But then, you can smoke it to make Nova. This is cold smoking where the fish is exposed to smoke but not heat, so it doesn't cook. After a few hours in the smoke, the lox has absorbed the smoke flavor and is, at least in my opinion, even more delicious. It's a light smoke, usually done with fruit wood, nothing like what would be done for BBQ or ribs (hickory or mesquite). The salmon is now known as Nova. The name Nova is capitalized because it comes from the name of Nova Scotia, the Canadian province where a lot of the salmon is, or at least used to be, caught.