to do is mush up the salmon and mix it with some cream cheese. You can use the whipped kind of cheese for easy blending, but I used a softened brick, and it worked out just fine. For extra flavor, you can also add spices like garlic, dehydrated onion, everything bagel seasoning, or whatever else appeals to you. My personal preference is for a splash of lemon juice and a dash of Tabasco or a sprinkling of cayenne. If I have fresh green onions on hand, I like to chop them up and stir them in as well.

Smoked salmon may stay edible for up to a week in the refrigerator once opened, but this salmon dip might only last for about five days, so it's best to use it up within that time frame. It's delicious on a bagel and can also be used for dunking crudites or pita triangles, but you can do a lot more with it. Stir some into scrambled eggs, use it as an omelet filling, or spread it on an English muffin and top it with a poached egg. (If you add hollandaise, you'll have a tasty seafood benedict.)

For a fancy appetizer, smoked salmon spread could be piled in tart shells or spread on crostini and topped with chopped red onions and capers. It can also be sandwiched between crackers and warmed in the microwave to make tasty, savory s'mores. If you thin the dip out with a little milk, you could mix it with hot noodles and sprinkle it with parmesan to make a quick and easy creamy seafood pasta. While I won't say "the sky is the limit" — for one thing, it's a cliché and for another, I wouldn't go so far as to add this dip to coffee, these ideas may spark others of your own. You'll also likely find inspiration as you roll through the aisles at Aldi after stocking up on cold-smoked salmon.