Wednesday 17 April 2013

Real Smoked Salmon

Smoked salmon is a personal favourite food. Whether in bagels, on poached eggs, canapés or in mousses I'm there! The smokiness, flavour, salt and texture all work for me. However not all smoked salmon can get this omnivore salivating. Supermarkets have mass produced this once beautiful and luxurious of cured meats. With the increase in salmon farming and food prep machines, we are loosing out on the smoking and the texture. Instead we end up with wet, greasy, tasteless odds and ends of fish.

Never fear however there is a century old family company still smoking and selling salmon the right way! H. Forman and Son est 1905, use both wild and farmed Scottish salmon and cure it in Stratford on Fish Island! Smoked salmon was introduced to us by Jewish immigrants in the early 20th century. They had ben buying their salmon from Europe until they realised Scotland had its own stock, plus it tasted better! So there you have it smoked salmon is a Jewish product using a Scottish ingredient and in England anyway, originated in east London! Formans use their "London cure" to perfect their salmon. They hand fillet every fish and hand slice every side of smoked salmon. An art that is rare to find now a days, Fortnum and Mason is the only place in London I have seen it done. The main slicer at Formans holds the world record for carving smoked salmon and it is a sight to behold:http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=bGJ6o09q0fQ&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DbGJ6o09q0fQ&client=mv-vf-uk&safesearch=always

Forman's smoked salmon whether wild or farmed is full of flavour and has a dry unique texture not found any where else. Also because it is hand sliced there is no bitter edge found massed produced salmon. Forman's is currently sold in upmarket food halls like Fortnum's but also in good Waitrose and soon to hit some major Sainsburys stores! Go and try it compared to water injected mass produced muck.


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