Homemade Lox Recipe | Old-Fashioned Salt-Cured Salmon

 Lox – A Homemade Delicacy with Simple, Bold Flavor

Creating your own lox may sound like something for the deli, but it’s easier than you’d think, and tastes amazing. Using only a few ingredients and just a little time, you’ll have silky and flavorful salmon perfect for your next brunch or snack board.

This recipe harks back to a time when fish curing was not only a treat but also a process made across kitchens.

🐟 Homemade Lox Recipe.

• 🍽 Yield: About 8 servings (sliced thin)
• ⏱ Total Time: ~6 days + 10 minutes
• (10 min prep | 6 days cure)
• 🔥 Difficulty: Easy (requires time, not technique)
• 🔢 Calories per Serving: ~160 kcal

Ingredients:

• 1 to 1½ lbs fresh or frozen salmon fillets

• 3 tbsp granulated sugar

• 1 tbsp hickory smoked salt

• 6 to 8 tsp non-iodized salt

• 1 medium plastic bag

• Plastic wrap

          Glass dish  

Instructions:

Defrost fillets (if frozen). Place salmon meat-side up on plastic wrap.

1. Mix dry ingredients and sprinkle evenly over the salmon.
2. Wrap salmon tightly in plastic wrap, sealing in all the seasoning.
3. Place wrapped salmon in a plastic bag on top of a glass dish to catch liquid.
4. Refrigerate for 2 days, then turn it so the meat side is down.
5. Leave it to cure for 4 more days in the fridge (total 6 days).
6. Unwrap, rinse off the brine, and pat dry.
7. Slice very thin and serve chilled with bagels, cream cheese, or crackers.

Why Make It at Home?

🥯 Cheaper than store-bought
🥯 Customizable saltiness & flavor
🥯 Lasts beautifully in the freezer

Once sliced thin, this lox makes brunch feel luxurious or turns an ordinary afternoon into something special.

What Makes This a Vintage Recipe?

This vintage lox recipe is an example of the home-curing process popular throughout the mid-20th century. Many people made their own lox from fresh or frozen salmon, salt and sugar before cold-smoked lox became commercially available. Recipes like this were found in community cookbooks and had family traditions—great for a holiday or a Sunday brunch table with bagels and cream cheese.

Tips from Grandma’s Kitchen

When making lox at home, non-iodized salt is key to preserving the fish without leaving a metallic taste. In vintage kitchens, hickory smoked salt added that extra savory layer without needing a smoker. Always slice thin and serve chilled. Lox pairs beautifully with bagels, crackers, or a schmear of cream cheese—just like it did on breakfast tables in the 1950s and 60s.