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Get It NowSmoked salmon or lox are common staples at any grocery store, but if you want the best lox, it’s time to learn how to make lox from fresh salmon at home. It’s easier than you might think! This salmon lox recipe is made with just 3 ingredients and 15 minutes prep time. After some time in the fridge, you’ll have fresh lox that tastes better than anything you could buy at the store and there are so many ways to enjoy it – I’m sharing a whole list below.
If you love salmon, try my other popular salmon recipes: basil pesto salmon, baked salmon, smoked salmon salad, salmon foil packets, or crab stuffed salmon.
What Is Lox?
Lox is simply salmon that has been cured with salt, which preserves it. The name comes from the Yiddish word for salmon, laks. And it’s delicious!
Quick salmon lox overview:
- What does lox taste like? Lox tastes salty, salmon-y, and buttery, with a smooth texture.
- Is it easy to make? Yes, this salmon lox recipe is very easy.
- How much time will I need? You only need about 15 minutes of active prep time to make lox at home, but plan for 48 hours for it to cure in the fridge. You’ll need to be home to drain it every 12 hours.
Homemade Lox Ingredients
You only need a few basic ingredients to make lox at home:
- Salmon – Choose the thick belly section, if possible (belly lox is the best kind!). You can get skin-on or skinless salmon, either will work, but skin-on will be a bit more flavorful.
- Fresh dill – Nothing beats the aroma of fresh dill, so I don’t recommend using dried. But if you really want to, use 1/3 the amount.
- Sea salt – You can also use kosher salt if you like. I don’t recommend using table salt.
- White pepper – Using white pepper is best for appearance so that you don’t have specks from black pepper, but black works just fine if that’s what you have.
Some people add sugar to their lox recipes, but I don’t find it necessary at all. Salt is all you really need to cure the salmon, and the dill and white pepper add loads of flavor.
Ingredient amounts for making this salmon lox recipe are on the recipe card below.
How To Make Lox
- Rinse salmon. Rinse under cold water and pat dry.
- Prep salmon for curing. Lay out a piece of plastic wrap and sprinkle with fresh dill, sea salt, and white pepper. Place salmon on top and sprinkle with more dill, sea salt, and white pepper.
TIP: Cover salmon generously with seasonings. It’s normal for it to look like a lot! (Measurements are on the recipe card below.)
- Chill. Wrap up the plastic wrap around salmon tightly, then wrap in a second layer of plastic wrap and place in a shallow baking dish…
Top with a smaller baking dish and add metal cans on top to weigh down the salmon. Refrigerate for 36 hours, flipping over and draining every 12 hours.
- Rinse. Rinse salmon to remove salt and pat dry. Refrigerate again, this time uncovered, for up to 12 hours or overnight.
- Slice lox. Use a sharp knife to slice thinly for serving.
Lox FAQs
Homemade sliced lox is incredibly easy to make, and most of the common questions about it center around the differences between lox vs. gravlax vs. smoked salmon. I’ve got the answers!
What kind of fish is lox?
Lox is made from salmon.
What is the difference between gravlax vs. lox?
Lox and gravlax are almost the same: both are only cured and not smoked. Gravlax typically has more spices added: sugar, salt, pepper, dill, juniper berry, citrus, and aquavit are the most common.
My easy lox recipe has just salt, white pepper, and dill, and some may call it gravlax, but I don’t think it has enough spices to qualify for that. Whatever you call it, it’s delicious!
What is the difference between lox vs. smoked salmon?
Lox is cured, but not smoked. Smoked salmon is cured but then also smoked, which gives it a different texture than lox.
What is Nova lox?
Nova lox can have two meanings. Sometimes it’s simply lox made with salmon that comes from the Nova Scotia region. It can also mean a combination of using Nova to make a specific style of smoked salmon, where the fish is cured (like this homemade lox recipe) and then lightly smoked afterward.
Is lox raw?
Is lox cooked? Lox is not raw and is not cooked, ha! It is cured, so it is preserved and not considered raw, but not cooked with heat.
Is lox healthy?
Is lox good for you? Yes! Salmon is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, a.k.a. healthy fats!
What are lox and bagels?
Lox is a traditional topping for bagels. The typical preparation for lox and bagels includes: bagel, cream cheese, homemade lox, cucumber, red onion, tomato slices, and/or capers.
Salmon Lox Storage Instructions
How long does lox stay fresh?
Lox will stay fresh for about 5-8 days in the refrigerator.
