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Homemade Salmon Lox (Or Gravlax)

The Best Friend of Bagels And Cream-Cheese

Quick answerReady in 48-96 hours, USA cuisine.
By Jaron Kimhi··👁 1.3K views
lox
Lox or Gravlax is a cured salmon delicacy that gained enormous popularity in New York Jewish delis. It's usually eaten in a bagel sandwich with its best friend, cream cheese. Lox is a bit different from smoked salmon in that it is not — well — smoked. Other than that they're pretty similar, and the fact that it's not smoked makes Lox very easy to make at home. In fact, you don't need any skill at all. All you 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 — curing the salmon to perfection with the help of salt and sugar. Traditionally you need to leave the salmon fillet in the salt solution for 48–72 hours, then wash off the salt and refrigerate for another 24 hours to firm it up. Feel free to adjust 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's so much cheaper than buying it at the supermarket or deli!! I think it's perfect for inviting your friends over 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's 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, or gin to make the lox more interesting.
  4. For a very lightly cured salmon taste, you can wash off the salt brine after 6 hours.
  5. Flip the salmon in the fridge after each day.
  6. Tilt the salmon at an angle to make sure it won't be "swimming" in the juices. I like to put it on a net and place a nice cast iron skillet on top to squeeze all the juices out of it.

Method

  1. 1

    Covering The Salmon with Salt· 5 Minutes

    Mix salt, sugar and dill together. Pat dry the salmon with a paper towel. Cover the salmon with the salt-sugar solution and wrap with a sandwich or clingfilm.

    lox-ingredientssalting-the-salmonsalting-the-salmoncovering-with-salt
  2. 2

    Curing The Salmon· 48-72 Hours

    Put the wrapped salmon on a plate or baking pan and put a heavy weight over it. I prefer to place it on a baking net over a baking pan tilted in an angle so the juices won't be gathering directly under it. Keep flipping the salmon every day.

    weights-on-topafter-48-hours
  3. 3

    Washing And Refrigerating The salmon· 24 Hours

    Wash the salmon from the salt solution. Pat dry with a paper towel and place it back in the fridge for another 24 hours refrigeration. This will help the salmon to firm up. After 24hours the Lox is ready! Cut into thin slices, removing the skin. Enjoy!!

    washing-the-salt-offRefrigeratinglox
Recipe by

Jaron Kimhi

Jaron Kimhi — self-taught home cook from Tel Aviv, writing and cooking every recipe on this site himself. 20+ years of tinkering in the kitchen, leaning toward slow cooking, classic technique, and honest ingredients.

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Categories
Fishappetizer
Cuisines
USAJewish
Features
Gluten Free24hrs

Questions & answers

Can I use skinless salmon instead?
Stick with skin-on if you can — the skin holds everything together during curing and makes slicing way easier. If skinless is all you've got, handle it gently when flipping.
What counts as a 'heavy weight' for pressing the salmon?
Anything heavy works — a cast iron pan, a few cans of beans, even a heavy pot. The point is consistent pressure across the whole fillet.
Can I cure it for less than 48 hours?
Don't rush it — 48 hours is the minimum, and going up to 96 hours gives you a firmer, more intensely cured result. Pull it when it feels right for your taste.
Why do I need that extra 24-hour fridge rest after washing?
That step firms the salmon up so it slices cleanly into those thin, beautiful pieces. Skip it and you'll have a harder time getting neat slices.
Can I scale this up for a bigger fillet?
Yes — just keep the 1:1 salt-to-sugar ratio and make sure every part of the salmon is fully covered in the cure mix. More weight on top helps too.