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Homemade at 1/4 the Cost by noahw on February 20, 2009

Table of Contents

Homemade Lox at 1/4 the Cost ...... 1

Intro: Homemade Lox at 1/4 the Cost ...... 2

Step 1: Ingredients ...... 2

Step 2: De-bone ...... 3

Step 3: Pack in and wrap ...... 3

Step 4: Weight, angle, and place in fridge ...... 5

Step 5: Check after 24 hours ...... 6

Step 6: Remove and rinse ...... 6

Step 7: Take off skin ...... 7

Step 8: Slice ...... 8

Step 9: Garnish and serve ...... 9

Related Instructables ...... 10

Comments ...... 10

http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Lox-at-14-the-Cost/ Intro: Homemade Lox at 1/4 the Cost I've been making homemade lox (technically , because I cure them only in and sugar, rather than curing them and cold them like nova lox) for the last year or so and have really been enjoying the outcome. It's super easy to do, takes only 24-48 hours to cure, requires only a few ingredients, is really impressive with the guests, and best of all, costs 1/4 of what you'd spend on the same thing at the store!

I'm a transplant from New York, and on the long list of delicious things that you can't get in California, including pizza, , egg rolls and cold weather, is lox. In my opinion, ACME nova lox from Brooklyn, NY is the king of all things appetizing. I grew up with the kid who stands to inherit the 4th generation business and have eaten the stuff all of my life. The only problem is, you rarely see it out here in Cali, and back home in Port Washington, NY, at Let There Be Bagels, the best appetizing (aka "spread") store around, nova costs $40.00 a pound!

Even if you've managed to keep your job through these crazy economic times, that's still a lot of hooch for some uncooked . As with many things DIY, there's an alternate, cheaper method that I'll share with you, which, in my humble New York Jew opinion tastes just as good, if not better than the full price cold smoked specialty store bought stuff.

Step 1: Ingredients The savings comes in buying your own . I harp on California not having certain things that New York does, but one of the many distinctly beautiful things that California does have is The Berkeley Bowl - pretty much the best market I've ever come across.

I picked up some locally farmed, sustainably raised Duart Salmon there for $9.99 per lb. Now that must have been on sale, but you should be able to find a very high quality salmon that's under $20.00 per lb. - still 1/2 the cost of the stuff at the store.

In terms of quantity, the process takes just a little foresight, 24-48 hours worth, so I'd recommend buying about twice as much as you'd think you'll need and inviting over some friends if you find yourself having extra. I bought 2 lbs. and was able to feed 6-8 people with modest portions.

If you fish counter is selling more than one type of salmon, tell them you're going to be making lox with it and that you'd like the freshest thing they've got with a decent amount of in it. I've heard recommend Duart Salmon, and more often, King Salmon.

Lox:

2 lbs. Duart salmon fillet 1/2 cup white sugar 1/2 cup salt 1 bunch 1 lemon

Bagel Fixings

bagel cream cheese dill capers lemon red onion

http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Lox-at-14-the-Cost/ Step 2: De-bone Salmon fillets often have a few bones left in them running right down the center of the thick part of the fillet. Feel for these with your fingertips and then remove them using a tweezers or needle nose pliers. I use my fingertips because I'm working on turning my hands into tools themselves, plus, curing fish is in my blood.

Image Notes 1. Bones are often left in along this line.

Step 3: Pack in sugar and wrap Mix 1 part sugar with 1 part salt in a bowl. Pack the mixture thoroughly all around the salmon and wrap the fish in several layers of saran wrap. While wrapping, be sure not to seal one end of the package shut. As the lox cure, they will produce liquid which we'll be draining off, so the juices need a place to escape.

I'm working inside of a large deep pan so that excess sugar and juices don't spill all over the place - it makes it a whole lot easier.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Lox-at-14-the-Cost/ Image Notes 1. This end was left open so that liquid from the curing fish can drain.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Lox-at-14-the-Cost/ Step 4: Weight, angle, and place in fridge Using what's available around your house, find some way to weight the fish evenly. I'm using a double size brick and the baking dish from my toaster oven in the photo below. I've had success using a plate and water bottle, and a heavy cast iron pan. Basically, just find something flat and make it heavy.

Put everything into the fridge and use something to prop up just one side of the whole operation - this way juices will drain away from the fish and won't just pool up in the saran wrap.

