smoked salmon Archives

Fishwife Smoked Salmon

I picked up this Fishwife Smoked Salmon at Whole Foods, where it is currently on sale at 30% off for Amazon Prime members. That brought the sticker shock $11.99 price down to $8.38.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4/5.

Initial impression is usually based on appearance, things like scales, fins, aroma. Fractions of points added or removed for each. It's very disappointing when points taken off are the result of glaringly empty space.

I mean, really. If you were a new customer to a highly-promoted brand, and paid $12 for a tin of smoked salmon packed only 75% full, what would you think? It would leave a bad taste in your mouth, even before the first bite. "Sold by weight, not volume", yeah, I get it, but I reserve the right to expect a far better OOBE at this price point.

Moving on. The aroma is subtly smoky. The appearance is not as dark as with some tinned smoked salmons, but the coloration suggests the promise of it having been "slow smoked over beechwood". The olive oil is neutral, and not being EVOO, I expect is basically just preserving moisture.

Let's Try It

I placed the fish over a bowl of rice. Being there was a copious amount of oil left in the tin, I poured only about a tablespoon's worth over everything.

The meat is tender and moist with a well-balanced contribution from the smoke. The smoke not overpowering the flavor of the fish is always a plus.

The fish is not as al dente as other premium smoked salmons usually seen packaged in small round tins, including those from Fishwife. The texture is flaky and it's cooked just right.

Sodium is listed at an above average 670mg, but it doesn't taste that salty. The level was just about right, in my estimation.

Main Takeaways

Flavorful, tender salmon
Good smoke balance
OOBE disappointing

Brand: Fishwife Tinned Seafood Co.
Description: Smoked Salmon
Species: Atlantic salmon
Country of Origin: Norway (processed in Denmark)
Source: Farmed
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 3.7 oz.
Price Range: $12

Patagonia Provisions Smoked Wild Pink Salmon

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This Patagonia Provisions Smoked Wild Pink Salmon was found on sale at Whole Foods at the same time as their smoked salmon with pastrami spice. The only difference appears to be the pastrami part. Let's see how this one compares.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.8/5.

Again a fraction of a point deducted for that empty space in the can. The aroma is smoky and sweet, courtesy of natural wood smoke and organic brown sugar. A sip of the broth echoes both.

Let's Eat

Out of the tin, you can better appreciate the bronze color from the natural smoke. There's still some skin attached, and some drops of fat exuding here and there. Both will contribute to a more unctuous mouth feel.

There were a couple of tablespoons of broth left in the tin, and I poured it over everything.

The meat is al dente, as expected, but flakes readily. On the palate, the smoke and brown sugar are well-balanced. Salt is a reasonable 510mg., maybe a little low for this type of product.

Absent other flavor embellishments such as the one from Fishwife, this one compares reasonably well to similar competition from Wildfish Cannery.

Main Takeaways

Firm, meaty salmon
Well-balanced smoke and seasoning

If there's any complaint to air, it's that another half ounce or so could have fit in the tin. The $7.64 Whole Foods/Amazon Prime sale price made it more than reasonable, though.

Brand: Patagonia Provisions
Description: Smoked Wild Pink Salmon
Species: Pink salmon
Country of Origin: WA, USA
Source: FAO67, Northeast Pacific
Skin/Bones: Yes/No
Net Wt: 3 oz.
Price Range: $10

Patagonia Provisions Smoked Wild Pink Salmon With Pastrami Spice

DeenLeave a comment

I went to Whole Foods looking for some sale items, and was pleased to find this new, unadvertised Patagonia Provisions Smoked Wild Pink Salmon With Pastrami Spice in stock. So new, in fact, it's not even listed on the Whole Foods website yet. And it was on sale!

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.8/5.

The pastrami spice aroma hits you immediately, along with a distinct smokiness. There is a modest amount of liquid in the can, typical of smoked salmon in this format. At an even 3 oz. it's a fraction of an ounce lighter than similar entries from competitors Fishwife and Wildfish Cannery. I could see some room in the can for a little more fish.

Let's Try It

My bad. I should have checked the photo before I ate. It's a little fuzzy.

Anyway, there's some nice bronze skin, and I detected no bones. The meat is firm, but flakes readily.

The flavor of the pastrami spice is just right, It could have been overwrought and overpowered the flavor of the fish, but thankfully no.

The ingredients list: Wild pink salmon, organic brown sugar, salt, organic pastrami spice blend (black pepper, coriander, caraway, garlic, onion, mustard), natural wood smoke. As I ate, there was an impression of tanginess I thought might be from vinegar, but as you can see it's not included.

I was pleased the salt level was not as high as might be anticipated, clocking in at a reasonable 530mg.

Main Takeaways

Well-seasoned slow smoked salmon
Pastrami spice well-balanced
Not overly salty

The Whole Foods list price was a competitive $9.99, but the sale brought it down to $7.64 for Amazon Prime members. There was also a "slow smoked with brown sugar" version. I bought a can of it, too, and will review it shortly. By comparison, the only difference between the two ingredient-wise is the pastrami spice.

More On Marketing

I had to check out the Patagonia Provisions website to see if this was truly new or something I had just overlooked. It appears to be new, as of this writing. I found it odd the cartons didn't match, the website showing packaging more in keeping with the rest of the current line. You can see the carton I purchased above is leaning in to the whole eye-catching graphics trend for tinned fish cartons. They've forgone the unnecessary printing of the inside of the box, though. The whole package has a recycled content feel, for which they are to be commended.

Brand: Patagonia Provisions
Description: Smoked Wild Pink Salmon With Pastrami Spice
Species: Pink salmon
Country of Origin: WA, USA
Source: FAO67, Northeast Pacific
Skin/Bones: Yes/No
Net Wt: 3 oz.
Price Range: $10