Smoked Salmon

John West €4.50

John West has been in the fish business for a very long time and while once it was all about the tins, it has gone upmarket in recent years and started “adding value” to products that used to be so simple. It does not always work, however, and this was not a nice piece of salmon. The salmon is farmed in either Scotland or Norway – the makers were no more specific than that and while the smoke was okay, the texture was pretty grim and just a little too slimy for our tastes.

Verdict:A distant last

Star rating: **

Ummera Organic €10.85 for 200g

Before we talk about the salmon we need to talk about the price. We found this selling in Fallon & Byrne in Dublin for more than €13 but it costs just €10.85 if bought direct from the producers website, ummera.com. It is worth going to the effort to find it. It has a gorgeously sweet and smoky flavour, it is salty but not excessively so, and has a moist but not-at-all greasy texture. While it is the most expensive product we tried this week, it is not hideously so – as long as you buy it in the right place.

Verdict:Sweet and smoky

Star rating: ****

Dunnes Stores Organic Smoked Salmon €4.60 for 200g

This lacks the complexity of flavours that we found elsewhere but at this price it is very good value. Unsurprisingly, perhaps, given its organic nature, it has a lovely texture and all the fatty greasy sweatiness that can be found in cheap smoked salmon is entirely absent. It is not, perhaps, the ultimate Christmas treat, but it will be very good for a party, particularly if you want to save the nice, pricier stuff for yourself.

Verdict: Great value

Star rating: ****

Clarkes €9.95 for 200g

Pricewatch attended a food conference recently in which the potential for the Irish organic salmon sector was outlined. The bottom line is because of our geographical position, we can develop an organic salmon industry that can be the best in the world. The three organic Irish products reviewed here are a taster of the potential. This was another very good salmon. The slices were thick but any concern that this would mean the product was on the chewy side were dispelled in an instant. It is a real melt-in-your-mouth product. We also loved its strong oaky flavours and the salt content was spot on.

Verdict: Excellent

Star rating: *****