Make your own lox – homemade lox

How do you make lox? I can’t find a recipe on the whole Internet. I’d also like to know what to eat it with.

As you know, “lox” is a name for highly salted and cured salmon fillet. “Gravlax” is the Scandinavian version of lox — you might have more luck finding recipes for gravlax on the Internet. Here is my method for making gravlax:

Ask your fishmonger to remove the skin from a full side of salmon. The pinbones should be removed, for a completely skinless, boneless fillet.

Mix a box of Kosher salt with one cup of light brown sugar and one cup of snipped fresh dill. In a large glass baking dish or stainless steel roasting pan, pour half the dilled salt and sugar mixture on the bottom of the dish and spread it evenly. Lay the salmon fillet flat on the mixture. Pour the remaining cure mix over the top of the fillet. Be sure to coat both sides thoroughly with the cure mix. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours.

Remove the fillet from the cure mix and wash off the salt, sugar and dill with cold running water. Discard the cure mix and wash the dish. Return the cured fillet to the clean dish, onto a bed of fresh dill sprigs (approx. one cup). Spread an equal amount of fresh dill on top of the salmon. Pour a bottle (750 ml) of Riesling wine over the salmon. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and return the dish to the refrigerator for 7 days. Be sure to turn over the fillet once a day.

Remove the fillet from the dish and pat dry with a paper towel. Discard the Riesling and dill. Wrap the gravlax fillet with plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving. Store chilled up to 3 weeks.

To serve, place the gravlax fillet flat on a cutting board. Using a sharp, long-bladed slicing knife and starting from the head end, cut thin slices (approx. 1/8 inch) on the bias (angle across the fillet). Present the thin slices overlapped on a slab of marble, a serving board or a large dark platter. Thinly sliced, dense black bread is an excellent base for gravlax. Traditional accompaniments are lemon wedges, mustard-dill sauce, small slices of toasted bread and pickled cucumber salad. Chopped red onion and capers are often served with cured salmon as well. And, of course, gravlax works with bagels and light cream cheese.

Chef’s note: Do not try to cook gravlax – the result is horrendously salty.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top