Fishwife Smoked Rainbow Trout

I've tried a few different tinned trout recently, some smoked, with mix results. I hoped this Fishwife Smoked Rainbow Trout would be the breakthrough I was looking for.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.5/5.

Examples of this product I've seen before had a more impressive look. Authentically smoked fish, particularly that with a darker flesh, usually exhibits a mahogany hue after smoking. (See Fishwife Slow Smoked Mackerel.) This one looks a little pale by comparison. The initial aroma is smoky, and I find it neither too subtle nor overpowering. A sip of the oil has a similar note.

The can is packed reasonably full. The pieces of fillet appear to be skinless. We'll have to wait until it's out of the can to see what's on the other side.

A nibble of fish is promising. The smoke flavor seems spot on, and so does the salt level. I'm having trouble not just eating it all right from the can.

Let's Do Lunch

I flipped the can contents out, liquid and all, over some hot rice. I was expecting to maybe see skin, but no. There are a lot of what look like grate marks, so apparently the skin had been removed before it was smoked. Or perhaps they're the result of some automated skin removal process.

As I worked my way through the bowl, the saltiness was becoming increasingly more noticeable, even though the package lists a reasonably low to moderate 180mg. The smoke, by contrast, continued to remain pleasant on the palate.

Don't get me wrong, the salt level wasn't terrible. But, if I were to put some kind of condiment on it, or use it in a dish, I'd have to make a conscious effort to minimize any additional salt. Otherwise, it would just blow away any flavor of the fish.

Final Thoughts

• Not the prettiest can of smoked fish, but the flavor quality is there
• Nice smoke level stays in its lane, lets the flavor of the fish show through
• A little spendy, but smoked trout at half the price is usually less than half the quality

$10 at Amazon was the best price available among my usual sources.