Hot- or cold-smoked? Lox? Gravlax?
There are those subjects where you think: well… something about a clock and a bell, but actually I have no idea. Recently, I had to conclude that this is the case for me when it comes to salmon. You have Lox, you have Lax, you even have Nova and Gravlax. What exactly are the differences? And what is the best way to enjoy each preparation?
I asked Frank Heyn, smoke master and owner of salmon smokehouse Frank’s Smoke House.
Hot-smoked
“Hot-smoked salmon is smoked at a higher temperature (70 °C), which means the salmon is cooked at the same time. The color changes—it becomes lighter—and the texture changes too: you can no longer cut it into thin slices. When you cut it, it falls apart.”
How do you eat it? “Usually as a fillet. It tastes best eaten warm, so (if you buy it cold) cover it with some foil and warm it up in the oven. You can also incorporate it into pasta or other hot dishes.”
Cold-smoked
“That is the more traditional preparation, which is what most people think of when they think of smoked salmon. The salmon is salted, then dried and then smoked at a lower temperature. Preferably below 28 °C, because it starts cooking at 30 °C. During the smoking process, the fish loses moisture, dries out a little and takes on the smoky flavor. Cold-smoked salmon is not cooked, unlike hot-smoked salmon, but it is no longer really raw like sashimi either. The process makes the texture somewhat firmer, allowing you to cut it into beautiful, thin slices.”
How do you eat it? “Cold, often on a cracker or bread, but it also works in a salad or another cold dish.”
Nova, Irish, Scottish or Norwegian
“These are simply names for cold-smoked salmon. There is not much difference in terms of flavor. Most salmon is farmed, so the region does not have much to do with it either. The most important thing is to buy organic salmon. Supermarkets sell a kind of ‘factory-farmed salmon’: it is given supplementary feed and antibiotics.”
Wild salmon
“You can only find wild salmon if you go fishing yourself. Or from Alaska. Most of it enters Europe frozen, but we sell it thawed. Wild salmon is very suitable for smoking or making gravlax. It is considerably less fatty and has a more complex flavor.”
Gravlax
“Gravlax is not smoked, but rather marinated in salt, pepper, sugar and dill. Gravad means buried in Swedish. In the past, the salmon was buried in the sand after marinating; the pressure exerted on the salmon draws out the moisture, allowing the fish to be kept for longer. It is a type of preservation technique.”
“Of course, it is no longer all put in the ground nowadays. You can simply make it at home by rubbing the fish with salt (two parts), sugar (half a part), pepper (also half a part or a little less). Then add a generous portion of dill, wrap it in plastic wrap and put something heavy on top. A book or a stone, for example. Leave it in the refrigerator for two days and you’re done.”
How do you eat it? “The same way as cold-smoked salmon. The dill, sugar and pepper do give it a slightly different flavor. And it is not smoked, so you do not get that smoky dimension. I especially like it with honey-mustard sauce.”
Lox
“That is salmon that has been cured, but not smoked.”
How do you eat it? “You eat that the same way as cold-smoked salmon too: on its own, on crackers and in cold dishes.”
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