Can you freeze lox?
Yes, you can freeze lox for 2-3 months. Store it in a freezer bag and remove all air before freezing. Let thaw in the refrigerator.
How To Eat Lox
Once you’re done curing the salmon, here are a bunch of lox recipe ideas to use it:
- Bagels – My preference is healthy fathead bagels, but any bagel you like is great… and it’s the most popular way to serve lox! Slather with cream cheese, then top with thin cucumber slices and lox. Capers and red onions also make great additions.
- Platters – Cured salmon is perfect on a board or platter with cheese, crackers, fresh veggies, etc.
- Salads – Try salmon kale superfood salad, or add lox to strawberry spinach salad or over a cobb salad instead of chicken. You could also swap the tuna in a poke bowl for lox.
- Deviled eggs – Top your bacon deviled eggs with lox for a fancier twist.
- Cucumber Bites – Smoked salmon cucumber bites are a great appetizer to make with lox as well.
- Lox and Eggs – Stir the cured fish into scrambled eggs!
Tools To Make Lox At Home
Tap the links below to see the items used to make this recipe.
- Baking Dishes – You’ll need two different-sized baking dishes, so that one can weigh down the other. This set looks nice and is functional.
How To Make Lox (Easy Salmon Lox Recipe)
How To Make Lox (Easy Salmon Lox Recipe)
Learn how to make lox at home, with simple ingredients! This easy salmon lox recipe tastes perfectly salty, buttery, and smooth. It makes the best bagel and lox.
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Ingredients
Tap underlined ingredients to see where to get them. Please turn Safari reader mode OFF to view ingredients.
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
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Rinse the salmon fillet under cold water. Pat dry.
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Lay out a large piece of plastic wrap, 2-3 times the size of the salmon. Sprinkle half of the fresh dill over the plastic, covering an area about the size of the salmon fillet. Sprinkle the same area with half of the sea salt and white pepper.
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Place the salmon fillet onto the salt covered plastic wrap. Sprinkle the top of the salmon with the other half of the salt, pepper, and dill. Make sure all sides of the salmon are generously covered in salt.
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Wrap the plastic wrap tightly around the salmon, then double wrap in a second layer of plastic wrap.
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Place salmon into a shallow baking dish, large enough that the salmon can lay flat. Top the salmon with a second, smaller baking dish. Transfer to the fridge and place 2-3 14-oz metal cans onto the top dish, to weigh down the salmon.
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Refrigerate for 36 hours; every 12 hours, drain any liquid from the pan and flip the salmon over, without opening the plastic.
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After 36 hours, rinse the salmon to remove the surface salt. Pat dry.
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Return salmon to the fridge, uncovered, for at least 2 more hours, up to 12 hours or overnight.
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To serve, slice thinly across the short end of the lox.
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Recipe Notes
Serving size: 2 ounces
Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.
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40 Comments
Toni Smith
0We have a freezer full of salmon from an Alaskan trip. Could I use frozen salmon to make this?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Toni, Yes, this would work but you will have to completely thaw the salmon first.
Ray
0Does it matter what type of salmon you use?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Ray, Choose the thick belly section, if possible (belly lox is the best kind!). You can get skin-on or skinless salmon, either will work, but skin-on will be a bit more flavorful
Lauren
0Have you ever cured using soy sauce and/or brown sugar, in addition to salt and other spices?
Also, just a note, but the belly of a salmon is the thinnest section of meat. The top and sides of the spine are the thickest part on a salmon steak or fillet.
Wholesome Yum A
0Hi Lauren, I have not tried it with soy sauce or brown sugar. I’m sure it’s delicious! Thanks for the tips.
Dr Fritz R Boehm
0I used ziplock bags instead of plastic wrap because it allowed me to drain fish better. At least that was so for me. I really like the additional ideas for using Lox. Will be using them soon. Thanks!
Wetcoaster
0I just sliced the finished product. It was too salty on its own but a tomatoand and red onions would offset it. I’m going to try it again with less salt, more dill and some sugar. Luckily, I have access to free salmon.
Rita Marasa
0When I called the best deli around I found out lox was…$52 a pound!!!! So I found this recipe. Well…never again. I suggest to slice it more on an angle so you get wider across the grain slices. Thinner the better. We serve it with cream cheese, capers, tomatoes, red onion and cukes. As well as omelets and hand-to-mouth. Thank you for your recipe.
Megan
0Hi! Question- if I have skin on salmon, do I remove the skin before curing?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Megan, Yes, you would need to remove the skin.
