But first, a little history. Smoked salmon was first developed in 17th century by Jewish immigrants in northern Europe, particularly Poland, the biggest user of this type of fish. Before refrigeration it was a great way of making it last longer. So it is the result of pairing the best Scottish fish and Jewish smoking techniques. Of course, it now comes vacuum packed so the shelf life is even better, usually between 21 and 28 days approximately.
#1 Health benefits
Smoked salmon is packed with nutrients, vitamins, and omega-3 fatty acids, all of which can boost your health and lower your risk of cancer, heart disease, and cognitive decline.
#2 All about the salmon
Smoked salmon is all about the salmon, not the smoke. There is cold smoked salmon and hot smoked salmong that is cooked after smoking. The smoke should never overpower the flavour of the fish, only enhance.
#3 The best smoked salmon…
…comes from Scotland and it’s outer islands, and closest to wherever you live. In my opinion. Great salmon also comes from Norway and the west coast of the US/Canada too.
#4 Clear pink
Smoked salmon should be clear pink with some odd marks. However, it should not have much of a smell at all. It generally takes a long time to actually go off given that it is cured but if it feels slimy, it is best avoided!
#5 Simple is best
Good smoked salmon is best served as simply as possible. For me, it is perfect on brown toast with plenty of lemon and black pepper. Or with horseradish or may on blinis. Also, it’s great added at the end to a pasta.
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