Salmon is one of the most fascinating fish to find its way to our tables. Interestingly, there has been much confusion of late about the difference between smoked salmon and lox. Are these two healthy, fatty-acid powered salmon recipes the same? And if not what are the primary differences between the two?
Smoked Salmon- Not A Lot of Lox Happening
Smoked salmon is prepared generally through a brining and smoking process. The brining, traditionally used to preserve the fish, is now principally a flavouring agent. Some smokers will use sugar as well in this step due to it hydrophilic tendencies; this is often frowned upon by foodies. Nonetheless, the idea behind adding sugar into the mixture is to prevent the fish from getting too dry. After the brining, the fish will be dried. Contrary to what the name suggests, the process of drying works to dry the top layer of the salmon, creating a moisture seal on the flesh much like browning the surface of a chicken breast in a pan before baking. There are two methods for the final step, smoking. Hot smoking requires-as its name suggest- the heating of salmon to a high temperature-approximate 160 degrees Fahrenheit (71 degrees Celsius) -whereas cold smoking heats the salmon to only 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius). After the smoking time has passed the fish can be sliced and served. For more information on home smoking click here.
Lox- Thin Slices of Loxing Ecstasy
The primary difference between lox and smoked salmon is the smoking. Lox is prepared through solely a brining process. Making lox begins with mixing a salt rub. This can be done using a salt, sugar and pepper mixture. A tip: don't use sea salts or iodized salts; these will create an odd taste in the flesh of your salmon. Liberalness with the salt rub also seems to be key in creating a good product. The second step (there are only two steps) is to let the fish sit for days and days, around a week's time. After this time has passed the lox is ready. Lox should be served in thin slices and is oftentimes a compliment with scrambled eggs or on a bagel with cream cheese.
The confusion arise between these two most likely because of their shared brining step and the linguistics of the word lox, having multiple cognates in other languages that may or may not correspond to smoking salmon.
While it is economical to smoke or brine your own salmon, it is not always realistic for those of us who don't have large freezers or refrigerators. Fortunately we can rely on supermarkets, food hampers and restaurants to compensate for us. After all, who wouldn't enjoy the convenience of having a magic hamper appear on your doorstep full of these fabulous, peachy fishes!
