Originally posted October 26, 2021
Reposted March 22, 2022

Know Which is Which & Their Differences.

Smoked salmon is the most used term for cured salmon. Yet, often when one says smoked salmon, they actually mean lox or gravlax. Learn which exactly is which and the differences between smoked salmon versus lox versus gravlax.

Smoked Salmon versus Lox versus Gravlax

Smoked Salmon
Smoked salmon both cures and smokes the salmon, hence “smoked”. The process of smoked salmon begins with curing the salmon in salt brine. It is then rinsed and smoked in a hot or cold smoke.

Hot smoke occurs in temperatures above 130F for one to eight hours wherein the salmon is placed in a barbecue or grill. The result is a meaty, flaky, salty, aromatic cooked salmon with a deep smoky flavor.

Cold smoked salmon is what most people know of when it comes to smoked salmon. The piece of cured, raw salmon is exposed to cold smoke at a temperature not higher than 80F for up to 18 hours. The low heat and smoke come from burning wood that has its smoke blown over the salmon from afar. The smoke flavors infuse without cooking the salmon.

 
Lox
Lox is often confused and interchanged with smoked salmon. It’s close as it is also cured, but unlike smoked salmon, the process stops there as it is not smoked at all.

Lox is typically the salmon belly cut that is cured in a salt-sugar rub or brine. Sometimes there are additional flavors from herbs, spices, and citrus zest. The method of curing draws out the moisture of the fish and the salmon takes on the flavor of the curing.

The name comes from the Yiddish word for salmon, laks. And to this day traditional lox can be found in Jewish delis and bagel shops as it is best served on a bagel with cream cheese, onions, and capers.

 
Gravlax
Then there’s gravlax which is more similar to lox than smoked salmon in that it is also just cured and not smoked. While lox’s cure is simply sugar and salt, gravlax adds more complexity with fresh dill in its cure. Sometimes recipes also call for juniper berries, coriander, fennel, horseradish, and aquavit or vodka.

Traditionally, gravlax was burred as “grav” refers to the grave in the ground. With gravlax, the salmon is weighed down as it is cured to further draw out moisture and infuse flavors faster, in about 2 days.

Gravlax is usually served whole as an appetizer, sliced thin, and eaten with dill, mustard sauce, and crispy bread or crackers.
 
 

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