Homemade Salmon Lox (Or Gravlax)

The Best Friend of Bagels And Cream-Cheese

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Lox or Gravlax is a cured salmon delicacy gained enormous popularity in New York Jewish delis and is usually eaten in a bagel sandwich with it’s best friend cream cheese.

Lox is a bit different from smoked salmon in the way that it is not well… smoked. Other than that they are pretty similar and the fact that it is not smoked makes Lox very easy to make at home. In fact, you don’t need any skill at all. All you might need is time… and good ingredients of course. The quality of the salmon will determine how it tastes in the end and time will do its magic and with the help of salt and sugar cure the salmon to perfection.

Traditionally you need to leave the salmon fillet in the salt solution for 48-72 hours. Then wash the salt and refrigerate for 24 hours more to firm up the salmon. Feel free to change the time to your liking although personally I like to wash the salt only after 3 days in the fridge.

The best thing about lox is that once you make it at home you won’t stop and it is so much cheaper than buying at the supermarket or deli!! I think it is perfect for inviting your friends for a decadent brunch!

Tips For Success:

1. Get a very good piece of Salmon Fillet. Wild caught organic ones would be the best
2. Salt and Sugar should be added in equal measures. So if you have a bigger or smaller piece of salmon it is very easy to tweak the recipe.
3. You can add some flavors to the salt solution. Many people like to add a small shot of vodka, peppercorns, gin to make the lox more interesting
4. For a very light cured salmon taste you can wash the salt brine after 6 hours
5. Flip the salmon in the fridge after each day
6. Tilt the salmon in an angle to make sure it won’t be “swimming” in the juices. I like to put it on a net and I put a nice cast iron skillet to squeeze all the juices from it