Gravlax (cold smoked)

[Salmonsmoker]

Hi Newfie Smoker!

I love smoked trout. I'm allergic to salmon, so that makes me happy. The Rainbow Trout and Salmon are basically the same fish, from what I can discover, except that Salmon live in both fresh and salt water.

Yes, I wish rainbow trout were bigger, but most of them are farmed and I guess the producers try to keep to a certain portion size and cost point.

My wife picked up a farmed Lake Trout, which I smoked. It's related to Char the same way trout and salmon are related. The smoked taste was not quite as "full bodied" as the rainbow, but I know you could get them in larger sizes. Maybe there are some mail order places in one of the territories that could ship to you (cheap)?" Or, what about closer to home for you?

Send me a private message about your Inn. (Or post it for all of us to see). I would love to know where you are.

Smokeville, I was going to suggest catching lake trout to smoke for the larger fillet size. I wasn't aware that they were farming it. There must be a taste difference between the farmed and wild, as there is with farmed or wild salmon. I spent some growing years in NW Ontario. Besides walleye, lake trout was my favorite eating fish.

[Smokeville]

Hi Salmonsmoker!

This is an old thread that got bumped. If memory serves, and it probably doesn't, I think I got those farmed Lake trout at Whole Foods. They came from Lake Erie. I've never seen them since.

I'm reselling smoked fish now instead of smoking it myself (long story) but the company we buy from gets all their Rainbow from Northern Ontario farms. Their salmon comes from Norway. My thinking is "the colder the water the better the fish."

Rich

[NorthShoreMN]

If you like fennel you can make grav lox using fennel fronds in place of fresh dill.

[Salmonsmoker]

Their salmon comes from Norway. My thinking is "the colder the water the better the fish."

Rich

For wild salmon that's probably true, not so sure the water makes a difference with farmed salmon. Food in pellets can't equate to growing and chasing their own food for survival in the natural element. Who knows what's in the pellets? Alpo, meow mix, AttaBoy(cousin Eddie at Walmart in Chistmas Vacation) :) Most of Norway's salmon exports are farmed. They farm salmon here in the Puget Sound area also, which is Atlantic salmon, as Pacific salmon doesn't farm well. Farmed salmon is always a disappointment when I have it. Not trying to be a snob. Access to local and Alaska salmon might make make me one though. :o :o ;)

[Smokeville]

The cold hard reality :( here in Ontario is that wild Pacific salmon is a minimum of twice the price of farmed Atlantic. Atlantic is typically $6.99/lb and is often sold as a Saturday-Monday special for as low as $4.88/lb. That's well below wholesale. Any species of Pacific starts at $12.99/lb.

Farmed Rainbow wholesales at $6.90/lb and often is on special at $6.99/lb. Typically $7.99/lb. Last week, just before New Year's, a local store overbought and had to dump it as quick as possible for $4.99/lb. It sold well!

Rich