I have made Lox a few times. The classic Lox involves packing salmon in a salt mix to draw liquid out and help preserve the salmon. It is delicious. However, my twisted mind wanted more.
I have also made Ceviche and love the citrus flavours. I also smoke a lot of meat and thought some smoke flavour would kick it up. I decided to make, Lox Plus!
I bought a 450 gram (1 pound) piece of skinless salmon fillet. Some will tell you to trim the thin belly pieces off. I think they are the tastiest part of the Lox Plus.
It is important to note there is some risk in eating raw fish. Salmon can have parasites in it. To lessen the risk, the salmon must have been frozen for at least two weeks to kill any parasites.
Mix the salt pack:
Spread half of the salt pack over the orange slices. Put the fillet on the orange slices.
Spread the remaining half of the salt pack over the salmon. Cover the top of the salmon with thin slices of lemon. Wrap the plastic wrap around the salmon.
Put the salmon on a plate. Put another plate on top of the salmon. Put a large heavy can on top of the plate and put it 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 flavour 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 lox, with a nice salty taste enhanced by a fresh citrus note.
I saved a piece to have a side-by-side comparison with the smoked version.
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.
I cold smoked the salmon in my Bradley Smoker. It was very cold as you can see by the temperature in the smoker when I turned it on. In the Bradley at these temperatures, I could turn the smoking element on and not the heat elements and it worked great. I gave it 40 minutes with apple pucks.
You could also use a smoke generator like the A-Maze-N pellet smoker in your smoker or gas grill to get a cold smoke. I would give it an hour for this method.
The important thing is that you don’t cook the salmon and destroy the great texture. The temperature can’t go over 80 F for the smoke.
Thinly slice the salmon on an angle. Freeze any you will not use in the next few days.
I tried some on a bagel with cream cheese. Heaven!
The Verdict
This is an incredible Lox! The lovely salty, creamy lox flavour is there but the touch of smoke and citrus make it brightly flavoured and complex. Throw it on a bagel smeared with cream cheese and you will hear the angels sing!
The touch of smoke definitely improved the Lox.
Disco
I have also made Ceviche and love the citrus flavours. I also smoke a lot of meat and thought some smoke flavour would kick it up. I decided to make, Lox Plus!
I bought a 450 gram (1 pound) piece of skinless salmon fillet. Some will tell you to trim the thin belly pieces off. I think they are the tastiest part of the Lox Plus.
It is important to note there is some risk in eating raw fish. Salmon can have parasites in it. To lessen the risk, the salmon must have been frozen for at least two weeks to kill any parasites.
Mix the salt pack:
- 75 ml (1/3 cup) kosher salt
- 75 ml (1/3 cup) brown sugar
- 5 ml (1 tsp) white pepper
- 2 ml (1/2 tsp) ground coriander
- 2 ml (1/2 tsp) dried dill
- 1,26 grams (1.1 ml) (1/5 tsp) Prague Powder #1
Spread half of the salt pack over the orange slices. Put the fillet on the orange slices.
Spread the remaining half of the salt pack over the salmon. Cover the top of the salmon with thin slices of lemon. Wrap the plastic wrap around the salmon.
Put the salmon on a plate. Put another plate on top of the salmon. Put a large heavy can on top of the plate and put it 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 flavour 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 lox, with a nice salty taste enhanced by a fresh citrus note.
I saved a piece to have a side-by-side comparison with the smoked version.
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.
I cold smoked the salmon in my Bradley Smoker. It was very cold as you can see by the temperature in the smoker when I turned it on. In the Bradley at these temperatures, I could turn the smoking element on and not the heat elements and it worked great. I gave it 40 minutes with apple pucks.
You could also use a smoke generator like the A-Maze-N pellet smoker in your smoker or gas grill to get a cold smoke. I would give it an hour for this method.
The important thing is that you don’t cook the salmon and destroy the great texture. The temperature can’t go over 80 F for the smoke.
Thinly slice the salmon on an angle. Freeze any you will not use in the next few days.
I tried some on a bagel with cream cheese. Heaven!
The Verdict
This is an incredible Lox! The lovely salty, creamy lox flavour is there but the touch of smoke and citrus make it brightly flavoured and complex. Throw it on a bagel smeared with cream cheese and you will hear the angels sing!
The touch of smoke definitely improved the Lox.
Disco
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