smoked Archives - Page 3 of 5

Bumblebee Smoke Flavored Coho Salmon

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

Cole’s Smoked Rainbow Trout in EVOO

DeenLeave a comment

I thought this Cole's Smoked Rainbow Trout would make a good follow-up to the Trader Joe's smoked trout I just tried and reviewed. The jargon on the can was enticing. "Farm-raised, boneless rainbow trout", "smoked using an aromatic Applewood blend", "hand-packed in extra virgin olive oil". Sounds like a tri-fecta, no?

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4/5.

Cracking the can open, the presentation is skin-on. Quite a bit of headroom with oil and no fish, though. There is no overt aroma of smokiness. In fact, there's none at all. A sip of the oil is similarly free of any hint of smoke. It is, however, a nice, neutral olive oil with an aura of quality about it.

Peeling back the skin to get a look at the meat, there is no evidence of smoke contact. Given the hard sell on the can about Applewood, this is perplexing. I wanted to try this as soon as possible after the Trader Joe's in order to make a well-informed comparison. But it appears this won't really be apples to apples. A taste of the meat reveals its mild taste and texture. But still no smoke.

Dumped out over rice, the skin, which had stuck to the can, peeled back to further reveal the delicate, flaky white meat.

Digging in, the flavor of the fish really comes through. The skin adds nothing really beyond a slightly fatty mouth feel to the bites that include it.

The can lists 300mg. sodium, but it feels far lower. Maybe that's a good thing, as about the only positive I can say about the whole experience is that the intrinsic trout flavor really shines through.

Unfortunately, though, no smoke. $4 at Walmart if you want to try it.

Brand: Cole's Seafood
Description: Smoked Rainbow Trout in Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Species: Farm-raised rainbow trout
Country of Origin: Chile
Source: FAO N/A
Skin/Bones: Yes/No
Net Wt: 3.2 oz.
Price Range: $4

Trader Joe’s Smoked Trout Fillets

DeenLeave a comment

I picked up a can of this Trader Joe's Smoked Trout Fillets up on a recent trip there. It was one of the only tinned fish selections they offer that I had yet to try. Most are relatively inexpensive, starting at only $2. But this one, at $4.49, is at their higher end.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.8/5.

The fill is about average compared to other open cans of it I've seen. There's immediately a smoky aroma. The fillets themselves aren't really giving off any aroma I consider fishy. A sip of the oil is neutral but subtly infused with the taste of the smoke. I initially though it might portend an overly smoky flavor to the fish, but it was not to be the case. In researching, I noted that this can previously did not say "hardwood". The ingredients, which list now only "trout fillets, canola oil, salt" formerly had the word "smoke" added. The revision is a plus.

Digging in, the meat is flaky. Trying to extract one of the fillets from the can, I find it fused to the other, so I just dumped it all out over rice. The bits you see on top are just trout debris that was floating in the oil. Consistent with the labeling, there is no skin.

Working my way through the bowl, the meat is satisfyingly tender, flaky and mild in flavor. The texture is reminiscent of a better quality white tuna. The smoke is just right, neither overpowering nor fatiguing on the palate. I also thought the salt level was well-balanced with the rest of the flavors.

I was concerned I might be less than impressed due to the fish being farm raised and packed in canola oil, but neither took away from the experience in any discernable way.

I'd buy this again, and have no trouble recommending it as an entrée into the world of tinned smoked trout.

Main Takeaways

Flaky and tender fish
Just right smoke and salt
Easily recommended

Brand: Trader Joe's
Description: Trout fillets, hardwood smoked
Species: Farm-raised trout
Country of Origin: Germany
Source: FAO N/A
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 3.9 oz.
Price Range: $4-5

Fishwife Smoked Salmon with Sichuan Chili Crisp

DeenLeave a comment

I've been waiting for this Fishwife Smoked Salmon with Sichuan Chili Crisp to come back on sale again at Whole Foods. Last time, it was out of stock by the time I got there. This time, there was exactly one can on the shelf the second day of the sale period. At $15, it's probably one of, if not the most expensive cans of tinned fish you're likely to find on a shelf at a local store. Was it worth it, even at 30% off for Amazon Prime members? Let's find out.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.9/5.

A fraction deducted for that empty space at the bottom that could have had more fish in it. Otherwise, the appearance and smoky aroma are enticing. A taste of a pinch of the fish is reminiscent of their Slow Smoked Mackerel. The meat is al dente, as one would expect of authentically smoked fish. I am also already making a mental comparison to the Wildfish Cannery Habanero Smoked Coho Salmon I had tried previously.

Diving In

The carton suggests serving over rice, so that's what I did. Dumped out, you can see some skin and all the goodies from the chili crisp.

