coho Archives - Sardeenz!

I've been sitting on this can of Wildfish Cannery Smoked Coho Salmon for almost three months now. I like to mix things up, and it seemed like time to revisit salmon. It came with my second order from Caputo's, who stocks a nice selection of Wildfish Cannery at good prices. Let's try it.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.8/5.

C'mon, now. There's room for a little more salmon in there. It's a typical premium smoked salmon packing style. Filets are cut cross-wise into 1" wide strips, smoked, and then coiled up in a small round can.

The aroma is quite smoky, courtesy of natural alderwood smoke. A sip of the can liquid is similarly smoky. There's also a sweet molasses smell to it.

Seasonings include brown sugar, garlic, black pepper and salt. Quite a bit of salt. It's listed as 220 mg. per serving, and the can is two servings. I'd say it tastes like quite a bit more than 440 mg. A very salt-forward profile seems to be common with smoked salmon. And hey, get your own can.

Bland rice has a way of tempering the saltiness, so I was in luck. I poured everything including the can juices out over it.

The texture is firm, but the meat flakes without much effort. The skin, which usually adds a fatty element to the mouth feel wasn't doing all that much here.

Briefly, I had thoughts of what I might embellish this with, but decided to leave well enough alone. I found myself thinking maybe this is too smoky or too salty, but neither stopped me finishing the whole thing

If I were to add something, it would have to bring a sweeter element to help offset the overt smoke and salt. Maybe Fly By Jing Sweet + Spicy.

Main Takeaways

Good natural alderwood smoke
Tastes saltier than advertised
Good price point for premium smoked salmon

Brand: Wildfish Cannery
Description: Smoked Coho Salmon
Species: Alaskan Coho salmon
Country of Origin: USA
Source: FAO67, Northeast Pacific
Skin/Bones: Yes/No
Net Wt: 3.5 oz.
Price Range: $9

I've been waiting to crack open this Wildfish Cannery Habanero Smoked Coho Salmon for some time now. I tried a few other cans of various smoked salmon in the interim, and wanted to have a broader frame of reference before trying this more premium offering.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 5/5.

Impressive. From the deep color to the marbling of the fish to the aroma of smoke and the myriad seasonings, just impressive. Extracting a small bite, the flavor and texture are overwhelming in multiple (good) ways: smoky, heat, sweet, savory, salty; the meat al dente from the authentic smoking process. I found it hard to stop picking bites directly from the can. But I wanted to get it out over some rice to get all of that sauce. Here's what's in it:

Wild Alaska Coho salmon, habanero hot sauce (Alaskan bull kelp, fermented peppers, mango puree, water, vinegar, agave, salt, conc. lime juice, garlic, xanthan, rosemary extract, dried habanero pepper), sea salt, brown sugar, garlic, and black pepper.

There is some skin with a thin layer of fat adding to the mouth feel. As I ate more of it, I found the heat to be steady, not at all fatiguing on the palate.

The complexity of the flavor of the sauce was deep and, again, impressive. There's that word again.

The salt, however, was another story. The carton says the contents is two servings, so the total for the can is 840mg. sodium. That's kind of pushing it. Still, it didn't seem untenable, just quite noticeable.

All things considered, there's much to recommend this one.

Main Takeaways

Impressive color, aroma and texture
Steady, balanced habanero heat
Complex flavors from a baker's dozen of ingredients

See it at Amazon. Unfortunately, a little pricier there than elsewhere, but can be had in eaches.

Brand: Wildfish Cannery
Description: Habanero Smoked Coho Salmon
Species: Alaskan Coho salmon
Country of Origin: USA
Source: FAO67, Northeast Pacific
Skin/Bones: Yes/No
Net Wt: 4.2 oz.
Price Range: $10