trout Archives - Sardeenz!

Fishwife Smoked Trout with Red Chimichurri

Another tin I picked up from that new local gourmet shop, this Fishwife Smoked Trout with Red Chimichurri sounded quite appetizing. It's a selection not stocked by either of the other two places I've purchased Fishwife products before. A little spendy at $13, but not out of the ballpark for Fishwife tins that incorporate some kind of additional premium preparation like their Sichuan chili crisp smoked salmon.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 5/5.

The aroma hits you immediately. Smoke, vinegar, oregano, cumin. It's almost like the lid just opened on a loaded barbecue pit. The chimichurri looks kind of sparse, though. A sip of the oil (olive) is also smoky and seasoned.

The single filet is firm enough to lift out of the tin intact. Underneath, there is a copious amount of the chimichurri, and I poured all of it over the trout and rice.

An added plus was that there was enough of the sauce to coat the fish as well as season the majority of the rice.

Picking off bites of fish, I note it is firm but tender enough. The smoking process has flavored it but not made it tough. I didn't check to see if there was skin on the bottom of it, but didn't notice any as I ate.

The seasoning includes grilled red pepper, vinegar, parsley, garlic, oregano, paprika, cumin, chili and salt. The pepper and herbs have been reduced to a coarse grind, and everything is well-integrated.

Main Takeaways

Complex aroma and flavor
Tender, meaty trout
Everything well-balanced

About the only thing that could make this tin any better would be a lower price.

Attractively priced in lots of three at Amazon, though. I just ordered three if that tells you anything. Or use the link and code below and get some directly from Fishwife.

Brand: Fishwife
Description: Smoked trout with red chimichurri
Species: Trout
Country of Origin: Denmark
Source: FAO N/S Farm raised
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 3.7 oz.
Price Range: $11-13

Use code WELCOME10 for 10% off sitewide.

Affiliate link, earns commissions

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

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

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

Scout Rainbow Trout with Dill

DeenLeave a comment

I picked up this Scout Rainbow Trout with Dill on sale at Whole Foods. I often look at supermarket variety tinned trout, but pass it by, assuming I'll be disappointed. This more premium offering being at a relatively bargain price made me go ahead and pull the trigger.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.5/5.

I didn't really get too much aroma from the dill, although it appeared plentiful in the can and on the fish. Digging around, the meat is flaky and tender. A first taste found the seasoning mild, not overpowering.

I dumped it out over some hot rice, hoping the dill flavor would "bloom" a bit, but it didn't.

One might be tempted to characterize the fish as being dry, but I think it's just the nature of the beast, it's not an oily fish. The ingredients list sunflower oil, but it didn't really impact the mouthfeel.

I thought what was missing was some brightness to the seasoning. The fish has no strong flavor of its own, and the dill is only mildly herbaceous. A little more salt may have helped as well. What it really needed, I thought, was a shot of fresh lemon juice that I didn't have on hand. I'd be willing to buy another can to test that theory.

Main Takeaways

Not much dill flavor for that much dill
Tender, flaky meat
Needed something to brighten up lackluster seasoning

Not competitively priced at Amazon.

Brand: Scout Canning
Description: Rainbow trout with dill
Species: Rainbow trout
Country of Origin: Canada
Source: Twin Falls, ID
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 3.2 oz.
Price Range: $8