The best smoked salmon is silky—but it has some bite. It’s salty—but not too salty. It’s oceanic—but not crazy fishy. It 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. Over the course of three taste tests, we tried an ocean’s worth of store bought smoked salmon (nearly 40 kinds) to find the best cold smoked salmon, hot smoked salmon, and gravlax out there.
One of my favorite “fancy” solo dinners is a packet of smoked salmon, a jar of capers, some sliced red onion, and a baguette. I tear off pieces of baguette, top with smoked salmon, and sprinkle on capers and red onion. I rip and nibble my way through all of it—full jar of capers included. My fingers absolutely reek of fish by the end. But I’m eating alone—what do I care? This might sound like an expensive feast, but it’s pretty darn affordable, actually.
Sure, you can find 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.
After our most recent smoked salmon taste test, I’ve updated this list with an extra smoky smoked salmon and a new best gravlax. But before we get into it, I do need to talk about an honorable mention: Kvarøy Arctic smoked salmon. I found it at Whole Foods but have yet to track it down again. And I can’t in good faith tell you to buy a product I can’t find myself. That said, if you do spot this Norwegian smoked salmon you have to buy it. It’s rich and buttery and oily. It’s super tender. It’s straight-up restaurant quality. It might have taken the number one spot if it was widely available.
Okay, now let’s get to it. Here it all is, the best store bought smoked salmon, in its fishy, oily glory.
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- Private Selection Hot Smoked Norwegian Atlantic Salmon Traditional
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If you’re looking for the best hot smoked salmon from the grocery store without any extra flavorings or peppercorns, this hot smoked salmon from Kroger’s Private Selection line is the one for you. It’s rich with a lightly smoked flavor and a silky texture. And it’s not too salty. It’s definitely on the soft end of the spectrum, which makes it the best smoked salmon to use in a dip. Go ahead and mix this up with some cream cheese and serve it with toast points. Easy and elegant.
Credit: Liv Averett / Ralphs
- Private Selection Cold Smoked Alaskan Wild Sockeye Salmon
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Oh look, another pick from Kroger’s Private Selection line! This is the best cold smoked salmon we tasted from their line. It’s an extremely dark color—almost like mandarin orange. It’s firmer than many of the other smoked salmons we tried and easy to shred—so it’s another good option for dips. It’s applewood smoked and leans harder into the smoke flavor than the fish flavor, so it’s some of the best smoked salmon for people who don’t want to channel their inner Heathcliff.
Credit: Liv Averett / Ralphs
- 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
- Echo Falls Hot Smoked Coho Salmon Cracked Pepper
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Before I talk about how this is the best hot smoked salmon you can buy, I must complain about the packaging. It’s impossible to get open. The plastic covering is cemented down and if you do happen to get a sliver open, you’re met with oil from the fish, so you can’t get a grip to pull it fully off. Please fix it, Echo Falls. Aside from that, though, this is the best smoked salmon if you like firm, flaky, not-too-fishy hot smoked salmon. It has a wonderful sweet, smoked flavor that totally rocks, and there are big chunks of peppercorns on top to add some spice. Put this on a brunch board and let guests flake it onto bagels or crackers.
Credit: Liv Averett / Vons
- 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
- Trader Joe’s Everything But the Bagel Seasoned Smoked Salmon
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Trader Joe’s sells a lot of smoked salmon, but only two of their offerings made this list—the flavored ones. It’s just further proof of my theory about TJ’s: Their generic foods are fine, but their unique foods, the ones they put their own spin on, that’s where they really succeed. If you love their 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
- 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 many of the salmons 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 Hot Smoked (Plain)
Best Not Too Fishy
Best Beechwood Smoked
Best Hot Smoked Salmon
Best Spiced
Best Seared
Best Gravlax
Best for Fish Lovers
Best for a Plain Bagel
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
