Top 5 North American Smoked Fishes

Russ & Daughters is one of New York City’s most enduring and culturally significant food institutions, founded in 1914 on the Lower East Side as a family-run appetizing store rooted in Eastern European Jewish culinary tradition. The business specializes in foods traditionally served with bagels - smoked, cured, and pickled fish, caviar, cream cheeses, and classic accompaniments - representing a category once common in New York but now increasingly rare. Its name dates back to the 1930s, when founder Joel Russ brought his daughters into the business as equal partners, an uncommon move at the time and a defining part of the brand’s identity. Russ & Daughters is especially known for its meticulous sourcing and traditional preparation methods, including hand-sliced salmon and carefully controlled curing and smoking techniques. The assortment includes multiple styles of salmon such as nova, belly lox, and gravlax, alongside smoked whitefish, herring, trout, and a curated selection of caviar. Beyond seafood, the offering reflects classic Ashkenazi baking and deli culture, with products like babka, rugelach, and bialys. The original shop on East Houston Street continues to operate primarily as a retail counter, preserving the atmosphere and rhythm of an old-style New York food store. In recent years, the brand has expanded to café formats and additional locations while maintaining a strong commitment to craft, continuity, and historical authenticity. Today, Russ & Daughters is widely regarded not only as a purveyor of specialty foods, but as a living archive of New York’s immigrant food heritage.Expand

Fishwife is a company that specializes in ethically sourced, high-quality tinned seafood. Founded and led by women, Fishwife is dedicated to making canned fish a staple in every household, offering gourmet products made from wild-caught fish. Their offerings include a variety of fish such as smoked salmon, mackerel, trout and sardines, all distinguished by exceptional flavors and sustainable fishing practices. The company emphasizes responsible sourcing, and their tins are perfect for enjoying in a range of dishes, from snacks to gourmet meals, making every meal special. Fishwife is committed to raising awareness about the benefits of canned fish, providing products that are both delicious and environmentally friendly.Expand

Wildfish Cannery is a seafood company based in Klawock, Alaska, specializing in sustainably sourced and hand-packed wild fish products. The company focuses on premium-quality seafood, such as smoked salmon and Pacific cod, all harvested using hook-and-line methods to ensure sustainability. They offer a variety of products including smoked herring, smoked coho salmon, and other fine seafood options, which are all crafted to preserve the natural flavors of the fish. Wildfish Cannery emphasizes the importance of supporting local communities and providing customers with fresh, high-quality seafood that reflects the rich heritage and natural beauty of Alaska.Expand

Ekone Premium Tinned Seafood is a brand specializing in high-quality canned seafood, owned and operated by the Taylor family, known for Taylor Shellfish Farms. This family farm focuses on shellfish cultivation with an emphasis on sustainability and environmental preservation. Their product range includes renowned smoked oysters, famous for their freshness and perfect taste. These oysters are harvested at their peak and then smoked in traditional methods, resulting in a rich and complex flavor. In addition to oysters, Ekone offers other products such as smoked mussels, tuna, salmon, and octopus, all carefully packed in environmentally friendly cans. The seafood is carefully harvested, smoked, and hand-packed at their family cannery in the Pacific Northwest. They pride themselves on sustainability and traceability, ensuring that each product is of the highest quality. In addition to smoked oysters, Ekone offers a range of tinned seafood including mussels, tuna, salmon, and octopus.Expand

A Passion for Seafood Ltd is a UK-based company located in Woodbridge, Suffolk. The company specializes in the production of smoked fish. They focus on traditional smoking methods to produce a range of seafood products.Expand

Pacific smoked salmon is a broad category of salmon that's usually found in the Pacific Ocean, most commonly Alaska and Canada. Some of the most popular Pacific smoked salmon varieties include: Chum (or dog salmon), the least common variety; Canadian King Salmon, with ivory white to deep red flesh; Sockeye or red salmon, with a bright and deep red-orange flesh, Pink or humpback, the smallest and most common type, and Coho or silver salmon, with red flesh. Expand

Alaskan smoked salmon is a type of wild salmon that can be found in the cold waters just off Alaska. This variety belongs to the group of Pacific smoked salmon. It's usually hot-smoked using traditional Native American techniques. The texture of the flesh is usually silky or firm, but it can depend on the brine that was used for wet-curing the fish. Alaskan smoked salmon is also called King salmon, and it's widely available due to sustainable populations.Expand

Atlantic smoked salmon is a broad category that can include numerous types of smoked salmon found in the Eastern Seaboard of North America and in Northern Europe. The salmon has a rich and buttery flavor and it's cured and cold-smoked by using artisanal methods. It's often used in pasta dishes, sandwiches, and appetizers. Originally, Norway was the first to begin with Atlantic salmon farming, and nowadays smoked salmon from across the world is incorrectly labeled as Norwegian smoked salmon.Expand

Nova is a term that's usually used to refer to a salty, wet-cured, lightly smoked farmed salmon. The brine is often a mixture of salt, sugar, and water. The fish spends a few days in the brine before it's cold-smoked. During the days spent in brine, the salmon excretes some of its oils and absorbs the sugar and salt, resulting in great flavor and firmness of the flesh. Generally, the flavor is mild and not that salty, while the fish can come from anywhere. The name is a reference to the wild Nova Scotia Atlantic salmon that was over-fished to extinction. Expand

A classic Manitoban savory delicacy, smoked goldeye is a type of smoked freshwater fish. Goldeye fish are first marinated in brine before they are slightly dried and then smoked over oak, hickory, apple, or cherry wood fire. The process of smoking gives a unique flavor and aroma to the otherwise bland-tasting and lower-quality fish meat. This specialty item is sold commercially, and the largest commercial producer used to be Lake Winnipeg. Nowadays, the fish is mostly caught from the Saskatchewan River in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. With a mild white fish flavor and a smooth texture, smoked goldeye is delicious when eaten on a fresh bagel or served on crackers with cream cheese.Expand