This is how to make Lox, a dry-cured salmon fillet marinated in salt and sugar (gravlax) minus the smoking. Salting salmon preserves the fish and is much cheaper than store-bought smoked salmon! There is plenty of shavings from a single fillet for sandwiches and bagels.

homemade cured salmon gravlax

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 Homemade Bagels and Lox are one of my favorite Jewish Deli sandwiches! As Ukrainians, we love cured salmon, which can be eaten with any meal, such as Boiled Potatoes, mashed potatoes, or open-faced Bread slices. 

Salmon gravlax takes about 5 minutes to prepare at home with minimal effort and more for the buck. A two-pound fillet of salmon can yield 32 oz of cured salmon, that’s over $46 in savings! If you were to purchase the little 4-oz packages for $5 a pack. 

lox bagel with homemade gravlax topped with cream cheese and purple onions

This cured salmon gravlax is a staple at my house. I’ve made it countless times, for gatherings, and my sister-in-law even catered a church function with this recipe. It always works and is a favorite.  The salt and sugar amounts are just right, and the fish isn’t overly salty when cured for just 24 hours. 

Cured Salmon Recipe

Cured fish was a food preservation technique my Ukrainian parents used on salmon, and one that they still use today for a smoked salmon dupe. 

Once properly cured, it is so good on its own, and it’s easy to make with plain salt and sugar. You can take the extra step and smoke it after dry-curing, but we think it’s so good as it is. 

I love to slice raw onions and add them to the lox slices with a little oil for a light snack.

Or if I’m hungry, I’ll smear some cream cheese on bread, top it with thin slices of cured salmon, and raw onions as a lox bagel (so delicious)! 

Which Name? Lox vs Smoked Salmon

Lox can be known by many names, such as salmon gravlax, cured salmon, Nova, and smoked salmon. All of them result from dry curing (salting).

However, Nova lox and smoked salmon are cold-smoked, whereas gravlax, lox, and cured salmon are traditionally unsmoked.  If you prefer that smoky flavor in lox but don’t have a smoker, you can add some liquid smoke to the salting process, like I did in this Smoked Salmon Recipe.

Cured salmon
This cured salmon recipe was originally posted on February 16, 2016, and updated on May 14, 2025.

 Ukrainians serve gravlax at weddings as a cheaper alternative to smoked salmon. Making it yourself enables you to add spices of choice, like pickling spice, fresh dill, or peppercorns, which adds great flavor.

Ingredients for Homemade Lox: 

To make homemade gravlax, you will need three simple ingredients. 

  • Fresh Salmon Fillet: You can use farmed or grade A wild-caught salmon. If you use frozen, thaw, wash, and pat it dry with paper towels. My recipe works for a 2 1/2- 3 lb fillet.
  • Salt is the primary ingredient in the curing process. It removes some of the water and creates a firmer texture, making the salmon easier to slice. Use a high-quality sea salt that is ground fine or granular in texture. 
  • Sugar- adding sugar reduces the harsh flavor of the salt. A good ratio is two parts salt to one part sugar. I use coarse organic cane sugar which works the same as regular granulated sugar (I’ve used both before). 
  • Optional: 1 tbsp of Pickling Spice for extra flavor. 

IMG_5391

How to make Cured Salmon: 

  1. Clean the Fish: Make sure your salmon fillet is fully thawed. Leave the skin on (for easier slicing later). Wash and pat dry the salmon using paper towels. Transfer the salmon fillet to a large tray or a large steam pan. 

IMG_5400 2. Combine the salt, sugar, and pickling spice (if using) into a small bowl. IMG_5403 3. For a hard cure, remove the skins and cut the salmon fillet into four equal pieces. Dredge each piece into the salt mixture, coating each side very well. Make sure to use up all the cure mixture for all those pieces.  IMG_5430 4. Place the salted and seasoned fillets into a large container (preferably with a lid) and refrigerate for 12-24 hours before eating. IMG_5438 5. To serve, wash the fillet with cold running water. Wipe and remove any seasoning remnants. Lightly rub mild cooking oil onto the fillet and keep refrigerated up to 5 days. cured fish top view

Gravlax Variations: 

When dry-curing salmon, you can add many different seasonings and herbs to create a specific flavor profile. Here are some ideas; 

