Smoked and cured salmon taxonomy

[Fat Guy]

So I was at dinner tonight with someone who knows everything about food, and he made the statement that "lox is not smoked." When I said I always thought lox was smoked he looked at me as though he was going to have me summarily kicked out of the Jewish community. Can we settle this question first, then move on to other smoked and cured salmon terminology?

[Dave the Cook]

Not that I have a dog in the religious race -- but I thought that lox was cured only, and not smoked.

[rlibkind]

Any appy (appetizer store) fish slicer will tell you that lox is not smoked salmon. Lox is only brined, not smoked. Nova is smoked, but Nova isn't Lox, even if some improperly call it "Nova Lox", including some outlander delis. Lox is sometimes called "belly lox" or "salty lox". But it's lox. Everything else is a pretender. "Nova" is short for "Nova Scotia Smoked Salmon" which means it's smoked in a manner used in Nova Scotia, at least originally, since most "Nova" sold and consumed today is manufactured far from that Atlantic province, and much desirable "Nova" actually is wild fish from Pacific waters.

We also could discuss the Scandinavian language roots of "lax" or "lachs", which comes from the Old Norse word for salmon. But that's a whole 'nuther topic.

You may wish to consult the Cured/Smoked Salmon page of Russ & Daughters for confirmation. Note that nowhere on this page do they call smoked salmon "lox"; that term is reserved for "belly lox" and "pickled lox," neither of which are smoked.

Other do tend to use the word "lox" loosely to refer to salmon, but that doesn't make it correct.

And then there's gravlax, a.k.a. gravad lachs, the Scandinavian salmon dish which is cured, but neither smoked nor cooked. (Gravad, btw, derives from the Old Norse root word "to bury".)

More on the appetizer store, which is an endangered species. This type of store served observant Jewish communities in eastern cities by selling only kosher products that could be consumed with dairy, i.e., fish, dairy products and salads. The "deli" specializes in meat products, and therefore could not sell dairy products and remain kosher, though it could sell fish products. Much of the distinction has been lost as separate refrigerated cases and storage areas were installed under the approval of rabbinic supervisors, so many of today's "kosher" delis also sell dairy products, though they are maintained separately from meat products.

Another wonderful product, but quite different from lox or nova, is kippered salmon (not to be confused with the kippers of the British isles, which are herrings). Kippered salmon is a hot smoked product, and is essentially the type of salmon produced by the Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest. It's fine on its own, or turned into a salad with mayo, much as you would make whitefish salad.

Note: edited to directly address the question in this topic, rather than the earlier referenced topic, which was only indirectly concerned with this issue.

Edited November 13, 2008 by rlibkind (log)

[Fat Guy]

I'm not sure that link supports the claim that the question has been settled.

[Chris Amirault]

I too believe lox isn't smoked, but a quick perusal of google results shows evidence for both sides.

Is "lox" like "cocktail," a term once used in a precise manner in relation to other like categories that has come to refer to the broader category itself? That is to say, a cocktail was a type of drink along with others (shrubs, slings, sours, etc.) but now refers to the whole category of "mixed alcoholic drinks." Did "lox" move from "cured, non-smoked salmon" to "prepared salmon," another example of taxonomy creep?

ET clarify -- CA

Edited November 13, 2008 by chrisamirault (log)

[rlibkind]

Did "lox" move from "cured, non-smoked salmon" to "prepared salmon," another example of taxonomy creep?

←

That's exactly what happened. But I'm a curmudgeon and believe meaning has meaning.

But even your definition of "cured, non-smoked salmon" isn't quite as precise as this curmudgeon would like. Belly lox is brined, which is a type of cure. Gravlax is also cured, but it's a dry cure. The "lox" of the mid-20th century Jewish appy was strictly the brine cured item.

So what makes pickled lox different? The pickle, of course. Pickled lox starts out as belly lox, which is cut into chunks and then pickled in water, vinegar, sugar and pickling spices with slices of onion for added enjoyment. The recipe found here is typical.

Now, all of my vociferous defense of the definition of lox doesn't mean I don't enjoy smoked salmon. Far from it. As noted above, I love a salad made of kippered salmon. And as an appetizer, I'd rather have a strongly smoked slice of cold-smoked salmon on the plate then a slice of lox, though I enjoy more delicately smoked fish, too.

The biggest sin in serving lox, nova and cold-smoked salmon is slicing atrocities. I firmly believe that thinner is better. Alas, it's hard to find properly cut lox these days. Forget about the slicing of the packaged product, thin slices just won't ship. And even when you find an appy, or a deli-appy that looks like the real thing, not every one behind the counter has the right touch. (Most delis, at any rate, don't hand-slice and instead buy the pre-sliced sides from Acme or Marshall.)

One exception to my thin slice rule is gravlax, which I think tastes best when cut thicker.

More on our nomenclature discussion. The Acme Smoked Fish website's salmon products page has informative descriptions of the various cures and smoking styles. The cured, unsmoked lox is listed under "Smoked Salmon" simply because they've got umpteen versions of smoked salmon and only one of lox. It clearly indicates that lox is "brine cured" and makes no mention of smoking, unlike all the other products featured on that page. Alas, the Sea Specialties Inc. website (parent to Marshall's, Homarus and Florida Smoked Fish brands) doesn't even include belly lox among its products, though it is mentioned elsewhere on the site.

I don't know whether it's accessible to non-subscribers, but there's an excellent article about various lox and smoked salmon, including some historical info from the late James Shenton of Columbia University, in this New York Times article.

[SeanDirty]

Wow such complicated answers. So how about this,

Lox is Salt cured. (1/2 sugar 1/2 Salt and Dill)

Anything that is lox is NOT smoked

Smoked salmon is SMOKED recipie is usually (2/3 salt 1/3 sugar and whatever season you want) Smoked at 72-85 degrees (cold smoke)