10 Popular Smoked Salmon Brands, Tasted & Ranked

I think it started when I went to Alaska a few years ago and had smoked salmon for breakfast every day. I've not gotten out of the habit since, so the low-calorie, protein-packed delicacy is on repeat on my shopping list, and I just grab whatever is on sale or costs the least at the store.

If I'm going to be eating something 20-some times a month, wouldn't it make sense to figure out which is the best version of that thing? Why yes, let's do that!

So I headed to a few grocery stores to sample 10 different smoked salmons, with just one rule: they all have to be "plain," as in, no overboard flavors or seasonings advertised on the packaging. Then I called up some friends who own a Scandinavian-inspired restaurant and who are the only people I know who probably eat more smoked salmon than I do. We had ourselves a smorgasbord and rated and ranked each one.

The method: We tried each one on its own first, then went back around and tried them all again with our choice of accouterments. Or, as their young son described, we built bites, loading some of their housemade Leffsa or crackers with their beet salad, pickled red onions, paper-thin pickled cucumbers, avocado, fresh cucumbers, cream cheese, or creme fraiche.

It turns out there are some pretty big differences between the various brands you find at the supermarket. Here's how each brand measured up, ranked in descending order from my least favorite to the most delicious.

Trader Joe's Nova Salmon Pieces

Farm-raised salmon from the fjords of Patagonia, cold smoked in the "European style" with hardwoods … what could go wrong? Well, since the producers add color and this was the first packet to be relegated to the side table when it came time to just dive in and enjoy the salmon buffet, apparently quite a lot? This variety cost $9.99 for eight ounces.

The look: Pale in color, and flabby in appearance, this scored poorly on its looks alone. Things didn't improve with tasting.

The taste: This salmon was pronounced too slick, a little viscous, and "squishy." It smelled fishy out of the package, so, sadly, this one was just a loser all the way around.

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Private Selection Cold Smoked Alaskan Wild Sockeye Salmon

This Kroger brand contender is billed as "traditional wild caught in Alaskan waters and traditionally cured." I get it. Tradition. A robust, succulent flavor from the applewood smoking is promised, but not quite delivered. I paid $8.49 for a four-ounce pack at Kroger.

The look: This is on the deeper end of the range of salmon hues, with a reddish shade that didn't really appeal.

The taste: Liquid smoke, acrid, and chemical were used to describe this salmon. The texture was pretty good, but the chef in our group felt like the smoking veered into actual cooking territory.

Duck Trap Wild Caught Traditional Cold Smoked Wild Sockeye Salmon

This wild caught salmon from the Pacific Northwest, according to one taster, is in fact, "the bologna of smoked salmon."  It cost $11.99 for four ounces at Whole Foods.

The look: You're not buying this for its looks. An unappetizing reddish color, weird sheen, and thick cut combine for a decidedly un-enticing appearance.

The taste: "I hate that. It's awful," was the immediate response from at least one taster. Further discussion revealed the chef's opinion that this may come from the tail (the more muscular, harder working) part of the salmon, and that it's overly cured. Just plain bad.

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Changing Seas Responsible Seafood Smoked Salmon Norwegian Premium Center Cut

This salmon was farmed in Norway and smoked in Germany, according to the package, which notes the fish had plenty of room to swim, and were given no antibiotics or "added hormones." A four-ounce pack cost $8.99 at Whole Foods.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

The look: Promising. It did lean a little veiny, and fell apart as we tried to slice it.

The taste: Ok-ish. "I don't hate it" was about the nicest thing anyone could say. The consensus was it was too salty. "It's not smoked, who are they fooling?" one taster asked, unless "it was in Grandma's apartment full of smoke," he joked.

Trader Joe's Wild Sockeye Smoked Salmon

According to Trader Joe's, this wild-caught salmon comes from "the icy waters of the major Northeast Pacific fishing area located west of Canada and south of Alaska." It's dry cured and smoked "very slowly over applewood … at a relatively low temperature." This method is supposed to give it a "firm-textured fish with rich salmon flavor." I paid $7.99 for the four-ounce pack.

