The creation of food day celebrations is often a mystery and we could find no source or reason why February 9 celebrates bagels and lox – but do we really need a reason? This uniquely American combination deserves its own day. Cured salmon Scandinavia style, capers from Italy, cream cheese from Great Britain and bagels dating as far back as ancient China come together in a classic New York food mash-up that has become standard brunch fair across America.
Bagels
Ring shaped bread with a hole in it has been around in many cultures for hundreds of years but the current iteration of the bagel, a yeasted bread formed into a ring then boiled and baked, is thought to have originated in Poland.
Lox
Lox, gravlax, and smoked salmon are terms often used interchangeably to describe that delicious thin sliced salmon that we love on a bagel with a schmear.
Although all three lead to delicious results, the terms actually refers to three slightly different treatments of salmon.
Lox –
Traditional and authentic lox comes only from the belly of the salmon, the fattier part of the salmon, and is cured with a salty brine. It is never cooked or smoked.
Smoked Salmon –
Smoked Salmon is very similar to lox with its primarily salty cure but it can come from any part of the salmon. It is then either cold smoked or hot smoked. Cold smoked salmon is similar in texture to Lox whereas hot smoked salmon has a more cooked and flaky texture.
When most people ask for lox they are referring to cold smoked salmon and not necessarily the fatty, belly only, highly salty “lox”. Although traditionally specific terms, today they are often used interchangeably and most places served cold smoked salmon in their “bagels and lox”.
Gravlax
Gravlax is cured like lox but with a salty sugary brine rather than just salt. Gravlax is characterized by three major ingredients, salt, sugar, and dill. Like lox, it is not cooked or smoked. Originally gravlax was made by fisherman who would rub the salmon with salt wrap it in beach wood and bury it in the sand to ferment it. (grav coming from the word grave – to bury).
Gravlax is our favorite since it is a bit more balanced then the sometimes overly salty lox and isn’t smoked – so it can easily be prepared at home with just a little bit of forethought. It is significantly more economical to make at home then it is to buy and so much better than the pre-packaged grocery store versions. Once you make it yourself, you won’t ever want to buy it pre-made again unless from a high end deli that does it right.
Unlike most gravlax recipes, we prefer to use skinned salmon so the brine is equally distributed. A wet brine of onion juice and vodka helps open up the skin and we chose flavors we felt balanced out the flavors of the cure.
Easy Gravlax to Make at Home in Celebration of Bagels and Lox Day
- 2 cups onion juice (peel 3 red onions and cut into chunks. If you have a juicer put through juicer. If not, pulse in a food processor for about 4 minutes then remove the foam and drain through cheese cloth).
- 1/3 cup vodka (optional)
- 1 cup coarse kosher salt
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1 tablespoon cracked coriander
- 1 tablespoon fennel seed
- 2 cups chopped fresh dill leaves (both stems and leaves)
- 1 2-3 pound center cut salmon filet skinned, fatty portions trimmed, and bones removed
- 1 cup minced dill
Pour onion juice into a large pitcher with a spout. Add in salt, sugar, pepper, fennel seed, and coriander. Stir until sugar and salt are dissolved. Add in coarsely chopped dill.
Place the salmon in a large zip lock bag. Pour in curing liquid. Place on a rimmed sheet pan and place another sheet pan on top. Weigh down the top pan. Refrigerate until salmon becomes firm – a minimum of 12 hours. Remove salmon filet from bag, rinse and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle minced dill over belly side of filet. Slice desired amount and serve on fresh bagels with cream cheese, red onion, tomato, and capers.
Rewrap remaining gravlax and store in fridge. Can be kept up to one week.
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