Our in-house eco-chef has sampled a range of sustainable, delicious and well-priced smoked salmon for your Christmas table. Salmon farms have a reputation for poor welfare and environmental damage, so choosing a sustainable option is daunting. The Marine Conservation Society’s Good Fish Guide rates wild-caught Alaskan salmon as the best choice and ranks European Aquaculture Stewardship Council-certified salmon as a good farmed option.
Organic salmon scores well for feed sustainability and fish health but poorly for environmental impact. The guide also highlights delicious, sustainable alternatives. Among the top-rated options is a thick D-cut from wild Alaskan sockeye salmon, Marine Stewardship Council-certified and rated green on the MCS guide. It offers outstanding sustainability and excellent value for wild-caught fish.
Another standout is a thick-cut D-slice from ASC-certified and RSPCA Assured Hebridean farmed salmon, with a woody aroma and firm texture. A sugar-free option made from wild sockeye salmon from Alitak Bay, smoked in Spey Bay, Scotland, is also highly sustainable and great value. For farmed salmon, RSPCA Assured Scottish salmon with farm location marked on pack offers excellent quality and provenance for the price.
The most expensive option, visually perfect and exceptionally fresh, comes from Scottish farmed salmon with a transparent sustainability policy. It features a very thick vertical cut with nuanced, complex smoky notes. An archetypal Scottish smoked salmon from a heritage Aberdeen smokery offers delicate oak and beechwood smoke with a soft texture. Other notable picks include a sweet, delicately flavoured Scottish farmed salmon and a strong, assertive smoke option from organic, sugar-free Scottish salmon.