Image Notes 1. This little glass ramekin is a perfect support.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Lox-at-14-the-Cost/ Step 5: Check after 24 hours After 24 hours some things should be happening. Liquid should have started to collect around the low end of the dish, the color of the fish should have deepened and darkened a bit, and the fillet should have gotten a little thinner. Drain the liquid that has collected - it should be a thick syrup.

If there's still ample salt and sugar left, you're good to go for another 24 hours of curing. Replace the weight, angle, and put it back in the fridge.

If it looks like all of your salt and sugar mixture has turned into a runny mess, repack the fish with more salt and sugar, re-wrap, weight, angle and place in the fridge for another 24 hours.

Step 6: Remove and rinse After 48 hours of cure time, or, however long you'd like to cure your fish, since there aren't hard and fast rules about these things, remove the fish from the fridge, unwrap it, and rinse it off.

Place the fish on a clean cutting board and grab your sharpest knife.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Lox-at-14-the-Cost/ Image Notes 1. Start slicing on the thin side. 2. Work your way across to the thick side, slicing towards the thin side.

Step 7: Take off skin If the skin is tough and thick from the curing process, it should be very easy to remove with your hand.

Peel it off slowly and throw it away, or use it for a tasty salmon skin roll. If it's slick, thin and slippery, you can leave it in place and cut the lox anyway, you'll just have to make sure all of your cuts don't go through the skin.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Lox-at-14-the-Cost/ Step 8: Slice Start slicing on the thin side of the fillet. Cut slices on a moderate vertical bias, cutting with the edge of the knife facing towards the thin side of the fish. Then, with each progressive cut the knife will get closer and closer to the thick side, all the while cutting towards the area where the thin side used to be.

Use the sharpest knife that you can find for this process.

Arrange you slices somewhere flat and in one layer - they tend to stick to each other if you stack them up. Separate layers with saran wrap and slice up the entire piece of salmon.

Image Notes 1. Start slicing on the thin side. 2. Work your way across to the thick side, slicing towards the thin side.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Lox-at-14-the-Cost/ Step 9: Garnish and serve I don't add in the dill, capers and lemon until I'm ready to serve the lox. The lemon will turn the salmon a whitish color after a while, and that's not the most appetizing thing for lox. Many people pack dill in with the salmon, but I really prefer the flavor of the dill to be fresh and so I hold off on that until the last moment. The capers are really just for some salty briny flavor, and wouldn't get added to the lox ahead of time anyway.

My perfect bagel with lox construction goes something like this:

Get a lightly toasted (from NY if possible) and cover with cream cheese. Stick some capers into the cream cheese, which will hold them in place so that they don't roll off the bagel (common problem). Then, load the bagel up with lox, not too much, but not too little. Maybe 3-4 pieces. On top of the lox goes thinly sliced red onion (so that you don't have to touch the lox directly with your fingers while you're eating the bagel (only a problem if you're a fan of the open face bagel), lemon juice, a touch of salt and pepper and more fresh dill.

Mmm.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Lox-at-14-the-Cost/ Image Notes 1. A friend taught me that if you layer your bagel with cream cheese first, then capers, then lox, then onion, then lemon, then salt and dill, it works the best. The cream cheese holds the capers in place so they don't roll off, the onion gives you something to grab the lox by so you don't have to get your hands all fishy, and the lemon helps the salt and dill stick in place on top - good trick!

Related Instructables

Spread for A Pretty, Tasty Homemade Lox Bagel Sandwich serving with by kcls How To Make Bagel by Mania by sandds Jewish / Graved Lox by westfw Japanese Salmon - Fusion Snack - UPDATED!! by Lox with wasabi Doggie Stylish cream cheese by macgeek800

Comments

50 comments Add Comment view all 60 comments

walkie74 says: Dec 26, 2010. 10:18 PM REPLY I just finished making my (very small) batch and man, that is TASTY! I used salt, sugar, pepper and paprika in mine. I only made 1/3 lb, and I'm trying to save it for New Year's--but this is gonna be tough! Thanks for the instructable!

rosewood513 says: Dec 11, 2010. 4:47 PM REPLY Hi, born and raised in Brooklyn NY (moved to Jersey) I know what you mean about lox, pizza and bagels. I'll add Italian bread too. Must buy at Scottos on 23th Avw. I want to make this so I can actually have some lox on my bagel instead of just a shmear. Thanks

tentacle says: Feb 25, 2009. 6:19 PM REPLY Buy wild salmon, framed salmon is a inferior product artificially colored, and contaminated that is decimating wild salmon stocks. Read a bit more here

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/02/080212-salmon-lice.html

jamiec53 says: Jan 8, 2010. 11:29 AM REPLY Wow, you can eat salmon that's been framed...

http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Lox-at-14-the-Cost/ LittleWolf says: Apr 28, 2010. 5:27 PM REPLY Indeed you can, they don't just look mighty pretty there, hanging on your wall.

