The varieties of lox depends on the way it is prepared.
Lox is a prized salmon fillet that has been cured and, depending on the type of lox, cold smoked. Its texture is very similar to raw fish, smooth and tender, since it is not subjected to heat. It is often served with cream cheese on bagels. There are several popular types of lox, each with its own variation of preparation.
Regular Lox
Regular lox is cured in a very salty brine. The brine is a mixture of water, salt and possibly sugars and spices. The process of letting the salmon develop its flavor in this solution is called "wet brining." Regular lox may or may not be cold smoked, depending on the chef and style of preparation. "Lox" is a generic term that people sometimes use mistakenly when they want a different kind of cold smoked salmon.
Nova Lox
Nova lox, also known as Nova Scotia lox, is cured in a brine that is milder than regular lox. Unlike regular lox, Nova lox is always cold smoked. Its brine often has the addition of brown sugar, which is partly responsible for its lighter taste. The salmon used to make Nova lox is generally cured for five days and then smoked for about 12 hours. Chum salmon, a less expensive species of salmon, is sometimes used to make Nova lox.
Scottish Lox
Unlike other types of lox, Scottish lox is made by a process called "dry brining" or "Scottish style brining." In dry brining, the sugar, salt and spices are applied directly to the fish for a specific amount of time, depending on the intensity of flavor intended. The brine is then rinsed off and the fish is cold smoked. Scottish lox is described as being more "toothsome" than Nova lox because of its drier texture.
Gravad Lox
Gravad Lox, also called Gravad lax or Gravlax, is a Scandinavian style of lox that is traditional to the area. Unlike Nova lox and Scottish lox, Gravad lox is not smoked. Instead, the fish is coated with a spice mixture. The coating may include juniper berry or dill. The moisture is then forced out of the salmon by a weight placed on top of it in order to increase its flavor content. Gravad lox is typically served with a sweet mustard-dill sauce.
Tags: cold smoked, called brining, make Nova, Nova Scottish, served with, used make