Etymology. The word gravlax comes from the Northern Germanic word gräva/grave (“to dig”; modern sense “to cure (fish)”) which goes back to the Proto-Germanic *grabą, *grabō (“hole in the ground; ditch, trench; grave”) and the Indo-European root *ghrebh- “to dig, to scratch, to scrape”, and lax/laks, “salmon”.

What is the meaning of gravlax?

salmon cured
Definition of gravlax : salmon cured especially with salt, sugar, pepper, and dill and often additional ingredients (such as fennel, coriander, lime, and vodka or aquavit)

Why is it called gravlax?

Etymology. The word gravlax comes from the Northern Germanic word gräva/grave (“to dig”; modern sense “to cure (fish)”) which goes back to the Proto-Germanic *grabą, *grabō (“hole in the ground; ditch, trench; grave”) and the Indo-European root *ghrebh- “to dig, to scratch, to scrape”, and lax/laks, “salmon”.

What is the difference between gravlax and cured salmon?

Gravlax is cured (but not smoked) salmon, except there’s not a lot of salt in the cure and some combination of dill, lemon, and alcohol (often vodka, but sometimes gin in newer preparations). “Gravlax was traditionally buried,” says Tupper.

What is the difference between belly lox and nova?

Lox refers to salmon cured in a salt-sugar rub or brine (like gravlax). Nova is cured and then cold-smoked (unlike lox or gravlax). There’s also hot-smoked salmon, which is cured, then fully cooked with heated wood smoke. Now, to acknowledge the purists.

What does gravlax taste like?

What does gravlax taste like? Gravlax tastes like a cross between salmon sashimi (imagine it with the addition of seasoning from salt plus fresh herb flavor), and the smoked salmon slices you buy at stores – but minus the smokey flavor (because smoked salmon is made by smoking salmon).

How do you use gravlax?

You can get rid of it by sliding your knife between the pink salmon flesh and the skin, trimming off the blood line as you go. Then you can cut your skinned, blood-line-free portion into slices. You can eat the gravlax alone, or drape the slices on pieces of pumpernickel. Then spoon some of that sauce on top.

Are lox and smoked salmon the same?

In a nutshell: Smoked salmon is cured or brined, then smoked. Lox is cured, but not smoked. Lox came about in the pre-refrigeration days as a way to preserve fish during transport.

Is gravlax a lox?

Gravlax is similar to lox in that it’s not smoked and is cured only. The traditional Scandinavian method get its flavor from its cure of just salt, sugar and lots of dill, although additional spices, such as citrus, coriander, juniper berries or fennel can be added.

Are gravlax and lox the same?

Preparation: Lox is cured or brined primarily using salt, while gravlax is cured in a mixture of salt with sugar and herbs like dill. Taste: Lox tastes predominantly salty, while gravlax has more of a mild fish taste similar to sashimi.

What are thin slices of salmon called?

Lox is the traditional topping of bagels with cream cheese and is most often served thinly sliced.