{"id":1198,"date":"2022-04-07T23:28:22","date_gmt":"2022-04-07T23:28:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/publiclandsjournal.com\/?p=1198"},"modified":"2022-04-07T23:28:24","modified_gmt":"2022-04-07T23:28:24","slug":"how-to-make-cold-smoked-salmon-lox-at-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/publiclandsjournal.com\/how-to-make-cold-smoked-salmon-lox-at-home\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Make Cold-Smoked Salmon (Lox) at Home"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Lox is salt-cured salmon that has been cold-smoked. To make lox you first ‘cook’ the fish with a salt-based cure (or dry brine) that will remove all the moisture from the fish. Then the cured fish is cold-smoked to add flavor and texture. While this may sound like a technical and difficult procedure, it’s actually quite easy to make your own lox at home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are many different variations of lox and many different methods for creating it. Over the last couple of years, I’ve made lox with several different methods and have settled on a recipe and procedure that is simple and yields consistent results. I hope you will find this recipe works well for you<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Traditionally, Lox is made with salmon, but you can substitute other fish. I’ve made this dish with trout, steelhead, salmon, bass, and whitefish. It does turn out best with the larger fillets from salmon or steelhead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Start by removing the skin. Place a fillet on a cutting board with the skin side down. Starting at the tail end of the fillet, work a sharp knife between the skin and the flesh. Keep downward pressure on the knife and work it forward until you’ve removed the skin. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some lox recipes do not remove the skin. I’ve made lox from fillets with the skin on and the skin removed and found that removing the skin produces a better product. The fish cures more quickly and more evenly without the skin. You can leave the skin on and still have a good result. For this demonstration, I left the skin on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The dry brine (or cure) is the most important part of making lox. The cure will ‘cook’ the fish by removing the moisture. The addition of pink salt prevents bacterial growth. There are only three required ingredients for the cure: salt, sugar (to balance out the salt), and pink salt (also referred to as Instacure #1, Prague powder).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A basic recipe for lox (or cold-smoked salmon) cure per 1 pound of fish is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Those are the only required ingredients. You can add other spices to change the flavor of your lox. Common favorites are dill, citrus peel (orange, lemon, lime), coriander, black pepper, and others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For this batch of lox, I added orange peel, black pepper, coriander, and juniper berries to the basic cure. To be honest, I didn’t notice much flavor difference from just using the basic cure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now mix all the cure ingredients together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n