The best smoked salmon you can buy in the UK, taste tested
Though smoked fish has been a delicacy since the ancient Greeks and Romans roamed the earth, there's no nation more synonymous with the aromatic, omega-3-filled delight than Bonnie Scotland.
Alongside those rolling Highland hills, mountainous Munros and ancient leafy forests, the waves of The North Sea lap against gritty shoes in the east, while the Atlantic Ocean borders land in the west and the north. It's where the waters of the North Atlantic feed wild rivers throughout the Scottish Isles, however, you'll find finned treasure with flaming orange flesh.
Rivers like the Tay, Dee, and Spey are particularly well-known for their spring salmon runs. They make up three of the "big four" rivers of Scotland and offer oodles of Atlantic Salmon fishing opportunities during the height of the season – which is largely between February to October, though it differs depending on the river. But how exactly did the tradition of smoking come about?
The practice first arose out of preservation, with people in the Middle Ages discovering that fish lasted a whole lot longer after drying, curing and smoking. Smoked fish thus became a staple in Medieval Europe and was consumed largely in soups, salads and stews. According to Belhaven Smokehouse in Dunbar, the Scottish tradition of preserving and flavouring fish with wood smoke can be traced back to the 11th century.
Yet other sources suggest that 'traditional' Scottish smoked salmon was brought about by Jewish immigrants living in London during the late 19th century, who applied the European means of smoking fish (curing it with salt, suspending it in smokehouses over smouldering wood shavings and leaving it overnight) to Scottish salmon sourced form Billingsgate Market on Lower Thames Street.
Yiddish 'Lox' – a saltier and smoother type of cured smoked salmon – differs greatly from flaky Scottish dry-cured and smoked salmon, and the true origins of salmon smoking remain entirely unclear. Traditional methods vary regionally, even within Scotland. Take Arbroath Smokies as an example – the hot, barrel-smoked haddock from Auchmithie dates back approximately two centuries.
Whatever your textural, taste or origin preferences may be, we've cure-ated a selection of the best smoked salmon available to buy in the UK for all your culinary needs.
One of the rare commercial smoked salmon producers to use solely wild salmon, you'll certainly taste the difference when you try Leap for the first time. Naturally rich in flavour and flame-red in colour, it's smoked with a sumptuous mixture of Maple, Birch, Beech, Alder and Hickory wood for a delicate yet rich aroma.
The beloved East End traditional smokehouse has been going since 1905 and remains family-run. H.Forman & Son's unbeatable smoked salmon certainly reflects over a century of expertise and mastery, for the firm yet flavourful freshly-cured delicacy remains the best of the London-smoked bunch.
This delicious salmon is smoked over oak wood chips and shavings, then matured for at least three days. The Gloucestershire-based smokery sits between two of the UK's most celebrated, salmon-abundant rivers, resulting in brilliantly fresh flavours that taste fabulous with a slice of sourdough and slightly salted butter.
If it's good enough for The Ritz, The Berkeley, Claridge's, The Savoy, Fortnum's, Harrods and more, then it's good enough for us.
Known for maintaining highly traditional methods, John Ross' D-cut classic smoked salmon is traditionally smoked over oak and beech chippings in the Scottish smokehouse's turn-of-the-century red brick kilns in Aberdeen. John Ross Jr. has been a supplier to the Royal kitchens for over 25 years and has been running since the 1880s – so it's safe to say they're a trustworthy destination for your favourite fish delicacy.
For a luxuriously thicker cut of smoked salmon, look no further than Loch Fyne. It's been hand-cured with a mixture of sea salt and golden sugar then rinsed with fresh Highland spring water before being gently smoked over shavings from aged malt whisky casks in small batches to imbue it with a uniquely delicate and woody finish.
This long, sliced cold smoked salmon comes from Norway and is housed in handy interleaved packaging for perfect portioning every time. Oak smoked in an award-winning smokehouse, it's a well-priced fan-favourite for a reason.
Succulent and rich, Ora King Salmon is sourced in New Zealand and has been described as the Wagyu of the fish world. It has a vibrant colour, high oil content and unparalleled texture – enhanced by the fact that native Manuka wood is used for light smoking.
