Kaviari Salmon Collection (Frozen)

TASTING NOTES FROM THE CURATOR

Sourced from the absolute best farms in Europe and wild-caught in the Baltic Sea, each of Kaviari’s smoked salmon products brings out the best characteristics of the fish from each locale. The company uses wood from different trees to complement the natural flavors and textures of the salmon. They employ master smokers, who ensure optimal cold-smoking conditions over a period from one day to a month.

• Wild-Caught Smoked Salmon is pale and lean, with a powerful iodine taste complemented by the smoke from beechwood.
• Norwegian Smoked Salmon is smoked with beechwood and has a soft flesh with faintly sweet notes.
• Scottish Smoked Salmon is oak-smoked and has a firm flesh, the fish’s rich, pure taste brought to the forefront.
• Faroe Islands Smoked Salmon is oak-smoked at low temperatures, and has a delicate, sashimi-like texture.
• Center-Cut Salmon Filet or Coeur de Salmon Imperial is taken from the creamiest, softest part of Norwegian smoked salmon, finished with delicate beech-smoke.

PREPARATION OR PAIRINGS

A delicate fish meat great for any time of day, smoked salmon is best taken out of the fridge 20 minutes before serving. From eggs Florentine to afternoon tea sandwiches, to delicate rose-rolls atop cucumber slices, it is a classic. It also makes a wonderful finish for a risotto or pasta or, in larger quantities, filling for quiches or tarts. Serve it on its own with capers, thin-sliced bread, and your sliced melon of choice. With a bit of mint dip, dill sauce, or Greek yogurt dressing—we love Fage 5% Greek Yogurt for this—the fish’s fresh taste will be brought out to advantage.

Smoked salmon is often associated with Champagne, but light, crisp white wines like Sancerre or Chablis pair beautifully, as do dry Rieslings or Gewurztraminer. Alternatively, try your light repast with a German wheat beer, a malt whiskey, or even a strong, Polish vodka to complement the iodine tastes.

THE ART OF SMOKING FISH

Most salmon is cold-smoked, best attempted by only the most expert of smoker. First, the fish is cured in a salt brine to draw out moisture and it is then taken to a brick chamber where smoke from sawdust and woodchips is pumped in over a period of time. It is critical that the room be kept at a relatively low temperature at all times to avoid cooking the fish and toughening its flesh. While many companies have transitioned to more commercial methods in steel smokehouses, Kaviari still uses the traditional method to produce their specific high product quality.

Storage Instructions

Arrives frozen. Once thawed, it must be consumed within 48 hours.