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Wildfish Cannery Smoked Coho Salmon

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

Fishwife Smoked Rainbow Trout

DeenLeave a comment

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.

Brand: Fishwife
Description: Smoked rainbow trout
Species: Rainbow trout
Country of Origin: Denmark
Source: FAO N/S Farm raised
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 3.7 oz.
Price Range: $10-12

Use code WELCOME10 for 10% off sitewide.

Affiliate link, earns commissions

Cole’s Patagonian Smoked Salmon

DeenLeave a comment

I grabbed this can of Cole's Patagonian Smoked Salmon in Extra Virgin Olive Oil during a trip to Walmart a couple of months ago, and am just now getting around to trying it. It was a little spendier than even their smoked rainbow trout, so I hoped I wouldn't be disappointed.

Initial impression upon opening the can: Disappointing.

I didn't know quite what to expect, but had hoped it would look better than this. The appearance is of an amorphous, pink hunk of something that might be fish. A sip of the oil provides a hint of smokiness. Again, as with their smoked trout, it promises "an aromatic Applewood blend". I wasn't getting it.

I broke off a small bit to give an initial taste. It had a hint of smoke, a mild taste and a soft texture. I thought it needed a bit more salt. Blindfolded, I'm not sure I could have told you what kind of fish it was. Don't get me wrong, at this price point I don't expect Wildfish Cannery or Fishwife levels of smoked salmon, but maybe something a little closer in taste and appearance to a fresh salmon fillet.

Diving In

Plopped out over rice, it barely broke apart. The milky white stuff is apparently fat that had exuded out into the bottom of the can. I'm used to this from cooking fresh salmon.

Soldiering on, it didn't improve much, so it was time to make the best of it and experiment.

I had just obtained a jar of S&B Crunchy Garlic in Chili Oil, the spicy version, as part of my deep dive into comparing chili crisp toppings.

I tried to be fair to the fish and not overpower it with this new, higher octane condiment. To that end, I applied it only very sparingly. It did make a minor improvement, I think more from the added salt and umami, which the fish by itself was lacking.

Anyway, another one taken for the team. I wish it had been better news.

Main Takeaways

Visually unappealing
Promised premium-quality smoke flavor undelivered
Lacked salt

Brand: Cole's Seafood
Description: Patagonian Smoked Salmon in EVOO
Species: Farm-raised salmon
Country of Origin: Chile
Source: FAO N/A
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 3.2 oz.
Price Range: $5-6

Wildfish Cannery Smoked Sockeye Salmon

DeenLeave a comment

This Wildfish Cannery Smoked Sockeye Salmon was included in a recent haul from Caputo's. I had a temporary tinned fish budget increase, and decided to splurge and get a few of the spendier items.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 5/5.

The smoky aroma hits you immediately, even before you get the lid completely off. Inside, two fillets are curled up, nestled in snuggly. The color is really remarkable. A sip of the can juice (oil is not listed as an ingredient) is a smoky preview of coming attractions. A nibble of the fish is smoky, salty, savory and mildly sweet. The texture is al dente, as expected with genuinely smoked salmon.

I thought I might be able to pry the fillets out whole from the can, but to no avail. The meat was flaky enough to make them fall apart.

Digging In

I got everything out over some hot rice, and poured the remaining can juices over it all.

The bites with skin added an extra dimension to the texture, softening it somewhat. The smoke, while prominent, didn't overpower or fatigue the palate.

The salt level was up front in the flavor profile. I thought the carton listing it at 330mg. seemed low, until I noted the can is considered two servings. Still, it was not off-putting.

I again found myself dividing the meat into successively smaller pieces, in order to prolong the gustatory experience. Authentically-smoked and well-seasoned salmon can have that effect.

I couldn't resist experimenting, and topped the last couple of bites with some Fly By Jing Original Chili Crisp. In retrospect, I'm glad I didn't put it on the whole thing. There wasn't enough sweetness to mitigate the heat, so it was a bit overpowering.

Main Takeaways

A superior example of tinned smoked salmon.
A premium selection from Wildfish Cannery, although not their most expensive.
While very good, their Smoked Coho Salmon and Habanero Smoked Coho are both very similarly satisfying selections, and can be had for about 20% to 25% less.

Brand: Wildfish Cannery
Description: Smoked Sockeye Salmon
Species: Alaskan Sockeye salmon
Country of Origin: USA
Source: FAO67, Northeast Pacific
Skin/Bones: Yes/No
Net Wt: 3.5 oz.
Price Range: $12

Bumblebee Skinless Boneless Smoked Trout

DeenLeave a comment

I've been on a bit of a tinned trout kick lately, and this Bumblebee Skinless Boneless Smoked Trout I found at Walmart looked interesting. At just over $4, I couldn't pass it up.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.8/5.

