How To Keep Your Smoked Salmon And Lox Fresh

One of the most common questions we hear from Acme customers is how to maximize the lifespan of our products. Whether it’s our smoked salmon, whitefish salad, or herring products, knowing how to optimally store your smoked fish is essential. However, the one product we are asked about more than any other is our lox. With that in mind, we’re happy to share with you our guide on how to keep your lox and smoked salmon fresh!

WHAT IS LOX?

Before we discuss the best methods for preserving the shelf life of your lox, let’s first dive into what lox is, and what makes it unique from traditional smoked salmon, since there is a bit of overlap in their preparation. While our team previously spoke to Epicurious about this topic in depth, we’ll provide a quick synopsis of Ellen Lee-Allen and Adam Caslow’s thoughts on the subject. While smoked salmon is cured and/or brined and finally smoked, lox is simply salt-cured without being smoked. The process was developed before refrigeration was widespread and there was a need for a method of preservation. While lox can be made from whole sides of salmon, belly lox is often considered the most prized, due to its higher fat content. Smoked salmon can also be made with both belly cuts and whole sides, but whole sides are more commonly used for making smoked salmon. The key difference between the two products is the salt-cure time, which is typically longer for lox, and the final smoking stage, which is of course essential to the making of smoked salmon. This gives smoked salmon a distinct flavor from lox, which is typically salty with a fatty-richness to it, but is not smoked at all. 

Now that we’ve covered what makes lox and smoked salmon distinct from one another, let’s dive into how best to preserve your lox after purchase.

HOW LONG DOES LOX LAST IN THE FRIDGE?

When it comes to keeping your lox fresh after opening, you’re going to need to keep it refrigerated, or freeze it if you’re intending to keep it long-term. When it comes to storage life for opened or fresh lox from the grocery counter, it will generally last about a week in the refrigerator.

CAN YOU FREEZE LOX?

While it can be kept safely in the fridge for a few days, freezing lox will keep it fresh for much longer. As long as you freeze your lox before the use by date, you can keep it up to 6 months for best quality. To use it afterwards, simply thaw it out in the refrigerator for a day and use it as soon as it’s been thawed!

PURCHASE YOUR LOX FROM ACME SMOKED FISH TODAY!

If you’re looking to purchase lox, Acme Smoked Fish is proud to offer our lox or smoked salmon options for customers to choose from! You can find smoked salmon and lox on our website's store locator, or come down to Fish Fridays at our Brooklyn location to get your lox in person. We look forward to seeing you there, and now you’ll have a couple tips to keep your lox fresh for longer!