Smoked Salmon Lox

Unsmoked Salmon Lox

Smoked (or not) Salmon Lox

This delicious treat works because the flavor of the salmon is amplified by the. light cure. The citrus also shines through the salty sweet goodness. A favorite of Yiddish peoples, Lox is best described as a fillet of brined salmon. Lox is sliced very thin and fabulous served on a bagel with cream cheese, and is usually garnished with tomato, sliced onion, cucumbers, and capers.

The word lox is derived from the Yiddish word for salmon, לאַקס laks (cf. German Lachs, Swedish Lax), which ultimately derives from the Germanic word for salmon, *laks-.[4] The word lox has cognates in numerous Germanic languages. For example, cured salmon in Scandinavian countries is known by different versions of the name gravlax. (lax or laks means "salmon" in the Scandinavian languages.)

This recipe includes a mild cure which has pink salt #1. This prevents bacteria growth and adds a pinkish slightly hammy taste. As noted below fresh salmon can have parasites so I always freeze mine for at least two weeks to kill any parasites.

Ingredients

1 3/4 pound boneless, skinless, salmon fillet, I like getting the fresh wild caught coho or sockeye, then freeze for a couple of weeks to eliminate parasites.
2/3 cup kosher salt
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1teaspoon coriander seeds, ground
1 teaspoon dried dill
2.4 grams Prague powder #1
2 oranges
2 lemons

Preparations

If you are using fresh salmon, freeze it for at least 2 weeks to kill any parasites.

Mix the kosher salt, brown sugar, pepper, coriander, dill, and Prague powder #1 together.

Put a large sheet of plastic wrap on the workspace and lay a layer of thin orange slices on the wrap to approximate the size of the fillet.

Spread half of the salt mix over the orange slices. Put the fillet on the orange slices.

Spread the remaining half of the salt mix over the salmon. Cover the top of the salmon with thin slices of lemon. Wrap the plastic wrap around the salmon and add another sheet of wrap and wrap tightly.

Put the salmon on a platter. Put another platter or heavy pans on top of the salmon. Put in the fridge for two days, turning the fillet once.

A lot of liquid will be produced. This is normal.

Unwrap the salmon and rinse it under cold water. Put it in cold water for 90 minutes, changing the water twice.

At this point, you have a great Lox with a citrus flavor and you can stop here if you like.

I did take a couple of slices. I tasted one and it was great! It had the lush texture of sushi, with a slight hammy, citrusy flavor.

If you are going to cold smoke your Lox, make sure the surface is dry. Put it in the fridge uncovered for 4 hours to overnight.

Optionally you can cold smoke the salmon to taste (light smoke is preferred).

Thinly slice the salmon on an angle. Serve on bagels with cream cheese, tomatoes, onions, cucumber and capers.

Freeze any you will not use in the next few days.

Urban Cowgill Jan 2021