Fish & seafood · Preserved fish

Smoked salmon

Cured, cold-smoked salmon in silky thin slices, eaten without cooking on bagels, blinis and in salads.

Also called: lox

A kind of salmon

Photo: Pug50, via Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-2.0)

What it is

Smoked salmon is salmon fillet cured with salt and cold-smoked at a low temperature, so the flesh stays silky and translucent rather than cooked. Lox is brine-cured, unsmoked salmon; gravlax is cured with salt, sugar and dill but not smoked. Hot-smoked salmon is cooked through and flakes.

How it’s used

Bagels with cream cheese
Blinis with sour cream
Scrambled eggs and eggs royale
Salads and pasta
Sushi rolls

Characteristics

Taste: Salty, smoky and rich.
Texture: Silky and supple.
When cooked: Turns opaque and firms when heated; add to pasta or eggs at the very end.
Sold as: smoked, cured
Cooking uses: Usually eaten raw, Used as a garnish
Common in: Scandinavian, British, Irish, American, Russian, Norwegian

Storage

Refrigerated. Keep refrigerated and eat within a few days of opening; it freezes well in its pack.

Diet, allergens and safety

Contains Fish.

Vegetarian
Vegan
Dairy-free
Egg-free
Gluten-free
Nut-free
Soy-free
Caffeine-free

Contains fish, a common allergen.
Cold-smoked fish is not cooked and carries a Listeria risk; pregnant people and the immunocompromised are often advised to eat it only when cooked until steaming.