Smoked salmon

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Smoked salmon is a preparation of salmon, typically a fillet that has been cured and then hot or cold smoked.

Cold smoked salmon is sometimes known in Canada and the United States as "lox", particularly on the East Coast, the word being borrowed from Yiddish. (While all smoked salmon is lox all lox is not smoked salmon; lox referring to any cured salmon smoked or otherwise.) The cold smoking does not cook the fish, resulting in its characteristic smooth texture. In America, smoked salmon is normally sliced very thinly and is often served on bagels with cream cheese, or on Melba toast with sliced red onion, lemon and capers. In Europe, smoked salmon may be found either thinly sliced or in thicker fillets (such as tsar fillet), and is usually eaten with bread. In England, sliced salmon on toasted brown bread with cream cheese and garnished with fresh lemon juice is especially popular, while in Germany smoked salmon will be eaten on toast or black bread. Smoked salmon is widely used in Europe as a cooking ingredient, for example in quiches, pasta sauces, or in scrambled eggs. Smoked salmon is sometimes used in sushi, though not widely in Japan, and is more likely to be encountered in American sushi bars, for example in a "Philadelphia roll" or "New York roll". Although superficially similar to smoked salmon, and often served alongside it or as an alternative, the Scandinavian dish gravlax (or grave salmon), is not smoked but cured. It can be used to flavor cream cheese and other spreads.

Scottish smoked salmon is considered a delicacy, even with increased availability since the advent of fish farming from the 1970s resulting in lower quality and lower prices. Premium wild smoked salmon is still available, though sometimes only from specialist dealers.

Hot smoked salmon has been cooked by the smoking process and is eaten just like cooked salmon. An additional method of preparing smoked salmon is called Indian Hard Smoked Salmon (once known by the term "squaw candy"). It is first kippered with salt, sugar and spices and then smoked until hard and jerky-like. See cured salmon.