Confessions of a Nova Lox Loyalist

Good morning, my extended Stage Deli family!

As the owner of a modern Jewish delicatessen and restaurant, I’m often asked, “Steve, do you ever get sick of smoked fish?”

The answer is no. No, I don’t.

I’ve spent 45 years sourcing only the finest smoked fish, and each week, when boxes arrive fresh from New York City, I still feel like a boy on his birthday. I’m consistently taken by the gold and copper shimmering color of whitefish; the crisp, clean appearance of Nova lox; the glistening, ivory-white flesh of the sable. When that lid opens, the robust aroma of the smokehouse and the sea wafts through the air, making my heart flutter. It’s magical, and it puts a smile on my face every time. Smoked fish has brought me immense joy since before I can even remember.

Growing up, Sunday morning brunch was an event in the Goldberg family. We’d have these beautiful plates of belly lox (a salty version of smoked salmon that we serve at the Stage 'til this day), creamed herring, and sable served with bagels and New York onion rolls. All my father’s friends and their wives would be over, watching football and smoking cigars. Two or three TVs were set up so everyone could watch all the games. And there I was, a kid, taking this glorious spectacle in. Such great memories.

As I got older, I would accompany my father to the local grocery, House of Foods on Seven Mile and Schaefer. The owner, Jack Peltz, stood behind the counter hand-slicing Nova lox himself (Jack would later come to own The Franklin Cider Mill). I remember being in awe of the way he expertly sliced the salmon, put it on firm sheets of wax paper, each delicate slice snugly layered on the next. Hand-slicing lox is an artform. It’s why we do it at the Stage every day.

And, of course, on Yom Kippur, we of the Jewish faith traditionally break the fast with smoked fishes. Many of my friends tell stories of being in the throes of their 25-hour fast at temple, and how great a challenge it was seeing my parents walk down the aisle. Because upon seeing Jack and Harriet, their minds would immediately drift to smoked fish. Almost like a cartoon character hallucinating a mirage in the desert!

It was 45 years ago when my father and I decided to elevate our smoked fish program at Stage. We would take these trips to New York City, where we’d visit Russ & Daughters, Zabar’s, and other appetizing stores. (Back then, delicatessens served corned beef, and appetizing stores served smoked fish. They didn’t mingle. Russ & Daughters, for instance, is a traditional appetizing store). Those trips bonded us, and fortified our desire to take the Stage’s smoked fish program to exciting new heights.

Now, every week, various smoked fishes are air-freighted to Detroit from New York City. To ensure freshness, they’re shipped in insulated boxes with lots of ice. When they arrive, we pick them up directly from the airport ourselves and rush them to the restaurant. Then, we unpack them, marvel for a brief moment, and begin hand-slicing each fish. The act of hand-slicing a side of salmon is incredibly meditative. It’s relaxing. There’s an art and a science to it: getting the slices just right, layering them just right, being efficient in your strokes. Our staff is well-trained on the matter.  

Even when I travel, smoked fish is at the top of my list. A lot of beautiful Atlantic smoked salmon comes out of Norway. I was in Munich at the historic Dallmayr, where I tasted seven or eight different varieties of their salmon. When we were in Helsinki, they were making smoked salmon right there on the street! I love trying all of its varieties. I want my vocabulary of smoked fish to be comprehensive, which is why I find myself eating the stuff in so many far away places.

Something draws me to such a practical, ancient food source. Smoking was an early way of food preservation, especially in Nordic countries. It goes back thousands of years to the Viking communities in Scandinavia. It’s great travel food, too: It tastes great, isn’t particularly high in calories, and is a good source of protein. 

But more than anything, smoked fish just has an organic connection to my soul. I was brought up on it. It’s a wonderful product that I think everyone should try. Which is why we have really made special efforts to make our smoked fish attractive with our menu items and deli counter. I love it, and I want to share it. It’s got a place of honor in my life, and I hope it has a place in yours, too.

So, see you soon, whether you’re coming in for Sunday brunch, picking up your post-holiday supply, or simply dropping in because you have a brand new hunger pang for smoked fish inspired by this newsletter.

Wishing you and yours a healthy, happy, and fulfilling new year.

With love and lots of lox,

Steve Goldberg