KadiddleHopper says: Oct 2, 2010. 9:03 AM REPLY Yeah, and they would've gotten away with it if it hadn't been for you meddling kids!

Plasmana says: Jul 5, 2010. 4:42 AM REPLY Lox... Haha, it reminds me of liquid oxygen from on of the james bond's films :P

sallysings says: Mar 28, 2010. 12:56 PM REPLY A few questions - if I don't eat it right away, how long would it keep for? And should I keep the fish in one hunk and just slice off however much we want to eat?

Also, is the drained liquid good for anything? Fish is basically pasteurized fish curing liquid, but that's a different kind of fish and all salt.

Great job, btw. I LOVE Lox.

Shivettez says: Apr 23, 2010. 9:16 AM REPLY I tried this and was deathly sick for days. The lox had this zingy flavor, I should have known better.

Oderus says: Apr 23, 2010. 9:19 AM REPLY stop putting whole bottles of wine in it

Shivettez says: Apr 23, 2010. 9:25 AM REPLY The kids were pretty hyper that night, I needed something in it to help them sleep.

noahw says: Mar 28, 2010. 8:51 PM REPLY I think that you could safely keep it in the fridge for a few days after it's cured (<3 or so). After that it will start to get tough dry out, let alone funky, and I really don't take chances when it comes to fish. I'd definitely store it as one big hunk, cutting off only what you need as you go, it will stay fresher this way I think. If you've got a vacuum sealer, you could try to save it that way for longer periods of time...

I don't know what you could do with the fish liquid, surely there's something that it would be useful for...it's a salty, sugary syrup...

Thanks for the feedback!

Good luck & long live lox.

Oderus says: Apr 23, 2010. 9:24 AM REPLY He thought the messicans were bad, wait till he sees me with a filet knife and a bunch of dead fish

Oderus says: Apr 23, 2010. 9:15 AM REPLY I gave this much thought; after a few hours of deep pondering I decided I would get the rock myself. Im not a chauvinist after all.

afraz says: Feb 21, 2009. 3:33 PM REPLY Gravlax isgreat, IMHO superior to smoked lox. Delicate and juicy, great on a bagel, with some lemon and soy sauce, or in . Having made it I will never go back to the storebought kind, and I too was once a NY Jew... I have been making my own for a few years, I do less steps and find it just as good: Mix equal parts salt and sugar, spread all over fish, leave out of fridge about 5 hours, then 24 in the fridge. No weights or other ingredients. Slice and enjoy!

mdeblasi1 says: Feb 18, 2010. 5:34 PM REPLY Afraz, As a New Jersey Italian, I feel there is nothing better in the universe than Lox. I live in Ohio now and all I seem to be able to find is smoked salmon. Tisk tisk, not the same thing. I thought I would make it myself, but could find no definitive recipe. One recipe had the salmon immersed in oil as it cured?!? But to my point. . . When I eat lox I don't taste sugar. Are you really sure it should be there, is this what Russ and Daughter's would do?

noahw says: Feb 18, 2010. 10:17 PM REPLY The issue is that there are actually two different types of lox that we're talking about here. The type I've made is technically called gravlox or gravlax, where the fish is coated in primarily salt and sugar (common to just about any curing process) and then pressed under a weight. The water goes out, the flavor goes in, and presto, you've got delicious gravlax in a few days.

The other type of lox that I think you are referring to is called Nova, which refers to a particular kind of lox, like the kind commonly found in a jewish deli. Nova as you might imagine originated from Nova Scotia, and refers to a process where the salmon is more mildly cured, and then cold- smoked. I don't know much about Russ and Daughter's to be honest, but that's how ACME does it, and they're pretty much the authority on Nova in NYC. http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Lox-at-14-the-Cost/ The gravlax don't come out tasting sweet at all, the sugar is really there to draw the water out of the fish rather than to impart a flavor. As a middle class NY Jew, I grew up eating Nova pretty regularly. As I wrote in the Instructable, when I moved out to California, there really was no decent place I could get lox anymore. The gravlax recipe isn't exactly like Nova, but because it's cheap, and fresh, and you make it yourself, I think it actually tastes better overall and has always scratched the lox itch. Give it a shot and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised and how much it reminds you of the food experience that you're missing.

mdeblasi1 says: Feb 19, 2010. 10:40 AM REPLY Thanks for taking the time Noah, I really appreciate it. M

afraz says: Feb 18, 2010. 10:00 PM REPLY mdeblasi, i cant confirm the sugar is critical for the curing process, i think it may just be to offset the salty taste. You are not going to taste sugar or salt on the fish, they are both washed off. BTW you should use kosher salt. Try it, you will not be sorry. The source is a scandanavian graavlax recipe.

