Justine Sterling
Over the course of four glorious taste tests, we tried an ocean’s worth of store bought smoked salmon (more than 40 kinds) to find the best cold smoked salmon, hot smoked salmon, gravlax, and smoked salmon dip out there.
Sure, you can find great smoked salmon that isn’t exactly cheap. But there are plenty of high-quality smoked salmon brands available at the grocery store for not that much money. What’s the best smoked salmon brand? Glad you asked. After tasting slice after slice of the top smoked salmon brands available (including far too many from Trader Joe’s—seriously, it’s like TJ’s has a stake in a salmon farm), I can tell you all about the best smoked salmon.
What we looked for in the best smoked salmon:
- Texture. The best smoked salmon is silky—but it has some bite.
- Flavor. It’s salty—but not too salty. It’s oceanic—but not crazy fishy.
- Drapability. The best classic smoked salmon drapes onto a cream cheese-smeared bagel as if it were a textured throw draped onto a bed in a perfectly staged house on Zillow.
Okay, now let’s get to it. Here it all is, the best store bought smoked salmon, in its fishy, oily glory.
Best Smoked Salmon, Hot Smoked Salmon, Gravlax, & More
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- Ducktrap Cold Smoked Wild Sockeye Salmon Cracked Pepper & Garlic
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The problem with wild sockeye salmon is that it can be mushy. Whether you cook it or smoke it, that’s just how it do. But the flavor of this peppered smoked salmon from Ducktrap is too good to not include it on this list. I don’t detect a ton of garlic flavor, but that’s actually a good thing. The pepper flavor is enough, especially paired with a gentle smoked salmon flavor. If you can’t get enough cracked pepper and you’re okay with a little mush, give this smoked salmon a try.
Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart
- 365 Cold Smoked Atlantic Salmon
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If you don’t think the type of wood used to make smoked salmon makes a difference, then taste this Whole Foods smoked salmon. Cold smoked with beechwood (rather than applewood or hickory), this smoked salmon is extra woodsy in an oceanic way. It tastes like a beach bonfire. If you prioritize smoky flavor over fishy flavor—or you’re just a sucker for beechwood—this is the best smoked salmon for you.
Credit: Liv Averett / Whole Foods
- Acme Smoked Salmon Dip
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In our most recent smoked salmon taste test, we tried two different smoked salmon dips/spreads. And while both were good, this was the one we liked best as a smoked salmon dip. It’s smooth and you can actually dip a cracker or chip into it without it immediately breaking. There are good bits of smoked salmon and it has a strong smoked salmon flavor. If I encountered this at a function, I’d be dipping the whole time.
Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon
- Honey Smoked Fish Co. Honey Smoked Salmon Spread & Dip
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While it’s a bit too thick to be a smoked salmon dip this is the best smoked salmon spread we tried. It’s smoky and tangy and creamy and not too fishy. There’s lots of salmon chunks and you even get some candied skin! Yum! Skin! Slap this on a bagel and call it a day.
Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart
- Trader Joe’s Pastrami Style Smoked Atlantic Salmon
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This pastrami-spiced Trader Joe’s smoked salmon has a butter-soft texture and a serious dose of spice. It’s not just for show—the spices get you in the back of the throat with a tasty kick. It’s definitely the best smoked salmon for someone looking for something a little different—perhaps something with a bit more character to put on your seacuterie board (remember when people were trying to make that a thing?).
Credit: Liv Averett
- Member’s Mark Flame Roasted Smoked Salmon
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Ever had tuna tataki at a Japanese restaurant? This Sam’s Club brand smoked salmon is smoked salmon tataki. It’s cut thick with a seared crust along the edges. It’s different from any other smoked salmon I’ve ever tried. You could totally use this to make DIY sushi at home. It has a rich, savory flavor. And it’s not too fishy at all. If you shop at Sam’s Club, try this smoked salmon ASAP.
Credit: Liv Averett / Sam’s Club
- Latitude 45 Gravlax
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Latitude 45 makes incredible, shockingly affordable smoked salmon (stay tuned for our number one top pick), and that includes their gravlax. It’s very subtly dilly. And it’s super bright and fresh—it really tastes freshly made, like good gravlax should. The texture is silky and just firm enough. I’m sorry to say that I further complimented the texture in my notes by writing that it “really slides around on your tongue.” Sounds gross but just wait until you experience it first hand. It took us three taste tests to find it, but we finally sussed out the best gravlax on the market.
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- Spruce Point Traditional Cold Smoked Atlantic Salmon
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This smoked salmon is a bit of a splurge (we got it for about $14 for four ounces), but it’s a true smoked fish-lover’s smoked salmon. It has a great texture and fills your mouth with fishy flavor (in a good way). It almost tastes like smoked trout and finishes with an almost lemony note. It’s bold and complex. If you like smoked trout or smoked mackerel, this is the best smoked salmon for you. If you, like my colleague Jordan Myrick, are not interested in fish that tastes like fish, then I suggest you steer clear.
Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart
- Cambridge House Honey Roasted Salmon Hot Smoked
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As you’ll see, Costco is a great destination for quality smoked salmon by the truckload—including hot smoked salmon. Hot smoked salmon can be dry, but this stuff is anything but. It’s rich and oily—but not too fishy. And it’s not too sweet from the smoke, either. If I ever clean my house enough to host a party, I’m putting this side of hot smoked salmon out on a big ol’ platter as the centerpiece of that party.
Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart
- Kirkland Smoked Sockeye Salmon
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Costco smoked salmon is so delightfully gentle and mild. You get just a bit of a briny twang on the end to let you know that you are eating smoked salmon, but in general this is a real crowd pleaser. And that’s good because you get a LOT of this stuff for not that much money. You get two hefty pounds of smoked salmon for just $25. Obviously, this is the best smoked salmon to buy for a party—as long as you’re a Costco member (or know one).
Credit: Liv Averett / Costco
- Trader Joe’s Everything But the Bagel Seasoned Smoked Salmon
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If you love Trader Joe’s Everything But the Bagel seasoning, then this is the best smoked salmon for your brunch plate. It’s saturated with the oniony, garlicky flavor of the seasoning mix. And the fish is good, too. It’s firm, salty, and comes away in slices. Dress up a plain bagel and cream cheese with a few slices or drape it atop an everything bagel for the ultimate everything experience.
Credit: Liv Averett / Trader Joe’s
- Trader Joe’s Norwegian Smoked Salmon
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We haven’t loved Trader Joe’s non-flavored smoked salmon offerings—until now. This pale, pale Norwegian smoked salmon is sooo silky and delicate, with a pleasant smoky-buttery flavor and a wonderfully firm texture. You can really peel off a slice without worrying about mushiness or breakage. Plus, it’s Trader Joe’s so it’s pretty darn cheap! Finally, Trader Joe’s has gotten plain smoked salmon right! Better grab it before they inevitably pull it off the shelves.
Credit: Liv Averett / Trader Joe’s
- Santa Barbara Smokehouse Smoked Atlantic Salmon
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Our number one best smoked salmon is becoming harder and harder to find for some reason. Thankfully, this new entry is there to pick up the slack. The thin pieces of salmon are silky with a great smokehouse flavor. And that mild smoky flavor tames the fishiness a bit, so this is some great smoked salmon to buy if you’re sensitive to such things.
Credit: Liv Averett / Whole Foods
- Authentic Seafood of Patagonia Latitude 45 Atlantic Salmon
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Oooo, baby. Here it is, the absolute best smoked salmon you can buy at a grocery store. It’s extremely silky and gorgeously rich. It melts in your mouth. It’s not too fishy. It’s not too salty. It’s balanced, so you can eat it on its own. Serve this as an appetizer at a fancy dinner party. Simply plate it with a sprig of parsley. It peels off in pristine slices, which feels expected, but so much of the salmon I tried turned into mush when I tried to spear a slice. And, as if it couldn’t get better, it’s not even expensive. In fact, it’s one of the cheaper brands on this list. Our local Walmart sells four ounces for just over $5.
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
Best Peppered Smoked Salmon
Best Beechwood Smoked
Best Smoked Salmon Dip
Best Smoked Salmon Spread
Best Spiced Smoked Salmon
Best Seared Smoked Salmon
Best Gravlax
Best Smoked Salmon for Fish Lovers
Best Hot Smoked Salmon
Best Salmon to Buy in Bulk
Best Smoked Salmon for a Plain Bagel
Best Norwegian Smoked Salmon
Runner-Up Best Smoked Salmon
Best of the Best
Other smoked salmon brands we tried:
Echo Falls Smoked Scottish Atlantic Salmon, Trader Joe’s Oak Smoked Salmon Pieces, Trader Joe’s Wild Nova Smoked Smoked Sockeye Salmon, LASCCO Kosher Wild Caught Keta Nova Salmon, Trader Joe’s Nova Salmon Pieces, Vita Classic Premium Sliced Smoked Atlantic Nova Salmon, Trader Joe’s Wild Sockeye Smoked Salmon Ends and Pieces, Acme Smoked Nova Salmon Everything Bagel, Private Selection Cold Smoked Norwegian Atlantic Salmon, Echo Falls Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon Gravlax, Foppen Smoked Norwegian Salmon Slices, Honey Smoked Fish Co. Original Flavor Honey Smoked Salmon, Ducktrap Smoked Roasted Atlantic Salmon, Private Selection Hot Smoked Norwegian Atlantic Salmon Cracked Pepper, Private Selection Hot Smoked Norwegian Atlantic Salmon Cajun, Mowi Atlantic Salmon Everything Seasoned, Mowi Atlantic Salmon, Echo Falls Hot Smoked Coho Salmon Traditional, 365 Hot Smoked Atlantic Salmon, Mawi Norwegian Atlantic Salmon, Changing Seas Norwegian Atlantic Salmon Cold Smoked, Foppen Smoked Norwegian Salmon Slices, Changing Seas Smoked Salmon, Spence & Co New York Style Nova Lox, Vita Atlantic Nova Salmon, Spence & Co Traditional Scottish Style Smoked Salmon, Spence & Co Danish Double-Smoked Salmon, Whole Foods Cold-Smoked Atlantic Salmon Whiskey Cask Smoked, Whole Foods Cold Smoked Sockeye Salmon Everything Bagel, Whole Foods Cold Smoked Atlantic Salmon Gravlax Style, Acme Smoked Salmon Candy, Whole Foods Hot Smoked Sockeye Salmon, Whole Foods Hot Smoked Sockeye Salmon Cracked Pepper, Epic Maple Glazed & Smoked Salmon Bites, Echo Falls Hot Smoked Coho Salmon Cracked Pepper, Private Selection Cold Smoked Alaskan Wild Sockeye Salmon, Private Selection Hot Smoked Norwegian Atlantic Salmon Traditional, Ducktrap Wild Caught Cold Smoked Wild Sockeye Salmon
Joe Rumrill
Danny Palumbo
