Lox is a type of smoked salmon. It’s traditionally cured in brine for about a week, but some people freeze it for even longer periods of time. Nova is another type of fish that may or may not be cured with smoke. While many people use the terms “lox” and “nova” interchangeably, there are differences between them. lox vs smoked salmon is typically sliced thinner than nova because it might have been cured with spices before being smoked; however, both types are processed similarly and can be used interchangeably depending on your preference!
The Difference between Lox and Smoked Salmon
Lox is cured salmon, which means it has been salted and then dried. The curing process causes the fish to lose much of its moisture, which results in a firm texture and rich flavor. As with most cured foods, lox can be served cold or at room temperature—but it’s traditional to serve it on a bagel alongside cream cheese (or rarely, coleslaw).
Smoked salmon is not cured like lox; rather, it’s simply smoked over wood chips for a brief amount of time before being sold as fresh fish products. Because smoked salmon isn’t prepared in such a way that would preserve its moisture content like other types of cured Seafoods do (such as dry-cured olives), there’s no need for refrigeration after purchase unless you plan on eating right away!
The Hebrew word for salmon is “lakh”, which sounds like lox.
The word “what is lox” comes from the Hebrew word for salmon, “lakh”. In both languages, the letter h is pronounced as an “h” sound. So if you want to say it like a native speaker would and use your inner Yiddish, you could say this instead:
- “Lakshen”. This is how we say it in Israel and New York City. Though many people think that lakshen is actually just an Americanized version of lox, they’re wrong! It’s actually more closely related to lakshen than it is to lohseh (which means “salmon”).
- If you really want to stick with what’s correct but still sound like an English speaker who doesn’t know anything about Jewish culture or language at all then I suggest using my suggestion above because that way no one will get confused about which word means what!
Just because it’s called lox doesn’t mean its salmon, though.
As you may have guessed, there’s more to lox than meets the eye. The word “lox” comes from the Yiddish word for salmon, which is usually smoked and served cold in the late summer months. But what about all those salmon products that are labeled as “lox”?
Lox is the term used to refer to the cured salmon. It is a salmon that has been in brine or salty water for a long period of time. Lox is also a term used to refer to the fatty part of the salmon. Smoked salmon is salmon that has been smoked under very high temperatures and which have been dried after the smoking. It is often used in sandwiches. Smoked salmon can be used as lox.
But let’s say instead you’re at an upscale restaurant that specializes in sustainable seafood dishes—and guess what happens when diners order their meals there: it turns out most chefs only ever use wild caught cod when making filets mignons! If we may be of any similar assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact us (ajalijutt89@gmail.com).