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Megan, Yes, you would need to remove the skin if you can see the salmon flesh.
Joe
0I prefer to leave the skin on. It aids in slicing. I always slice at an angle, across to give a wider slice and I find the skin is helpful with slicing.
I do not find that it hinders the curing process in any way whatsoever.
Johnycee
0Prefer 1 part salt and almost 2 parts brown sugar and dill.
Miriam Eguchi
0I would love to make my own lox, but I don’t like exposing food to plastic.Is there something I could use instead of the plastic wrap? Thank you.
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Miriam, You could use aluminium foil if you would want.
Leslie Gaebe
0How much sodium is in a normal serving?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Leslie, Nutritional facts are provided as a courtesy. If you have questions, please see my nutrition policy.
Laura
0My salmon turned out with the taste of pure salt on 2 of the 3 salmon filets I used. I followed the recipe exactly. Now the 1 lb filet wasn’t as bad, but the half pounders weren’t salvageable. I rinsed them well to wash off the salt, and only brined them for the 36 hrs. I decide to put them in the cold smoke for a few hours to try to rescue them.
Maybe the 1 pounder was better because I sliced the outer layer off before I smoked and it took a lot of the saltiness away. Not sure.
I love lox. I eat it all the time and have tried every brand I see out there. I wonder if the recipe would be better with half the salt?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Laura, Sorry you didn’t enjoy this dish. If you wish you could reduce the salt a small amount next time.
Jeanine Peterson
0Yes, I did rinse the salmon. Should I have really scrubbed it down?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Jeanine, Maybe did you cure for too long. Lox is definitely salty so maybe you are sensitive to that.
Jeanine Peterson
0I just tried this easy recipe. My lox is super salty. I used Mortons sea salt. Should I have used a different brand or did I cure it too long? Is there a way to tone down the salty. Other than that it is very good and I will try it again with your guidance on what I did wrong.
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Jeanine, Did you rinse the salt after you cured the salmon?
Brad Houser
0People who monitor their sodium intake always check the Nutrition Information for sodium. I am surprised you don’t show the sodium content, as salt used in the curing process will be absorbed into the salmon. Also, anyone who has ever eaten lox knows it tastes salty. Online sources show lox has around 700 mg per 2 oz serving. Please make sure your nutrition information is accurate.
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Brad, Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. If you have questions about calculations please see our nutrition policy.
Shane
0Thank you for this recipe. Not only was this a lot less expensive than purchasing it in a store but the flavor was amazing. This is the closest that I’ve ever tasted to the actual flavor of the “belly lox” that I had when I was a boy up north.
Jim Liik
0A few more picture of the food being made or making the food.
Marjorie Heard
0Maya, can I freeze the lox even if the salmon was previously frozen before I made the lox, since the salmon is now cured, thanks Marj
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Marjorie, You can freeze lox, however, the texture may change some after defrosting. Store in a freezer-safe sealable bag, make sure to get all the air out to prevent freezer burn.
Roberta
0It’s not clear to me how to drain it without breaking the plastic wrap… I mean, I am not sure that keeping the salmon wrapped will let the liquid came off enought to drain…hope you can get the point, sorry if I am not explaining it very well and thank you for any clarification so that I’ll be sure to understand how to make the process properly and enjoy the result without waisting the salmon and the time needed to “cure”it!
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Roberta, Using salt, a second baking dish, and weights from canned food will work together to force liquid from the salmon. You don’t have to completely unwrap the fish to drain it, but if it is accumulating liquid inside the plastic, you can open up one side to drain the liquid. I hope this helps to clarify the process!
Amy L Huntley
0The flavor was absolutely amazing!
Kristyn
0I had no idea how easy this was to make! And, you are right…way better than anything you can buy in the store!!
Natalie
0This was a great appetizer!! Super tasty!!
Michelle
0I had no idea the ingredients were so simple to make lox at home! I’ll certainly be eating a lot more of it now that I know how to do it!
Jess
0Ohhhh this is so yummy! Perfect weekend brunch!
Laura
0I was looking for a lox recipe without sugar. I am glad I found it. I don’t really see the need to add sugar to salmon, this is perfect
Danielle Wolter
0This sounds delicious! I make lox all the time but have never tried it with white pepper. Def giving it a try.
Caroline
0I’ve made gravlax before and indeed this is very similar, and so no doubt just as tasty. Great for salads, canapes and so much more.