SoapyHollow says: Feb 21, 2009. 8:42 AM REPLY This looks so amazing. For the record, if you think finding lox in Cali is rough, try finding anything in rural Texas. Heh. Question: What purpose does the "pressing" serve?

jamiec53 says: Jan 8, 2010. 11:32 AM REPLY You think it's hard to find in texas. Try finding some in Britain. I didn't even know what it is until 42 seconds ago.

tabi says: May 28, 2009. 11:59 AM REPLY Hello; Here in Cancun, Mexico it is very hard (impossible I should say) to find any good lox... so I have been doing it for a while, my recipe is pretty simple, Store bought salmon, the freshest the better, salt and sugar, equal parts enough to cover everything, I mix that with broken coriander seeds and allspice seeds. Wrap it up closed all over, weight an leave, turning every 24 hours, in the fridge, usually my family will pester me and we´ll eat it after four days but it is certainly better left seven days... I make a mix of capers, scallions and parsley w/olive oil and lemon juice... some mascarpone and bagels.. a truly international dish ;)

Lawst says: May 14, 2009. 4:42 PM REPLY Louisiana has a a lot of good food but some things are hard to come by, fresh clam and good NY food being 2 that come to mind right off the bat. I spent exactly 2 hours in NYC, not much time to do anything. I'd had lox before but wanted to have it THERE. So I hailed a cab, told him my situation, and he took me to a deli. I have no idea where it was but it was Delicious! I'll definitely have to give this a try

Jimbo Bob says: Apr 17, 2009. 11:56 AM REPLY I had to sign up and comment on this recipe. It's fantastic! I can't believe how well this worked - I was a little skeptical. The amount of fluid that was drawn out of the fish was surprising I didn't expect so much. Next time I am going to add some smoked salt to add a little smoke flavour but in reality it doesn't need it.

deskbed says: Apr 12, 2009. 6:58 PM REPLY this is awesome. I tried another method, actually cold smoking the fish, which though providing a good reason to have a fire in the back yard, yielded watery bitter salmon. This is much better. I used salt only as my parents have eliminated sugar, vinegar, and yeast from their diets. I bought the fish fresh at the grocery store on sale and froze it for 2 months, which ruptures the cell walls and makes the fish more salt-permeable (a real term?) and coated and wrapped it while it was still frozen. actually cured for 36 hours, much of which I believe, was spent defrosting. But it came out firm and delicious. props on the great instructable

Poppa Chubby says: Mar 29, 2009. 12:05 AM REPLY Great Instructable! I used to make Nova lox for a living many years ago, and we used a dry brown sugar along with the salt, and we didn't weight the fish. Wild salmon is often much tastier than the farmed, but it varies greatly by and where the fish was caught (Upriver can be very pale and bland) I will definitely try this recipe at home.

Yendeg says: Mar 10, 2009. 5:42 PM REPLY can any flavorings be add at the cure stage such a smoke flavor or liquid smoke?

manofadventure says: Mar 7, 2009. 10:11 PM REPLY I feel hungry looking at this. I could eat the picture!

caitlinsdad says: Feb 20, 2009. 8:41 PM REPLY You can't beat this unless you have an endless cup of diner coffee to go with this and a nice fresh half-sour pickle. Maybe your buddy has connections to the Pickle Guys on Essex to get their secret.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Lox-at-14-the-Cost/ mondaymonkey says: Mar 5, 2009. 8:31 AM REPLY definitly a socialite right there.

caitlinsdad says: Mar 5, 2009. 2:40 PM REPLY Noshing is one of ife's pleasures, quite appetizing, next to high tea...

Broom says: Mar 5, 2009. 5:29 AM REPLY caitlinsdad : your wish is my command:

http://www.bigoven.com/48603-Salt-Dill-Pickles-recipe.html

t.rohner says: Mar 5, 2009. 2:34 PM REPLY This is absolutely fantastic, my girlfriend makes it around Cristmas. I like it better than most smoked salmon i ever had.

