If you’ve ever been to a bagel shop in New York City (undoubtedly the bagel capital of the world), you know that ordering even a basic bagel can be a sweat-inducing experience. Where’s the menu? Scrawled on a chalkboard behind the counter. Is there a line? More like a semiorganized mosh pit. My advice? Don’t overcomplicate it. Order the classic: a bagel (yes, you want it toasted) with lox and a schmear.
But even that standard order isn’t so straightforward. You’ll often find the shop’s cold case filled with dozens of flavors of cream cheese next to an array of cold, spreadable “salads.” And the fish is no different: “We sell 10 different varieties of smoked fish,” says Niki Russ Federman, fourth-generation co-owner of Russ & Daughters, an iconic NYC bagel shop. “It’s like choosing a wine.”
Though lox and smoked salmon are often used interchangeably, they refer to two different products. Fear not: I’ve got all the information you need on the difference between lox, smoked salmon, and their many cured pink cousins. Let’s start with the basics:
What is lox?
Though bagels and lox have become a hallmark of New York City, particularly of the Jewish community, the story starts across the Atlantic. According to NPR, early Scandinavian fishermen developed a process for preserving salmon in a saltwater brine—and that salt cure is key. Although, Merriam-Webster defines lox as “salmon that has been cured in brine and sometimes smoked,” real ones know that true lox is made with just the fatty belly portion of a piece of salmon and is salt-cured only. Smoked salmon? She’s something else entirely (more on her in a minute).
In the early 20th century, most of America’s salmon came from the Pacific Ocean, off the Canadian and Alaskan coasts. To preserve the fish en route to New York, “salmon from the Pacific was hauled across the country in bins packed with salt,” says Federman. Lox—which cost very little, had a long shelf life, and was kosher—became a staple among the city’s Jewish immigrants; even its name is said to derive from the Yiddish laks, meaning “salmon.”
This is the type of lox Federman’s great-grandfather, Joel Russ, carried when he opened his shop in 1914. It’s incredibly salty—so much so that bagel shops still producing belly lox, as it’s often called, frequently include a disclaimer. While the salt-cured belly lox at Russ & Daughters has a devoted fanbase—its salty flavor pairs particularly well with rich cream cheese—Federman says most customers asking for lox are actually looking for smoked salmon.
So, what is the difference between lox and smoked salmon?
Primarily? Smoke. Preserving fish via smoke is a longtime practice of many Indigenous American tribes. Somewhere along the way, these salt-curing and smoke-curing methods merged, creating another type of preserved salmon.
To make smoked salmon, producers usually start with a whole side of fish and lightly cure it in salt by way of a rub or brine. It’s then smoked, preserving it further. Most recipes for lox call for a curing time of no less than 3 days (and some go for months), which concentrates its pure, oceanic flavor. Smoked salmon typically spends just 18–24 hours in its salt solution before hitting the smoker. The latter is, therefore, milder in its salinity but perfumed with the unmistakable flavor of whatever wood has been used to cure it further.
