Why smoked salmon is so expensive

If the salmon is pre-gutted, the book lowers its estimate to 70 percent. Here it is important to note as does The Daily Optimist that the fillets and percentages mentioned above count for less than 40 percent of the salmon's undressed body, which includes the blood, the fat, the bones, and the stomach flaps, among other bits. Then there is the smoking.

Because it was no longer necessary to brine the fish as a method of preservation, smokehouses reduced the amount of salt they used to cure the fish and cold smoked it to deepen the flavor. Traditionally, you won't find Nova made from belly , though; that's still reserved for the real-deal lox. Now that we've cleared that up, let's talk about the first step in making smoked salmon.

While you could technically smoke the salmon whole, you wouldn't really want to. It's easier to find the bones and remove them before you smoke a fish, plus there's the whole skin-on or skinless debate which we'll dive into in a moment. You could cut the fish into steaks, but the most popular way to smoke salmon is by removing the meaty fillets on each side of the backbone.

Most fish fillets including the ones you buy at the store still contain a few tiny bones called pin bones. They're super easy to remove if you drape the filet over an upside-down bowl and remove the protruding bones using a pair of tweezers, as Tasting Table recommends.

Now it's time to decide whether you want to smoke the salmon with the skin on or off. Thermoworks advises that keeping the skin on helps the meat hold together as it cooks, but the salmon absorbs the cure better without it.

The skin can also lead to off flavors, and although it does have nutrient value , the skin can become soggy and chewy when smoked. Since most people don't eat the skin on cooked fish anyway, we'd just as soon remove it now rather than later. Since salmon's flavor gets concentrated as it cures and smokes, the type of salmon you choose has a lot to do with the flavor you end up with. That said, you can make smoked salmon out of any kind, so use what you have.

Keep in mind that each salmon species has a unique oil content. Salmon with a lot of oil like king or sockeye is more full-flavored and will retain its moisture more efficiently as it smokes. Salmon like Atlantic or coho are lower in oil with a pale color and a more mild flavor. These fish are best for those who prefer a lighter fish and a dryer texture.

While you want the salmon to be fresh, that doesn't mean it can't be frozen. If your choices are smelly "fresh" fish or pristine frozen fish, the latter is the better choice every time. The flavor of the salmon will intensify as it goes through the smoking process, and if it developed an off, fishy flavor because it was spoiling, it definitely won't taste very good after it's smoked.

Because freezing fish causes the cells to burst, it actually allows the fish to take in more of the brine and smoke flavors , too. You'll just want to make sure the fish is fully thawed before moving on to the next step, as salt can't penetrate frozen tissue. After preparing the salmon fillet, the next step is to apply salt to the fish.

Salt gets a bad rap , but its importance in seasoning and preservation cannot be underplayed. There are two ways to cure salmon : wet or dry.

Applying a dry cure means covering the fish in salt and maybe some sugar and seasonings and rinsing off the excess after a long period of time — anywhere between an hour and a full day. With a wet cure, a brine is prepared using salt and sugar, and the salmon is submerged in the liquid for around six to 10 hours. By the end of the brining process, the salt has done a lot for your piece of salmon. Not only does it remove some of the moisture, helping to stay fresh longer and tolerate the smoking process better, but it also improves and intensifies the flavor.

The sugar has a job to do, too, aside from adding some sweet flavor. Sugar helps the salmon absorb moisture, allowing it to take on some of the wet brine after the salt has pushed out the fish's original moisture. We're really close to tossing that fish on the smoker! Now that's it's been cured, there's only one more step before we can add that delicious, smoky flavor. Fresh or frozen salmon delivered results in a significant distinction for the prices. Since the taste is considered by many to notably change once frozen, there is a premium that is placed on fresh salmon.

There are other notable effects on salmon prices beyond type and freshness, such as location. Pacific salmon is the most popular and generally preferred salmon rather than its east coast counterpart.

Pacific salmon is fished starting in late May to early June, as opposed to the farm raised salmon that is accessible all year. Regulations placed on commercial fisheries also influence the price of salmon. A lot of people who consider themselves traditional lox connoisseurs for it, Berk said. Nova: Nova is the mildest of the smoked salmons. Is lox hot-smoked or cold-smoked? Made from the belly meat of a salmon, lox is actually never cooked but is, instead, cured in a salty brine mixture for several weeks.

Compared to smoked salmon, lox is saltier with more of a raw texture, making it the perfect addition to a toasted bagel with cream cheese. Once you open the package, the smoked salmon stays fresh for about 5 days. If you need to store smoked salmon for longer, freeze it. The safest way to defrost lox, and to keep its texture and taste, is to leave it in the refrigerator overnight. This is the most natural way to defrost the lox without the risk of excess bacteria or germs.

The best temperature to thaw lox at is around 40 degrees Fahrenheit or lower. Last Updated: 7 days ago — Co-authors : 24 — Users : Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email. Home Answers About. Sign in. Forgot your password? Get help. Password recovery. Home Food Why is lox so expensive?