Make Your Own Lox

A Perfect Pairing for Sparkling Wine

It’s National Bagels and Lox Day, and I just had to celebrate. And not only celebrate but actually try making my own lox. Just reading the recipe prompted me to do some research, and I realized I have been incorrectly calling it smoked salmon for years. There is no smoke involved at all. Instead, lox is salmon cured in a mixture of salt and herbs. If you really need that smoked flavor (and I don’t blame you!), you want nova—salt-cured salmon that is then smoked. Both are delicious, but since I don’t have a smoker and it’s Lox and Bagel Day, I’m going to try making my own lox.

The only thing left to do once you’re done curing your own lox is to make sure you have plenty of a chilled sparkling wine on hand. Believe me: You will never again buy lox in the grocery store once you learn to make your own.

Recipe Author: Tim Vidra at Tasting Room
Get the recipe

The Ingredients

This lox recipe is pretty simple and has only 7 ingredients. Most of them are spices, sugar, and salt. It isn’t specified, but I used non-iodized sea salt because iodized salt has an aftertaste I notice. I have to recommend non-iodized sea salt so the salmon doesn’t end up with the same aftertaste.

The only other items needed are a 1 1/4-pound salmon fillet and a bunch of fresh dill. I found both at my regular grocery store. A 1.79-pound skin-on fillet was $23.25, and a bunch of organic dill was $2.35, bringing my total cost to $25.60.

Make Your Own Lox Ingredients
Salmon fillet, fresh dill, sea salt, sugar, red chili flakes, ground coriander, and black peppercorns

The Process

This recipe sounded very easy, and only had a few steps. Sometimes I wonder if I’m underestimating these types of recipes—they sound almost too good to be true. I’m happy to say that wasn’t the case with this one!

I did add a little to Step 1. The filet I bought had a very thin edge that I trimmed away. There was almost no meat on it (it was only about 1/8″ thick), so I got rid of it.

I trimmed away the thin edge of the salmon fillet
I trimmed away the thin edge since there was barely any meat on it

Next was mixing the salt and spices. Talk about easy! The black peppercorns didn’t even need to be ground or crushed. I will admit I considered crushing them to release more of their flavor. I decided not to since it wasn’t mentioned in the recipe.

The dill came next. All I had to do was trim off the excess stems and drop to onto half of the fillet. That’s it. No slicing, dicing, or anything else though I would mention that I washed it the day before to make sure it was completely dry.

Two halves of the salmon fillet topped with salt, spices, and dill
Two halves of the salmon fillet topped with salt, spices, and dill

Finally, I double-wrapped the sandwiched salmon fillets in cling wrap, making sure to keep it tight. I didn’t want to expose the salmon to the air in case it affected the texture. Then I put it onto a plate, put the plate into the refrigerator, and weighted it with a small cast-iron skillet.

The seasoned salmon fillets stacked, wrapped, and weighted
The seasoned salmon fillets stacked, wrapped in cling wrap, and weighted with a cast iron pan

After 36 hours there was a lot of liquid built up in the cling wrap, and some did leak out like the recipe mentioned. I forgot to take a photo, but the liquid came halfway up the stack so it covered the bottom fillet. I flipped the wrapped packet, put the skillet back on, and waited until the 3-day curing process was done.

There was quite a bit of liquid in the wrap and on the plate by the time the salmon was cured. I poured it off, cut a sample piece, and decided it was a bit too salty for me. I decided to rinse my lox and pat it dry before continuing.

Timing

This recipe only lists the “cooking” time, but I made sure to time the prep work. It only took me 7 minutes to trim, season, wrap, and weight the salmon. I think it took me longer to prepare the items I served it with!

To Serve

Lox can be served in many ways, but I went for a bagel with cream cheese, red onion, and capers. You know, because of National Bagels and Lox Day (the whole reason I made this recipe). I did take a cue from the recipe and added some prosecco and orange juice for mimosas. Mwa! Chef’s kiss!!

So how was it?

Clear & Accurate Directions
Accurate Time(s)
Appearance
Taste
I wasn't sure how this recipe would turn out, but I am really impressed! It was so easy and tasted better than store-bought lox. It did make a lot, but my husband and I were quite happy to nibble on it for a few days. The recipe broke everything down into simple steps, and I had no problems following along. The hardest part was waiting until the curing process was done! The salt pulled out a lot of moisture while the herbs impacted their subtle flavor--all without me doing much more than salting the fish and wrapping it up. It's well worth the effort and makes an impressive brunch or appetizer. This recipe is a keeper!
The Hungry Pinner
The Hungry Pinnerhttps://www.hungrypinner.com
I'm Candice, and I'm The Hungry Pinner. I created this blog to share my love for cooking and my experiences with the MANY recipes I've found on Pinterest over the years. Join me as I blog my way through those recipes to find out if they are worth trying yourself.

Popular

This post may contain affiliate links to products available to purchase through Amazon. These purchases earn a small commission that funds The Hungry Pinner. There is never any additional cost to you.

More Recipes Like This

LEAVE A REPLY

Comments are welcome! Please be aware that all comments are reviewed before they are posted and will not appear immediately.

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

I wasn't sure how this recipe would turn out, but I am really impressed! It was so easy and tasted better than store-bought lox. It did make a lot, but my husband and I were quite happy to nibble on it for a few days. The recipe broke everything down into simple steps, and I had no problems following along. The hardest part was waiting until the curing process was done! The salt pulled out a lot of moisture while the herbs impacted their subtle flavor--all without me doing much more than salting the fish and wrapping it up. It's well worth the effort and makes an impressive brunch or appetizer. This recipe is a keeper!Make Your Own Lox