Nova lox used to be a delicacy that was found in high
end appetizing stores and supermarkets.
Nowadays lox is on menus throughout the United States as well as many
other countries. What exactly is
it? Salmon that is cured and what is
termed as “cold smoked” meaning at a low temperature.
Tradition has it served on a bagel with a “schmear”
of cream cheese and topped with raw onions, a tomato slice, and capers. Incidentally, if you request “belly lox” you
will find it much saltier.
Smoked fish tends to be costly, depending upon what
you buy and where you buy it. Deli
counters in stores such as Fairway Market have the smoked fish laid out in the
glass cases where they slice and sell it by the pound.
Acme Smoked Fish, located in the Greenpoint section
of Brooklyn, smokes, packages and sells their products both in the Tri-State
area and across the country. We are also talking about herring, white fish,
sable and baked salmon, all of which are hot smoked.
Acme has been around since 1905 and founded by a man
named Harry Brownstein, who emigrated from Russia. It is not surprising as now always having
refrigeration gave way to smoking fish and meat for preservation. Smokehouses in New York were not new. With the birth of the family and the company
being passed down, expansion and the introduction of vacuum packing resulted in
the public being able to purchase the fish without any waiting. Acme continued to grow with products under
different brand names. I’ll get to that later.
Fridays at Acme is open to the public from 8 am to 1
pm when you can buy the products at wholesale prices….cash only. I certainly
agree just as a matter of time consuming. It was the Polish community in the
neighborhood that sparked the Fish Friday. This includes being able to go to a
counter with various lox flavors and have it sliced. I tasted all but the very salted belly. Scottish style is dry cured. Gravlax, a Scandinavian tradition, includes
dill in the curing. Lemon pepper is quite tasty and my favorite flavored is the
pastrami nova, of which I understand the company won an award for. If you are buying for when you are having
“company,” it is probably best to have the original on hand and bring out some
seasoning.
Let’s go to the other salmon products. Under the label of Blue Hill Bay, Poke bowls
are available. The rice portion is meant to be heated in a microwave oven.
Aside from a decent portion of salmon they come with a packet of seasonings and
sauce. They are quite flavorful and
provide enough protein for lunch. One of the Poke bowls has tuna instead of
salmon.
I think that whitefish is second to having lox…no
bones about it. Well, that’s not true,
you have to pick off the meat and make sure there aren’t any pin point
bones. You can always get their
whitefish salad, a combination of both whitefish and whiting along with
mayo. Salmon spread with smoked wild
Alaskan salmon is an alternative. To
compare, if you want, a 16oz container is $8.
Herring may be a preference to your tasty
intake. Sold in jars, you can get the
filets in: wine; sour cream and onions; and one basically with onions and
dill. A 12oz jar is $4 and a 32oz showed
$6.
Have a hankering for rainbow trout or sable? Like the whitefish, sable (Alaskan black cod)
is displayed for your choosing. BTW, you
don’t get to pick up the fish and explore it.
There are several gloved employees behind the line of goodies that will
gladly assist you with any questions and purchase.
Ellen Lee Allen is charge of the marketing. We first
talk about the clientele which now includes people from various ethnic
backgrounds, all who have developed a taste for smoked fish. As far as the various offerings she said, “If
it has fins, we smoke it.”
As a marketing “stunt” Acme created the “world’s
largest bagel and cream cheese.” This Guinness record weighed 213.75lbs. It
contained 40lbs of cream cheese, 40lbs of salmon, 25lbs each of tomatoes and
onions, and about a pound and a half of capers.
Although I didn’t notice, Allen said that they sell
sturgeon as well. I did view the salmon
roe but not sure as to whether the company gets the whole salmons with the roe
inside or the roe from an outside source.
Price wise, the chalkboard read $25 for 7oz.
How about a snack of either teriyaki or peppered
salmon jerky instead of beef? There is a
chalkboard both as you enter as well as on the wall when you have made your way
inside. Here is a sample of prices:
Smoked salmon (lox) is $18lb. Hot smoked honey baked salmon also sells for
$18lb.
Production Manager Gary Brownstein has been working
at Acme for 45 years and gets to taste everything that comes out. Gary also
makes up a special every week that is posted on the board. “It started about 20 years ago when we had a
different clientele buying from us. The
first one I made was lox with and avocado salsa. Then there was a bourbon mustard sauce. Today we have one with onions and jalapenos.”
I certainly do not want to leave out one of their
Blue Hill Bay products, Honey Maple Smoked Salmon. So worth giving up bacon for but watch out
for tiny pin bones.
Acme Smoked Fish is located at 30 Gem Street. Expect
very long lines if you go during the holidays…and not just the Jewish ones!
