1.22.2021
QUICK LOX and A BLOODY MARY
Gluten and Lactose-Free
*before I forget, I made some changes to the lactose free cream cheese recipe, which you will want to make to go with your lox!
A favorite brunch in our family is bagels with a schmear (cream cheese spread on the bagel) with lox, arugula, sliced red onion and capers, salt and fresh ground pepper on top, and a Bloody Mary on the side. This is a favorite sandwich at most bagel shops. But alas, no we can’t have it as the bagel will not be gluten-free, and the cream cheese will not be lactose-free.
If you are gluten and lactose free you have to buy the lox and make the sandwich with gf bagels and vegan cream cheese. Lox is rather expensive, $10.00 and up for ¼ lb. So, when I saw a few recipes lately for making this ‘quick lox’ at home, I jumped on it and made it my own.
Lox is generally made with a dry rub spread under and over the salmon, wrapped and left to cure in the refrigerator for a couple of days, then washing off the rub and slicing the filet once dried with paper towels.
All the recipes I've read about both new methods, seem really easy. The first one was made with a dry rub. The second one was made with dissolving the dry rub in cold water.
I went with the second method.
Do your prep:
Lox:
Cold water - 2 ½ c
Kosher salt – ½ c
White sugar – 1/3 c
Salmon – 1 lb. center-cut fillet, pin bones, and skin removed (save the skin to make crackling)
To serve: bagels, cream cheese, (check out the adjustment to that recipe), sliced tomato, arugula, sliced red onion, capers. (these are our favorites; you can use whatever you want.)
Let's make Lox:
In a large bowl whisk the salt and sugar in the cold water until they are totally dissolved and set aside.
Remove the skin from the salmon filet put it in a sandwich bag and refrigerate to make salmon skin cracklings or discard. Cut the salmon along both sides of connective tissue and set aside. It is now time to cut the fillets, across the grain into scant ¼ “slices.
Place the sliced salmon in the brine, 5 to 8 pieces at a time for 3 minutes, dunking a couple of times. Remove from the brine after 3 minutes and place on a few layers of paper towel and blot with a couple of layers more.
Arrange the salmon in a single layer on a small sheet pan covered in cling film and then cover the salmon with another piece of cling film and refrigerate for 2 to 24 hours.
I made the lox about 5 pm and had it for brunch around 11 am the next day.
I added crushed dill stems to the brine. You can add any flavoring you want to the brine and then sprinkle or top with any spices and fresh herbs that appeal to you. I do suggest making it as the recipe says for the first time.
If you are wondering how long the lox can keep in the refrigerator, I have no clue! We used it all for our brunch! 3 to 4 days is my best guess.
Some of the salmon was left on the skin, which I scraped off, I added this to the connective tissue I removed along with any very thin belly flap and refrigerated it and cooked it lightly, and used it in a sandwich.
BLOODY MARY THE FRANKLIN WAY
I say that because Peter likes his light on heat and alcohol. Below is the formula that you can adjust to your taste.
wo1 16 oz glass
Tomato juice or V8 juice – one 11.5oz can unless you must use low sodium, get the original.
Lime juice – 2 t
Lee & Perrins Worcestershire sauce – 1 t
Horseradish – grated, plain, 1 t
Tabasco – ¼ t, hot sauce
Vodka – 3 T, Smirnoff (this vodka has not bothered our gluten intolerance)
Ice cubes – crushed ice melts too fast and dilutes the drink
Garnish – 1 stalk of celery and 1 slice or wedge of lime, a couple of grinds of black pepper
Let’s make the Bloody Mary!
Pour the tomato juice or V8 into the glass, then pour in the lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, horseradish, and Tabasco into the glass and stir well. Fill the glass with ice leaving enough room to add the Vodka. Stir in the ice to make the tomato get cold, add and vodka and give another stir, garnish with black pepper, lime and celery and serve.
The sandwich was super yum as was the bloody mary.
Enjoy!