Fridge Lox Recipes

HOMEMADE LOX

Steps:

• Rinse salmon with water; pat dry with paper towels.
• Mix salt and sugar together in a bowl. Lay out a piece of plastic wrap. Pour half of the salt mixture onto the plastic wrap; lay salmon on top. Cover salmon with remaining salt mixture.
• Fold plastic wrap around salmon until secure; wrap a second layer of plastic wrap around salmon. Transfer to a 9x9-inch baking pan; cover with an 8x8-inch baking pan. Place a heavy object onto the smaller baking pan to weigh salmon down. Cure in the refrigerator until salmon's surface becomes silky, about 48 hours.
• Combine water and ice in a bowl. Mix water and 3 drops liquid smoke together in a bowl. Place salmon into liquid smoke mixture to rinse. Submerge into ice bath for 30 minutes. Repeat rinsing and submerging 2 more times, adding 3 drops of liquid smoke to the rinse water each time.
• Dry salmon with paper towels. Cut with a sharp knife staring from the thin edge of the salmon and cutting toward the thick edge.

FRIDGE LOX

Steps:

• COMBINE the sugar, salt, and bottled smoke in a small bowl and blend into a paste.
• LAY the salmon (skin side down) on a piece of plastic wrap large enough to completely seal the fish. Spread the paste over the fish. Top with the dill, if using.
• SEAL the fish tightly in the plastic wrap and set it in a dish that will catch the juices.
• PLACE a clean, foil-wrapped brick on top of the fish and refrigerate. The lox will be smoked and cured in three days.
• UNWRAP the fish and discard the dill. Transfer the fish to a board and thinly slice on the diagonal with a sharp knife.