Making your own belly lox

[Robt]

No, I don't mean some new kinda tummy tuck but rather; I want to make true lox.

The net has not given me what I need yet has provided some clues.

What I refer to above in the term 'belly lox' means salt cured salmon, not the brined and lightly smoked variety most of us think of as lox nor graflex which is a lightly brined salmon usually with herbs.

Lox needs no refrigeration whereas the others do. So can anyone help direct me to somewhere that I can learn the process?

I'll likely find out that real lox is too oily and salty than most like but until I've made it myself, how do I judge? I want to be armed this year with the knowledge; come next fall Salmon will be really cheap to buy at the docks.

Umm, does this mean I need to be honing my bagel recipe? If so guess I need to find out how to make cream cheese too.

 

[GB]

Sorry I can't help you with a recipe or technique. I did want to jump in though and say that yes belly lox is VERY salty. I love it though. It only takes a very little bit as a little goes a long way. Most people I know who eat lox (not belly lox) usually take a big piece and put in on their bagel. If you did that with belly then you would start choking. I usually tear it into pieces the size of my fingernail and just scatter a few on the bagel along with everything else I put on it. It is great stuff!

 

[Aurora]

Emeril had a show on the Food TV network wherein he demonstrated making your own lox at home. It was not a complex process. Here is a link to a site which describes the process:

http://www.sausagemania.com/loxmania.html

Best of luck and report your results after your first batch.

You are lucky to live where Salmon is so abundant and cheap.

 

[Robt]

Thanks, I've been to that site before as it comes up very often when doing any search with lox in it.What they describe is the making of what is called "Nova Lox". It is brined and then lightly smoked where as Lox or what is now often referred to as 'Belly Lox' is really only Salt fish. I just don't know how to do it right. YET!

 

[GB]

Yeah nova is a whole different thing altogether. It is very tasty also, but nothing like belly lox. Nova you can pile high on a bagel. If you tried that with belly you could choke to death on all the salt.

 

[SpiceUmUp]

I have been eating belly lox my entire life (well once the teeth came in) and used to eat it on a salt bagel to boot.

Belly lox is a cold salt cured lox. It is fuller of flavor, and yes saltier than nova. It has the fullness of flavor needed to not be lost on a garlic bagel with cream cheese and a slice of onion.

 

[Robt]

Ok, SpiceUmUp, where can I find out how to make it?

 

[SpiceUmUp]

Ingredients:
2 filets, weighing about 2 pounds
3 Tbsp coarse sea salt or kosher salt


Instructions:

Carefully remove any small bones from the filets (tweezers will help). Sprinkle the filets with the salt, on the skin side as well as inside (the salt must be coarse, not fine, so that it draws out the moisture; fine salt is absorbed and results in too salty fish), and put them together to reform the fish. Cover with plastic wrap and leave in the refrigerator for 12 hours, turning the salmon over when juices start to collect.

Before serving, scrape off the salt and wipe with a paper towel, then rinse in cold water. Taste a piece. If it is too salty, the saltiness can be removed by soaking in fresh water for as long as necessary. Cut thin slices at an angle.

 

[mudbug]

Spice, is this the same thing as gravlax?

 

[SpiceUmUp]

no, Gravlax is a different beast. Yummy, but different

 

[mudbug]

Thanks. Just looked up where I thought I saw it, in Julia and Jacques book, and you are right. Theirs basically also add sugar, cognac and dill before wrapping it all up.