The look: This reddish-orange guy wasn't pretty coming out of the package, tearing easily. My chef friend suggested that it was well-smoked, which makes the fibers break down easily.

The taste: Not bad. The texture was buttery and nice, but the flavor was a little off. Sometimes salmon is weighed down in order to speed up the smoking process, and my chef friend said this one tasted like that compression went too far.

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365 Whole Foods Cold Smoked Atlantic Salmon

Farm raised in Poland, this salmon from Whole Foods' 365 store brand is said to be responsibly farmed. It's got added color and sugar, and is smoked over beechwood. It was the most divisive of our selections, getting glowing comments from some tasters and knocks from others. Eight ounces cost me $12.99 at Whole Foods.

The look: This salmon was pretty coming out of the package, peeling nicely, and offering up a textbook smoked salmon color.

The taste: Some of us thought it was hard to saw through, yet squishy at the same time, with a chewy texture. Others thought the smoky scent and nice fatty flavor made up for that. Pretty good, overall.

Ducktrap Kendall Brook Cold Smoked Salmon

Farm raised in Norway and cold smoked in Maine with a variety of woods, this one was close to winning, with the chef calling it balanced, and commenting that "it's done by a company that understands what it's supposed to taste like." An eight-ounce package cost me $11.99 at Publix.

The look: A bit shiny, and a bit pale, but it still had a nice salmony color.

The taste: My tasters and I were divided on this, with a few of us finding it undersalted, but the "not mushy" texture and nice fattiness made up for that. This would definitely be a contender for eating daily.

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Spence & Co Ltd Traditional Scottish Style Smoked Salmon

The package talks a lot about traditional Scottish methods of smoking salmon. It seems the Scots know what's what because this was the first brand to get a unanimous thumbs up. It cost $11.99 for four ounces at Whole Foods.

The look: Now this is a good-looking smoked salmon. It wins for tidy slices, packaged nicely with paper between each slice, greatly aiding in getting consistent portions. It's exactly the color you think of when you think of smoked salmon.

The taste: "Nice pushback," declared one taster. "It doesn't just fall apart." The flavor was fairly mild, with nice wafts of smoke. "Really good," deemed one taster, and we all agreed.

However, there were two varieties that my tasters and I liked even better. Coming from the same company, these were both so good we couldn't pick just one.

Kvarøy Arctic and Santa Barbara Smokehouse Rope Hung Atlantic Salmon

This sustainably raised salmon is farmed in the "cold, pristine waters" of the Arctic, according to the package. It's rope hung before being smoked in a traditional brick kiln. Let me just tell you: it works. It had me at the first whiff when I opened the package, transporting me to the wilds of the Arctic, where a plume of smoke wends its way across the polar night. This was one of three packages that was wiped out before the evening was over. "Let's get this one the way home," one of my friends said to the other when it was gone. This was $12.99 at Whole Foods for a four-ounce package.

The look: Pretty. So, so pretty. "Not too wet," said one taster. It looked like what every smoked salmon wants to look like.

The taste: "Perfect," said one taster. "I'd eat that right out of the package," said another. Lots of mmmmms went around the table. This is just buttery salmon happiness that's great on its own, and next level with my preferred companions of avocado and cream cheese.

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Santa Barbara Smokehouse Smoked Atlantic Salmon

Farmed sustainably in the Norwegian Atlantic, this salmon is cured with sea salt and brown sugar before smoking in small batches in an open-fire wood-burning smokehouse. Somewhere in there is some magic, because my tasting group couldn't stop eating this. It's $12.99 for four ounces at Whole Foods.

The look: It looks a little messy, honestly, kind of raggedy when you cut it, but don't let that deter you.

The taste: "I cannot honestly believe how good this is," one taster said. "This feels more authentic, like more time was spent," said another. We agreed you can taste the process, and it's just so … salmony. This will definitely be taking up a permanent position in my fridge.

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