I thought there could have been a little more fish in the can, but that's not uncommon. There is a smoky aroma. A sip of the neutral oil (canola) is similarly smoky, and does not taste artificial. Tasting a bite of the fish alone, the smoke is just right, not overpowering the inherent taste of the trout. I also thought the salt level was just right. The meat is fused together in the can, but is flaky and moist.

Let's Eat

After breaking up the mass of fish a bit to get it out of the can, I put it out over some rice. I left the oil/broth that remained in the can for the moment.

Honestly, I could have left well enough alone and enjoyed the trout as-is over the rice, but I decided to experiment.

It seemed like some chili crisp might be the ticket, so I went with the Lao Gan Ma I've had for a while now. As chili crisps go, it's more crunchy bits than oil. The Fly By Jing, by contrast, has a higher ratio of chili oil to solids.

To loosen things up a bit, I poured most of the residual can liquid over everything and mixed it in. This was a good move, as the smoky oil/broth combined well with the onion/pepper heat of the chili crisp.

I'd recommend this smoked trout with or without condiments.

Other Thoughts

The carton doesn't specify how the smoke flavor is achieved. But since the ingredients don't list an added artificial smoke, I have to assume it's naturally applied.
The carton says this is farm raised fish from Latvia. I have seen other cartons of the same which say it was sourced from Germany and Turkey.

Competitively priced at Amazon.

Brand: Bumble Bee Seafoods
Description: Skinless Boneless Smoked Trout
Species: Farm raised trout
Country of Origin: Latvia
Source: FAO N/S
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 3.8 oz.
Price Range: $4

Bumblebee Smoke Flavored Coho Salmon

DeenLeave a comment

I picked up this Bumblebee Smoke Flavored Coho Salmon at Walmart about a month ago. At the time I was exploring different brands of tinned smoked salmon with varying results. This one was inexpensive enough, under $3, so I gave it a try.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.8/5.

I had already taken notice of the fact the carton says "smoke flavored". At this price point, I wasn't expecting actual smoked fish. The aroma of smoke, however, is very present. A sip of the oil has the same flavor. That the smoke taste is artificial is obvious. The can is reasonably full. The oil (soybean) is tinged a reddish color, noted in the ingredients list as an artificial additive. Trying a little of the meat by itself, I find it possesses a flakier texture than some other tinned salmon in its price range. I consider that a plus.

I thought this might be an opportunity to perk things up a bit, so I opened the jar of FLYBYJING Sichuan Chili Crisp I bought while on sale during the recent Amazon Prime Big Deal Days.

There is a very good smoked salmon sold by Fishwife which includes this same chili crisp condiment. Realistically, I wasn't expecting to replicate that product, nor even come close. But I did find it made an improvement here.

I ended up adding a little more than what's shown in the photo, and probably should have left well enough alone. It's not that the heat of the chili crisp is overpowering, but less of it might have made for a better balance with the taste of the fish.

Well priced at Amazon.

Brand: Bumble Bee Seafoods
Description: Smoke Flavored Coho Salmon
Species: Medium red salmon
Country of Origin: Thailand
Source: FAO N/S
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 3.75 oz.
Price Range: $3

Fangst Brisling Smoked Over Beech Wood

DeenLeave a comment

These Fangst Brisling Smoked Over Beech Wood came with that recent big haul from Caputo's. I've been looking forward to seeing how their sprats were when just smoked, without any other seasonings. They were a bit surprising.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.9/5.

Nicely packed, as better Latvian sprats usually are. The count looks to be 11 in a single layer. Visually, they have that bronze look of smoked sprats. The aroma from the can isn't especially noteworthy. I don't really smell any smokiness, but assume it will be there on the palate. A sip of the oil is, well, um, salty. And that's a new one on me.

Normally, I treat sprats as more of a snack, and just eat them from the can solo. Digging in, the fish are quite tender. And salty. The carton says 350mg. sodium, but it tastes like twice that or more. I am getting a hint of the wood smoke on the back end, but it's very subtle. You have to really be looking for it to detect it under all the salt.

Oh, and did I mention salty? I've had other Fangst selections before, and noted each time that they had a prominent but not off-putting salt level. Unfortunately, this time was different, and I found the overt saltiness to be a distraction. It didn't keep me from finishing the $8 can, mind you, but it made for a somewhat disappointing experience. YMMV.

I did look up a few online reviews of these, and while some did note the saltiness, they didn't mention it overpowering the other flavors. Perhaps this can was an anomaly. Caveat emptor.

Main Takeaways

Nice sprats
Subtle smoke
Far saltier than the amount of sodium listed

Brand: Fangst (Copenhagen, Denmark)
Description: Brisling, Smoked over beech wood
Species: Sprattus sprattus
Country of Origin: Latvia
Source: FAO 27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 3.5 oz.
Price Range: $8