Lox thread

[Stein]

Whatever you want to call it, it's salmon that isn't cooked.  Post up your recipes here.

I had plenty of salmon to work with this year and have always wanted to try it out.  After a dozen or so batches, I settled on what is the perfect recipe for my taste and liking.  Best of all, it's super simple.

Get yourself a filet, trim it up nice and remove all bones and skin.  Thicker cuts work best, but it will be great whatever you use as long as it was taken care of well.  There's no hiding here, you need high quality fish.

You will also need an accurate scale that measures in the gram range.  Measure your prepared filets.  Then, measure out 2.5% of that weight in salt and 1.5% in sugar.  Use the best salt you have.  Mix them together.

Put the filet on something with sides, 1/2 or 1/4 sheet pans work great.  You can also use 9x13 baking dish or something like that.  You just have to make sure you don't spill any of the salt/sugar mixture.

Spread the mixture on all sides of the salmon and put it in a vacuum bag.  Then, go back and get all the leftover salt/sugar from the pan and put it in the bag.  You want every grain of salt and sugar in the bag.

Add a generous amount of fresh dill on top of the filet.  Vacuum seal it and put it in the refrigerator for 2-3 days, flipping every day.  If it's super thick then add a day or two more.  You can leave it for longer if you don't have time to deal with it, it can't get more salty than you want as you measured out the exact amount.  You can also add a weight to press it although I have done it both ways and can't tell the difference.

Take it out, rinse, pat dry and cold smoke for 4 hours.  If you want really, really smoky stuff like hot smoked fish, go longer.  2 hours gives the faintest taste and I think 4 hours is prime.  You want it as near ambient temp as possible, no added heat.

Pull it out, slice as thin as you can and enjoy on a bagel with cream cheese and more dill.  You can also use it in poke bowls or just chow it down.

[lokidog]

 

[Boss .300 winmag]

Definitely not what I thought I was going to see, the Lox I’m used to can’t be eaten, it could be but it wouldn’t be fun.🤯

[Angry Perch]

This is from a little project last year. I know salt was 2.5%, as that is my preferred ratio for just about anything I cure. Not sure on the rest, but it was good! I am a huge advocate for using the EQ cure method, as Stein outlined. Using time to determine salt levels is a crap shoot. Measure it out and it'll be on the nuts every time.

[pianoman9701]

Sockeye, IMHO, is the best salmon for gravlax.
Cure:
2 cups bourbon
1 cup honey
1/2 cup salt
1/4 cup fresh dill coarsley chopped
A few cloves of garlic
Tbls of white pepper

Warm the mixture just enough to be able to mix the honey and bourbon, not hot. Cool the cure.
put 2 sides of skinless sockeye in an extra large Hefty 2.5 Gallon zipper lock with the mixture and push out all of the air. Leave it in the fridge for 24-48 hours, turning every 6-8 hours to make sure the cure is completely saturating the fillets.
Remove from the fridge and pat down with paper towels.
Completely cover both sides of the fish with sea salt and wrap each in paper towels and back into a clean plastic bag (they can be in the same bag but side-by-side). In a 2" high pan, place the fish on the bottom, another 2" high pan on top of them, and weight in the top pan (I have a granite block from Lowes. #10 cans can also be used). Repeat every 12 hours until the salt is no longer absorbed - usually 2-3 days.

You end up with a texture close to gummy bears. Slice it super thin against the grain and serve on toasted bagels & cream cheese, topped with capers, chopped tomatoes, and diced red onion. Two sides usually lasts Mrs Pianoman and me about two days because we suck it up.

[Angry Perch]

One note is that I'm a fan of the traditional skin-on lox. I like the way it slices better than skinless..

[Blacklab]

Yum!!!! made it for the first time 2 or so yrs ago. My buddie put it in a microwave Haven"t had enough latley to make another batch. maybe this year

[Stein]

Might have to try some bourbon on a batch, just found a juicy chunk from the season's biggest coho hiding in the freezer that will be perfect.

[Boss .300 winmag]

Might have to try some bourbon on a batch, just found a juicy chunk from the season's biggest coho hiding in the freezer that will be perfect.

This would be good on it, its aged at sea.😉

[3boys]

This is from a little project last year. I know salt was 2.5%, as that is my preferred ratio for just about anything I cure. Not sure on the rest, but it was good! I am a huge advocate for using the EQ cure method, as Stein outlined. Using time to determine salt levels is a crap shoot. Measure it out and it'll be on the nuts every time.

Great video!  What type of salt do you recommend?

[Stein]

I use Trapani salt for the fish as well as charcuterie.  It probably tastes the same as any other sea salt but makes me feel like I have something special.

[Angry Perch]

I generally just use kosher salt, but we could fill another thread with salt! So much more than table salt out there. One of my favorites was Lokidog's homemade Decatur Island salt. Great crunch and so good!

[Parasite]

Use that stuff for lighting charcoal real quick 😂

Definitely not what I thought I was going to see, the Lox I’m used to can’t be eaten, it could be but it wouldn’t be fun.🤯

[lokidog]

I generally just use kosher salt, but we could fill another thread with salt! So much more than table salt out there. One of my favorites was Lokidog's homemade Decatur Island salt. Great crunch and so good!