  • Dill: Add (whole) fresh dill to the top of the salmon when curing to infuse the dill flavor. Discard the dill, and add additional chopped dill after oiling the fish if desired. 
  • Cajun—For a little heat, add black coarsely cracked peppercorns to the cure with a tablespoon of Cajun seasoning. 
  • Pickling Spice is a very aromatic spice blend with bay leaves, infusing a brine-like taste similar to pickle juice. 
  • Mustard Peppercorn Herb Crust: Add whole mustard seeds and black pepper to the curing mixture to infuse a nutty, warm flavor. 
  • Lemon- zest two small lemons into the cure for a fresher taste and less seafood smell.  
  • Smoked Salmon- add 6 Tbsp of liquid smoke to the cure for a smoky flavor. 

What To Serve With Gravlax (Cured Salmon):

We love to serve cured salmon as a tasty appetizer alongside a hearty piece of rye bread. 

  • Make open-faced sandwiches with thin shavings of gravlax on top of a cream cheese spread or a garlic aioli sauce. I love to add crunchy cucumbers or onions on top for texture.
  • Serve with boiled potatoes and fresh dill (yum)! Any potato dish goes well with gravlax in my opinion! 
  • Bagels and Lox is a favorite. I love a lox with sliced purple onions. 
  • Arrange the gravlax on a platter with sliced cucumbers, lettuce, or tomatoes for appetizing Hors d’oeuvres! Serve with a mustard and dill sauce for a light salad! 

 

Q&A

How To Cure Salmon For Sushi?

To make salmon for sushi, get sashimi-grade salmon. It’s a sushi-grade fish ideal for curing. My recipe isn’t too salty, and the flesh stays nice and moist, so it works perfectly in sushi. You want to add enough cure for it to be easily sliceable into thin pieces (which is impossible with raw fish), yet not overly salty.  

Gravlax vs Smoked Salmon?

So what does gravlax taste like? Gravlax tastes like the lox you’d get from a bagel deli shop, only minus the smoky flavor. Both gravlax and smoked salmon are cured the same way. Because Gravlax or smoked salmon is not cooked, they both have a moist, raw-like texture. The main difference is that smoked salmon is cold-smoked (smoked at a low temperature), preferably in a smoker, to infuse a smoky flavor. 

Can You Make Cured Salmon with Frozen Salmon?

Yes! I like to purchase fresh salmon fillets from Aldi when they go on sale and freeze them in my commercial deep freezer (-10°F / -23°C) until I need them for curing. Make sure to thaw your salmon in the fridge overnight (on a tray to prevent leakage) for at least 12-24 hours before using. 

How Long Does Cured Salmon Keep? 

If cured properly, gravlax can keep for up to two weeks in an air-tight container. Keep in mind this is for cured, washed, and lightly oiled gravlax. The oil coating prolongs the gravlax in the fridge. 

Can You Freeze Cured Salmon Gravlax? 

Yes! Homemade gravlax (lox) can be cured, washed, dried with paper towels, and sliced before freezing. Leave as many as you think you’ll eat within a week and freeze the rest in an airtight freezer bag. 

 

Helpful Tips For Curing Salmon:

  1. After salting, I’ll leave the salmon out at room temperature of 73°F until I see a little liquid drawing from the fillet (also known as osmosis). This is a good indicator that the salmon is curing properly. Then, I’ll place it in the fridge, which gives it a head start on curing. 
  2. Leave the skins on for easier slicing. It is possible to make extra-thin shavings if the salmon skin is intact. 
  3. Use the liquid from the salmon cure (brine) to make a delicious sauce. 
  4. Don’t over-cure ~! The longer the salmon sits in the salt, the saltier it will taste, even if you wash it from the cure. A good amount of time is no longer than 24 hours. 
  5. Wash the salting cure off the salmon thoroughly before serving. 
  6. Lightly oil the salmon gravlax slices after curing to give them a coating of protection (from drying out) and to prolong the gravlax. This will also provide a moist texture. 
  7. Add a thinly sliced onion to the gravlax slices after oiling to infuse great flavor, and snack on the crunchy onions later. 

Cured Salmon Recipe (Lox)

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Author: Alyona Demyanchuk
This is how to make Lox, a dry-cured salmon fillet marinated in salt and sugar (gravlax) minus the smoking. Salting salmon preserves the fish and is much cheaper than store-bought smoked salmon! There is plenty of shavings from a single fillet for sandwiches and bagels.