Thoth says: Mar 5, 2009. 10:41 AM REPLY I wonder if adding a tiny bit of smoke flavoring to the cure will give you the same flavor as nova lox without having to actually cold smoke the salmon? Maybe something to experiment with.

seedlingproject says: Mar 5, 2009. 9:49 AM REPLY My mouth is watering. I might have to try making this very soon! I admit I am a little confused about the slicing--cut starting on the thin side Toward the thin side? I assume I'll just try it and go for those nice diagonal lox lines.

noahw says: Mar 5, 2009. 10:31 AM REPLY I know that doesn't sound right, but the instructions are what I intended to write. I'll revise them to be clearer with what follows... Start slicing on the thin side of the fillet. Cut slices on a moderate vertical bias, cutting with the edge of the knife facing towards the thin side of the fish. Then, with each progressive cut the knife will get closer and closer to the thick side, all the while cutting towards where the thin side used to be. I hope that's clearer. I guess this is why the internet invented embedded video - sorry about the confusion. seedlingproject!

herzleid says: Feb 21, 2009. 10:42 AM REPLY My only problem with this is that I was taught growing up that you should always freeze the salmon first, before curing, to kill off any parasites. Since the meat won't be cooked with heat, some types of parasites won't die unless you freeze the fish first.

Thelemic_Potter says: Mar 5, 2009. 9:44 AM REPLY You need to get it to -30c for an extended period of time to sterilize fish. Your home freezer will not kill parasites.

Nesagwa says: Feb 24, 2009. 9:38 AM REPLY I dont think that is a problem unless you get fresh out of the stream wild salmon, something that isnt common in grocers today and is also very expensive. What you buy in the store is farm raised.

noahw says: Mar 2, 2009. 7:14 AM REPLY You can get wild line or troll caught salmon in many high end grocery stores along the coasts. I can't speak for the rest of the country though.

Additionally, almost all fish comes to the grocery store initially frozen, so I *think* that there's no need to re-freeze the fish, however I'll need someone with a bit more experience to confirm.

herzleid says: Feb 24, 2009. 10:44 AM REPLY Personally I feel it deserves to be mentioned regardlessly. Safety first. =) (Besides, you can't know where other people get their fish just based on where you get yours).

noahw says: Mar 5, 2009. 11:03 AM REPLY I absolutely agree. Thanks for bringing it up!

Maplefudge says: Mar 5, 2009. 9:08 AM REPLY Friends don't let friends eat farmed salmon

roomforpanic says: Mar 5, 2009. 8:10 AM REPLY I must admit, I've never tried lox, but that looks good enough to eat :)

http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Lox-at-14-the-Cost/ Deathcapt says: Mar 5, 2009. 7:36 AM REPLY Soooo hungry!!! That stuff is delicious!!! I want lox and sushi!

RichardBronosky says: Mar 5, 2009. 6:19 AM REPLY Re: Capers on Cream Cheese I used to eat a lox bagel from Einstein Brothers almost every day back in the late 90's. I was amazed at the fact that I had to tell them this every single time. What fool puts capers on the top of the lox? Do you know what a dozen fallen capers smell like in you car after 2 weeks? I do. It isn't good.

westfw says: Feb 21, 2009. 1:00 AM REPLY I dunno. Even costco has two or three kinds of cold-cured salmon these days, and a high-end grocery store will have more and/or better (OakVille grocery at Stanford Shopping center used to have about five kinds of "smoked" salmon, but they had a "tasting" a few years ago and pared down...) And then there's the sushi-grade salmon at the Asian markets. I don't think any of it is $40/lb... Yours sure looks good, though... I wonder if i'd trust the process on "random" less-than-perfectly fresh salmon?

Broom says: Mar 5, 2009. 5:26 AM REPLY westfw , your parents' parents' parents', and all their ancestors, probably preserved meat - or had this done for them. The salt & sugar is a pretty effective anti-bacterial agent, killing most everything except benign acetobacteria (responsible for pickling sauerkraut & kimchi) & saline extremophiles (which can't live in your system anyway).

The process is fine, and well-tested by 3,000+ years of human civilisation. Enjoy in good health!

Bradlez92 says: Feb 21, 2009. 8:03 AM REPLY you could take off that gross skin nobodylikes before you curre, couldnt you?

Broom says: Mar 5, 2009. 5:22 AM REPLY That's what the directions say to do. Leaving it on is only mentioned as an alternative, and it requires an extra step (not cutting through when slicing). view all 60 comments

http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Lox-at-14-the-Cost/