Nice to hear that  , I almost commented earlier when the Trapani salt was mentioned. 

[AL WORRELLS KID]

With Salmon caught out of the river I would be a little safer in my preperation of the Raw Fish.

"Can you eat salmon straight from the ocean?
As in some fish—like types of Tuna—can often be eaten straight from the ocean, but other fish—like Salmon—can not be eaten raw unless it's been properly treated. ... Parasitic fish, like Salmon, must be frozen first (roughly 7 days), thawed, and then can be served for raw consumption.  In general, humans can eat all sea fish raw provided it is fresh. River and sweet water fish tend to have parasites. Unlike bears, our digestive system don't have enough acids to kill off those parasites. That's why we should heat that fish to kill any parasites." 

[pianoman9701]

I generally just use kosher salt, but we could fill another thread with salt! So much more than table salt out there. One of my favorites was Lokidog's homemade Decatur Island salt. Great crunch and so good!

I used to smoke Spanish paprika and Med. sea salt on linen. It's great stuff.

[lokidog]

I generally just use kosher salt, but we could fill another thread with salt! So much more than table salt out there. One of my favorites was Lokidog's homemade Decatur Island salt. Great crunch and so good!

I used to smoke Spanish paprika and Med. sea salt on linen. It's great stuff.

I've been wanting to smoke some salt but was not sure how. I haven't really looked into it. You just put a piece of linen across your smoker rack? How long do you usually go?

[pianoman9701]

I generally just use kosher salt, but we could fill another thread with salt! So much more than table salt out there. One of my favorites was Lokidog's homemade Decatur Island salt. Great crunch and so good!

I used to smoke Spanish paprika and Med. sea salt on linen. It's great stuff.

I've been wanting to smoke some salt but was not sure how. I haven't really looked into it. You just put a piece of linen across your smoker rack? How long do you usually go?

I made with stretcher bars with linen stapled to them. In the Big Chief, I smoke for three hours, stirring every hour. Pro Tip: Don't use the stretcher bars from your wife's crafting room. Go buy your own. This reduces the chance of head injury during smoking.

[lokidog]

 

[Stein]

I've smoked paprika and salt by just putting them on a pan in my pellet grill and hitting it with cold smoke for a couple hours.  I spread it out a bunch and seemed to work perfect.

[NRA4LIFE]

I've done the same thing with salt.  I call it bacon salt.  I've had better results with a courser salt that I grind myself.

[pianoman9701]

I've done the same thing with salt.  I call it bacon salt.  I've had better results with a courser salt that I grind myself.

I use coarse. I've sold my salt and paprika to great chefs all over the country. But doing it in a Big Chief is very time consuming and the return is limited, especially when you pay taxes on sales.

[Stein]

For the sea salt, did you guys make your own?  Just boil a bunch of sea water or is there more to it than that?

[NRA4LIFE]

Way more complicated.  Lokidog explained it to me one time.  I decided against even trying.

[lokidog]

For the sea salt, did you guys make your own?  Just boil a bunch of sea water or is there more to it than that?

You could do that, my process is a little more.... 

[Stein]

Great, you know that feeling you get when you are standing on the bank of a river and the ground starts to give in....  Why does it feel like I'm about to head down another wormhole?

I'm already thinking of using my sausage chamber to finish off the slurry by cranking up the dehydrators to quicken the evaporation process.

1.  Get the sea water, run through a filter to remove any sand and other fun stuff that floats in the ocean.
2.  Heat in a pot below boiling until one inch of water left.
3.  Put in wide, shallow dishes in the chamber and crank humidity setting way down and run both humidifiers.

It's only three steps and doesn't require the purchase of any cool gear, obviously I haven't done enough research yet.   

[lokidog]

Great, you know that feeling you get when you are standing on the bank of a river and the ground starts to give in....  Why does it feel like I'm about to head down another wormhole?

I'm already thinking of using my sausage chamber to finish off the slurry by cranking up the dehydrators to quicken the evaporation process.

1.  Get the sea water, run through a filter to remove any sand and other fun stuff that floats in the ocean.
2.  Heat in a pot below boiling until one inch of water left.
3.  Put in wide, shallow dishes in the chamber and crank humidity setting way down and run both humidifiers.

It's only three steps and doesn't require the purchase of any cool gear, obviously I haven't done enough research yet.   

I'll send you a PM

[pianoman9701]

For the sea salt, did you guys make your own?  Just boil a bunch of sea water or is there more to it than that?

No, I buy 25K bags of coarse sel gris from a Seattle company, Saltworks. It's relatively cheap ($5/lb) and good quality.

[Angry Perch]

OK, it ain't lox, but it's raw salmon, and it gets this thread going again. I'm cooking salmon less and less as I learn how much I like it raw. Had some Coho from a neighbor and made some more poke bowls. Coho with sesame oil and seeds, green onion, ginger, light soy sauce and Thai chilis - homegrown radish and broccoli micros - avocado - cold fried noodles with homemade Sichuan chili oil.

