Normally, I put a picture of the finished product at the end of the review, but this lox turned out so pretty I decided to open big. Now, I assume most or all of the people reading this blog are familiar with lox but there's some technical variations between lox, nova, lox, scottish lox, smoked salmon etc. There's a rundown here http://www.ehow.com/info_8265696_types-lox.html , but even that is not definitive because other lists differ on the details. But in any case, what I like flavor profile-wise is a lower salt light smoke with a lot of oil. The key for me is being able to taste the flavor of delicious, fatty salmon while at the same time concentrating and enhancing its natural flavor with a simple dry rub and bit of smokiness. So what I'm trying to recreate is a nova or scottish style lox at home.
So good lox usually costs $24-$35/lb and even when you pay that, the quality is hit or miss. With so many different types and brands I rarely know what I'm getting. If the only cured salmon you've bought is the prepackaged stuff from the supermarket, you've only had bad stuff. Some of the high-end places with fillets which they slice to order at the deli counter have great stuff, but its still uneven quality. So being able to make my own in 24 hours with minimal effort is really great because smoked salmon is probably my favorite luxury food. Now that I've waxed poetic about the ins and outs of cured fish products, lets get on to the recipe and prep.
1) Get a whole salmon filet as pictured here. I got a wild atlantic slamon, but I've read many folks who say king salmon is the best for lox because of its high oil/fat content. In any case, I'd definitely recommend a wild caught fish because of the flavor. And the thicker the better, because you lose a lot of volume as it cures and the water comes out of the fish.
2) Next you're going to scale the fillet if it hasn't been done at the store. This wasn't specified in the recipes I read, but since you're going to be putting a dry rub on both sides, I figurred removing the scales from the skin side will aid in the curing process. Its simple to do. You just take a small, sharp, non-serrated knife and scrape it across the skin against the grain of the scales, like shaving against the growth of your hair.
You can see in the picture the scales building up on the knife as I scrape left to right. When you're done rinse the fish under cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
3) Now you're going to mix your spices. This is where individual taste comes in. I used a 50-50 salt and brown sugar combo, plus about 3 tablespoons of fresh ground pepper. This is on the low side for salt of most recipes, but I found it more than sufficient. The total amount you'll need depends on the size of your fillet (or fillets). You need enough to have a heavy coating on both sides.
4) Since I don't have a cold smoker, I took a shortcut which many foodies will abhor (but many foodies are pretentious a-holes. That's why they get the shitty moniker of foodie), I substituted liquid smoke. I only learned recently that liquid smoke is not a weird Frankenstein chemical creation from the labs of Monsanto, its actually made from real wood smoke that's condensed into a liquid medium, so I don't feel bad using it in homemade food. All that said, I applied about a teaspoon to each side of the fillet rubbing it evenly across the fish. This is strong stuff, so err on the side of caution. My lox came out plenty smokey.
5) Next place the fillet on a large piece of plastic wrap (big enough that you can wrap the whole fillet up when you're done) and apply the rub to the meat side. Then carefully flip and apply rub to the skin side.
You might notice that there's no pepper in this pic. That's because I forgot it and had to add it later. Anyway, wrap the whole thing up and put it in a shallow baking pan. Then cut two small holes on the corners at the large end. This will let the liquid drain as the fish cures. I then placed a heavy wood cutting board over the fillet to press the cure in and the water out and put the whole thing in the fridge tilted slightly so the water drains away from the fillet into the pan.
6) At this point you're basically done. Most recipes advise 1-4 days curing. I did 24 hours, flipping the fillet once. When I tested a piece after 24 hours it was perfect, but you might want to go longer. When you are ready to end the cure, unwrap the fillet and rinse it under cold water and pat dry. Your lox is done.
This is what it should look like when its unwrapped before rinsing. You'll notice the salt and sugar have disappeared, absorbed into the fish or carried away with the water that drained out. You can also see the skin has darkened and dried out, losing its shiny appearance.
7) Cutting and serving lox is a bit tricky. You need a very sharp thin knife. You'll lay the salmon skin side down. The curing process will leave a thin tough layer on the outside which you want to trim off. I didn't throw this away though and plan to use it in a smoked salmon cream sauce because it still have great flavor. Here's a video of how to slice and serve - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9ET3rPJYpY
And that's it. I served this for a brunch with bagels, cream cheese, tomatoes, capers and onion but you can do lots of other delicious things with lox like omelets, pasta sauce, crostini, sushi rolls etc.
I can't stress enough how easy this process was and how great the lox was. Its some of the best lox I've had in years, and I'm picky about the stuff and about my own food. Try it and enjoy. Also, DISCLAIMER/WARNING, eating raw cured fish carries risk of disease and parasites. I am not one to worry too much since I eat seared salmon and raw sushi all the time, and figure a 24 hour salt cure makes this way safer than that. But there's always a risk, so be aware.
