You can make Lox to your own tastes by adding one or several of these optional ingredients: 1/4-cup fresh dill, vodka, gin, cognac. You can mix up about 2oz each of mint and parsley (flat leaf) with dill. Also, a subtle but very important spice is crushed star anise, using about two stars of it per pound of fish.For the salmon, get 1 pound slicked in two equal pieces. The best of course would be wild-caught Alaskan king salmon. You're going to sandwich the two pieces together, skin side out, so try to get a piece that is consistent in size that you can cut in half, or have the fish folks slice two equal slices.
Directions for: Homemade Lox
Ingredients
1 lb(s) fresh thick salmon, Alaskan King Salmon is best
Kosher flake salt (3-8 tablespoons)
brown sugar (3-8 tablespoons)
1 Tbsp coarse fresh ground pepper
Directions
1. Wash and pat dry the salmon and lay skin side down. Sprinkle all the salt on, with more in thicker areas. Sprinkle pepper on top of salt. Use 4-8 tablespoons depending on your taste for salt.
2. Sprinkle brown sugar on top of pepper. Put any optional ingredients on top, gently if it's liquid so as not to remove salt from salmon.
3. Sandwich the two salmon pieces together. Put in zip lock bag, with as much air sucked out as possible. Put in flat-bottomed bowl (in case bag leaks). Weigh it down (to help salt get into fish).
4. Put bag of salmon in the bottom of your fridge weighted down with a plate and soup cans for 1-4 days. I did 4. I saw some recipes call for even longer.
5. Flip salmon every day to mix juices up.
6. Take out, gently rinse off salt mixture from salmon, pat dry.
7. When salmon is ready, slice it against the grain very thinly and taste a piece. If it's too salty, gently rinse the slices in cold water and pat dry. I like to slice it all at once because it's a smelly job. Refrigerate, lasts for a week or less.
See more: Fish, Appetizer, European