Equipment

  • 1 large tray or steam pan
  • 1 Sharp boning knife (to slice the gravlax)
  • Set of small mixing bowls

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 lb salmon fillet
  • 4 tbsp Kosher salt (or high-quality sea salt)
  • 2 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1 tbsp Pickling Spice (optional)
  • fresh dill for garnish

Instructions

  • washing and pat drying a salmon fillet for curing
    Wash and pat dry the salmon using paper towels. Leave the skin on for easier carving later. Place the salmon fillet onto a large tray or a full steam pan.
  • curing salmon with a salt and sugar rub
    Combine the salt, sugar, and pickling spice (if using) in a small bowl. I often sprinkle the salt and sugar over the salmon fillet to cure. Rub the salt and sugar all over the surface and sides.
  • Cover the cured salmon with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours for a medium cure or up to 36 hours for a hard cure (see notes).
  • washing cured salmon form the salt and sugar rub
    To serve, wash off the cure and remove any pickling remnants. Pat dry and place on a cutting board. Thinly carve the salmon at an angle for thin slices.
  • finished gravlax from cured salmon
    Place all the slices in a container and add 2 tbsp of sunflower oil to coat them evenly. Serve or refrigerate for 12 more hours for better flavor and texture.

Notes

  • Dill-flavored Cured Salmon: After the salt cure is rubbed into the fillet, top it with 2-3 bunches of fresh dill and wrap it with saran wrap to infuse the salmon with dill. 
  • For the best flavor, marinate the salmon in the cure for 24 hours, then wash, thinly slice, and oil the salmon slices. Refrigerate for another 12-24 hours. 
  • Let it marinate for 32-36 hours for a firmer flesh (hard cure). It will be saltier in taste and well seasoned. 
  • Leave the skin on to carve the salmon more easily. 

Nutrition per serving

Serving: 1servingCalories: 143kcalCarbohydrates: 2gProtein: 19gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 52mgSodium: 2367mgPotassium: 469mgFiber: 0.1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 40IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 16mgIron: 1mg

 

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4 comments

    • Gary Sloane

    This recipe omits a crucial step for making what Scandinavians would call gravlax or, in Swedish, gravvad lax. (The “grav” part comes from the same root as the English word “gravy” and refers to the marinade that is release in the curing process.) So, in addition to your choice of spices, this dish should be pressed under weights to aid in curing and improve the texture by extracting some of the water from the fish.

    I use rectangular Pyrex dishes and lay the first salmon fillet, skin side down, add the salt, sugar, pepper and dill to both sides, then over it with the second fillet, skin side up, so that the flesh of both is in contact, with all the spices in the middle. Then I cover the fish loosely with Saran wrap, place a second Pyrex dish on top, and place either cans of tomatoes (or whatever) or a brick on top, and place in the refrigerator.

    When ready, slice as thin as possible on the diagonal. In Scandinavia, this is typically served with a thin sauce made of prepared mustard, sugar, dill, and capers. This dish can also be made from steelhead trout.

    It takes two to three days to make proper gravlax. It should be removed and basted in the marinade at least once a day; twice a day is better.

    Personally, I use kosher salt, brown sugar, and ground pepper (but not pickling spice), and fresh dill. Some Russians I know add vodka, but I think this is a waste of vodka and doesn’t help the fish. In a Swedish cookbook, I found a comment that, in Finland, if no fresh dill was available, pine needles would do. In California, I have used redwood needles for this purpose. Delicious, if not historically authentic.

    PS: I doubt my Ukrainian ancestors could afford salmon until they arrived in the US. My Polish Jewish ancestors had a pickled fish business in Bialystock in the 19th century, but I don’t have their recipes. I believe their specialty was herring.

      • Alyona Demyanchuk

      Hi Gary, thanks for the input! This recipe is pretty common in the Ukrainian groups I’m surrounded by. It’s been served at many functions and weddings which is how we like the taste profile. However, your method sounds interesting, thanks for sharing!

    • Jele

    Great to use salt moderatly! Kept 12 hours, lovely taste

      • Alyona Demyanchuk

      Hi Jele, it would be nice to use less but it works as a preservative so don’t want to compromise. Do you have any suggestions?

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