[pianoman9701]

Well, that's one way to get Ivermectin: parasites!  You probably know this already, but salmon should only be eaten raw after freezing. A typical kitchen freezer is usually around 0 degrees F and the fish should be frozen for a week to ten days before properly thawing and consuming raw. In a flash freezer of -20 to -30 F, three days is required.

That looks delicious. Ever try the 8 oz packages of frozen ahi cubes at Winco? They're about $5 each. I go through a few a month for my own poke.

[Angry Perch]

Well, that's one way to get Ivermectin: parasites!  You probably know this already, but salmon should only be eaten raw after freezing. A typical kitchen freezer is usually around 0 degrees F and the fish should be frozen for a week to ten days before properly thawing and consuming raw. In a flash freezer of -20 to -30 F, three days is required.

That looks delicious. Ever try the 8 oz packages of frozen ahi cubes at Winco? They're about $5 each. I go through a few a month for my own poke.

Coho had been in the freezer for a couple months, but I was wearing a mask when I ate it anyway, so I'd have been safe either way!!

[Stein]

My son and I both agreed last night that raw salmon is so much better than cooked.  My freezer goes below zero, so 7 days is safe to eat.  During season I write the day it goes in so I know when I can eat it, but by this time of year it's not an issue.

[pianoman9701]

Well, that's one way to get Ivermectin: parasites!  You probably know this already, but salmon should only be eaten raw after freezing. A typical kitchen freezer is usually around 0 degrees F and the fish should be frozen for a week to ten days before properly thawing and consuming raw. In a flash freezer of -20 to -30 F, three days is required.

That looks delicious. Ever try the 8 oz packages of frozen ahi cubes at Winco? They're about $5 each. I go through a few a month for my own poke.

Coho had been in the freezer for a couple months, but I was wearing a mask when I ate it anyway, so I'd have been safe either way!!

  Yes, but had the fish been vaxxed?

[Angry Perch]

Do you guys pluck pin bones or just slice them out? Either plucking them out truly sucks, or I'm doing it wrong. 

[Stein]

I suck at pulling them out, even with some fancy high dollar Japanese bone pulling tweezers.  I cut them all out now, really quick and less destruction.

[pianoman9701]

Do you guys pluck pin bones or just slice them out? Either plucking them out truly sucks, or I'm doing it wrong.

Pluck. I have a pair of kitchen curved needle nose just for pin bones. It takes a minute.

[Angry Perch]

I suck at pulling them out, even with some fancy high dollar Japanese bone pulling tweezers.  I cut them all out now, really quick and less destruction.

I feel like less of a loser now. Or a loser with company...

[h20hunter]

I pull POST cure or POST smoke.....meat is firned up by then.

[pianoman9701]

http://www.google.com/search?q=plucking+salmon+pin+bones&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS927US927&oq=plucking+salmon+pin+bones&aqs=chrome..69i57j33i22i29i30l3.7208j1j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#kpvalbx=_GUoNYt3mNYyx0PEPhfKDuAw19

[Angry Perch]

http://www.google.com/search?q=plucking+salmon+pin+bones&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS927US927&oq=plucking+salmon+pin+bones&aqs=chrome..69i57j33i22i29i30l3.7208j1j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#kpvalbx=_GUoNYt3mNYyx0PEPhfKDuAw19

Maybe I need to try again. In the past my fillets have looked like they got attacked by a spider monkey.

[gaddy]

I sucked at removing pin bones. Saw a video a while back that showed ( wasn't mentioned but I saw it ) that not only was he pulling to the front but also down at about 45* or a bit more. Tried it on some previously frozen steel head and it worked great. Have not had the opportunity to try it on fresh caught yet.

[lokidog]

http://www.google.com/search?q=plucking+salmon+pin+bones&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS927US927&oq=plucking+salmon+pin+bones&aqs=chrome..69i57j33i22i29i30l3.7208j1j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#kpvalbx=_GUoNYt3mNYyx0PEPhfKDuAw19

Maybe I need to try again. In the past my fillets have looked like they got attacked by a spider monkey.

 

I've only pulled them out once, seemed easy enough. It sure did make eating it much more fun.

[pianoman9701]

http://www.google.com/search?q=plucking+salmon+pin+bones&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS927US927&oq=plucking+salmon+pin+bones&aqs=chrome..69i57j33i22i29i30l3.7208j1j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#kpvalbx=_GUoNYt3mNYyx0PEPhfKDuAw19

Maybe I need to try again. In the past my fillets have looked like they got attacked by a spider monkey.

You pull them straight out diagonally along with the grain of the flesh, not up and out. Pulling up rips the flesh.

[Angry Perch]

http://www.google.com/search?q=plucking+salmon+pin+bones&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS927US927&oq=plucking+salmon+pin+bones&aqs=chrome..69i57j33i22i29i30l3.7208j1j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#kpvalbx=_GUoNYt3mNYyx0PEPhfKDuAw19

Maybe I need to try again. In the past my fillets have looked like they got attacked by a spider monkey.

You pull them straight out diagonally along with the grain of the flesh, not up and out. Pulling up rips the flesh.

OK. I shall report back after my next attempt. I can do it!!