Homemade lox is Ilya’s favorite snack. A piece of dark bread and several slices of the salmon and he is happy as a clam. For a weekend lunch, I cut croissants in half, spread some light whipped cream cheese on them (chèvre works great too!), top with thin avocado slices, some capers and, finally, with the lox. You can eat the sandwich as is, open faced, or bring the halves together to form a tall closed one.
For a party, the cured salmon goes well with small rye toasts and sides of horseradish and sour cream or crème fraiche.
The good news about homemade lox is that it's surprisingly easy to make. It takes less than two days to cure it and almost zero effort. You can take any kind of wild salmon: king, sockeye, silver, whichever is available in a store.
- 2/3 lb piece of fresh salmon, Sockeye or Coho
- About 1.5-2 Tbsp coarse salt (just enough to cover the fish with one layer of crystals; the thinner the fillet, the scarcer the layer of salt should be)
- ½ tsp sugar
You can also add fresh or dried herbs and spices, but I prefer it very simple, just salt and sugar. The rest can be added later, when the salmon is done.
Put the salmon skin side down on a piece of plastic wrap. Evenly sprinkle the fish with salt and sugar.
Wrap in plastic and put in one layer into a container skin side up.
Place a plastic cutting board (it should cover the entire salmon fillet) on top and put some weight on it, not to heavy.
Put the salmon in the refrigerator and let it cure for about 1.5-2 days (the thicker the fillet, the longer it takes). Don't be surprised that by the end of this time the salmon will become a bit thinner and will bathe in its own juices. This is how it's supposed to be.
Rinse the salmon briefly under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Slice thinly - but not too thin! - on a bias with a very sharp Chef’s knife or, better, get yourself a slicing knife (it comes handy when slicing meats and poultry). Don't cut through the skin! Every time your knife reaches the skin, turn it completely flat and move it along the skin to cut the slice off.
Place the slices into a container in an overlapping pattern. Layer with thinly sliced sweet onions and fresh dill. Drizzle with table vinegar, white or black truffle oil and unrefined (!!!) sunflower oil (check Russian stores or HT Market). The combination of these two strong-flavored oils may seem strange to you, but take my word for it - they really blend perfectly together.
Cover the container with a lid and let sit for several hours in the refrigerator before serving. It can be stored in refrigerator for at least two weeks.
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