LOX" to LIKE at REIN'S N.Y. STYLE DELI- RESTAURANT

Important "Fish Terminology" so you can maneuver your way through our tantalizing display of smoked fish products.

BRINE: At its' most basic, a solution of salt and water in which cleaned and gutted fish are soaked for various amounts of time in order to cure the flesh. Additional ingredients may be added to impart subtle flavors, but do not aid in the curing process itself.

PICKLE: Years ago, it meant the same as brine - a salt solution in which fish are marinated, to flavor and preserve them. Today it means a solution made of vinegar, sugar and spices.

Brining or pickling does three things: 1. The salt or vinegar draws out fluids from the fish, firming the flesh; 2. It helps preserve the fish while it is being cured; 3. It adds flavor

CURE: Technically, curing simply means the addition of salt to flesh. Salt has the ability to drastically reduce bacterial action in food by absorbing water into its' own structure, making water unavailable for bacteria to thrive. Curing is done in a brine, a pickling solution or via a dry-cure.

Prior to refrigeration, salt was the major preservative in preserved foods and as a result, these foods were very heavily salted. Refrigeration, coupled with modern transportation and packaging methods have enabled processors to refine the art of curing and smoking so that taste is the main criterion, not preservation.

DRY CURE: is an alternative to pickling or brining. Salt and other flavorings are rubbed directly into the fish, to draw out their water and add flavor.

COLD SMOKING: smoking at temperatures not higher than 76°F for extended time. Fish are placed in large ovens overnight or longer, with huge fans to create a tremendous wind velocity and low smoke density.

HOT SMOKING: Modern hot-smoking is done in custom-built ovens which are stainless steel "rooms" that most closely resemble gigantic convection ovens with the additional ability of adding very dense smoke produced from the controlled burning of hardwood sawdust. Hot smoking is sometimes called KIPPERING, which refers to the temperature of the ovens.

Both Hot and Cold Smoking processes give the fish their basic flavor, firm the flesh and finish the curing process so they are ready to eat.

SALMON
Salmon used for Nova and Lox can be either wild Western King Salmon, which is caught off the coast of Alaska, or Eastern farm raised salmon.

Wild salmon swims from the ocean's salt water into fresh water lakes once to spawn; then they die. The highest quality Red King Salmon is caught one at a time, using a hook and line method, called trolling, while still in the ocean. A lesser quality salmon is caught using a net, called gilnet, after they have entered the fresh water. These fish are caught in large numbers in the net and are easily bruised or damaged.

Eastern salmon is farm raised Atlantic salmon. These salmon will go from the ocean to fresh water 5 to 6 times to spawn before dying. They are a fattier fish, although 60% -70% of their fat is lost in the curing process.

During the spawning process, the salmon stops eating and actually lives off its' body fat for several months.

Wild trolled salmon have a nice blue/silver skin color. The scales are very pronounced when rubbing, and can't be rubbed off. Gilnetted salmon skin is more gray with blackish spots. The scales can be easily rubbed off.

NOVA
Our Nova at Rein's Deli in Vernon is the large Red King Salmon fished from the icy cold pristine waters of Alaska. The salmon is hand-filleted. The filleted sides of salmon are then placed in a combination cure of salt and sugar, and cold smoked for several hours.


LOX
Lox is dry cured first for a few weeks, then soaked in saltwater for three months before it is fully cured.

SABLE 
Sable has a delicate almost buttery and slightly smokey flavor.  It is a very moist fish and goes well as a sandwich with Muenster Cheese or on a bagel with cream cheese and onion.

BAKED (KIPPERED) SALMON
Kippered Salmon, is a moist, delicately flavored and mildly salted product made from Albino Salmon. They are caught in the cold waters of the Northwest Pacific Ocean. The finest of these large salmon are filleted, quartered and then placed in a mild salt solution. The product is then hot smoked (or baked) for color and flavor.