If you're familiar with chili crisp, you'll know that Fly By Jing Chili Crisp, like this tinned salmon, is also one of the most expensive of its kind you're likely to find on a local store shelf. It's seen at around $10 to $14, typically, for a small 6 ounce jar.

As I worked my way through the bowl, I found myself dividing the fish into ever smaller pieces, trying to extend the premium experience out as long as possible. As with their slow smoked mackerel, there is a balance of sweet, salty, savory and heat. Except, this time, the heat is kicked up to the next level by the chili crisp. As I finished, I noted the slight numbness to the lips Sichuan peppercorn is known to cause.

Other Thoughts

One caveat. Although it doesn't seem that high, the sodium content is whopping 1050 mg. for the single serving can.

Regardless, this was really good. But I'm just going to have to wait for a sale to buy more. $15 for 3.2 ounces translates to $75 a pound for smoked salmon. In the meantime, I know I can come quite close to the experience with their smoked mackerel. It normally sells in the $9 range. Or the Wildfish Habanero Smoked Coho for $10. Unfortunately, Whole Foods doesn't stock either.

Brand: Fishwife Tinned Seafood Co.
Description: Smoked Salmon with Fly By Jing Chili Crisp
Species: Atlantic salmon
Country of Origin: Norway
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/No
Net Wt: 3.2 oz.
Price Range: $15

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JOSÉ Gourmet Smoked Small Mackerel in Olive Oil

DeenLeave a comment

I chose this JOSÉ Gourmet Smoked Small Mackerel in Olive Oil as part of a recent online order not really knowing what I would get. There was no photo. The description didn't say fillets, but all the smoked mackerel I'd had before was either slices or chunks of fish. Perhaps "small" should have been a clue.

Initial impression upon opening the can: Oh, no...

OK, maybe that assessment was a little premature. The last whole small mackerel I had was not that impressive. Its seasonings were lackluster, and the loins of fish still had most of their fins.

Pressing on. The aroma and taste of a sip of the oil were both smoky, the latter quite distinctively. The carton doesn't specify method, but it was clearly derived from natural wood smoke. I want to say it was borderline acrid, but hoped it didn't translate to the fish that way.

Extracting a fish from the can, the skin is remarkably iridescent, shifting color from charcoal to gray to blue to bronze as it moves in the light. I know that's not really germane to the flavor, but interesting nonetheless. A bite of the fish is firm, but doesn't seem dry, at least not any drier than typical smoked fish.

Out onto rice, you can see they were substantial in size, even though described as small.

Trying to pierce them with a fork, they were resistant to being divided up into bites crosswise, but did readily split open along the spine.

Unfortunately, the smoke flavor was just strong enough to predominate, and by the end had become a little fatiguing on the palate. I also thought they might have benefited by a little more salt.

So far, I've been a fan of everything JOSÉ Gourmet I've tried, but this may be the exception. YMMV.

Main Takeways

Nice looking fish
Not as small as expected
Overly smoky

See it at Amazon.

Brand: 100 Misterios / JOSÉ Gourmet
Description: Smoked Small Mackerel in olive oil
Species: Scomber sp.
Country of Origin: Portugal
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 4.2 oz.
Price Range: $10

Fishwife Slow Smoked Mackerel with Chili Flakes

DeenLeave a comment

I picked up this Fishwife Slow Smoked Mackerel on a recent run to World Market. Like many of you, I'm sure, I wonder if the quality of the contents lives up to the level of effort Fishwife puts into their packaging. Is it "all hat, no cattle", or was this mackerel worth $9 a can?

Initial impression upon opening the can: 5/5.

I wasn't sure what to expect, but the appearance and aroma had my full attention. A sip of the oil was a preview of coming attractions. Smoky, with a dark, complex sweetness, and a little heat on the back end. I wanted this out over rice, as the carton suggests, but took a little nibble off of a corner first. The texture was what I expected of a slow smoked fish, al dente, kind of like the bark on barbecued pork.

The carton lists a modest 220 calories (drained), but if I'm eating it over rice, I'm dumping the whole thing.

There were three pieces, skin on, one a bit larger and thicker than the others which looked more like from the tail end. A thin layer of fat under the skin improved the mouth feel.

The sweetness, the carton says, comes from demerara sugar, that from the first pressing of the sugar cane. Its molasses content adds a layer of complexity.

Altogether, we have sweet, salty, savory and a mild heat providing a winning combination. Was it worth the $9? I think so.

Main Takeaways

Amazing aroma
Tantalizing flavor profile
Fatty skin adds a decadent element

Brand: Fishwife Tinned Seafood Co.
Description: Slow Smoked Mackerel with Chili Flakes
Species: Mackerel
Country of Origin: Scotland
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/No
Net Wt: 3.7 oz.
Price Range: $9

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