Trader Joe’s ATLANTIC SALMON WITH LEMON HERB BUTTER (FROZEN)
This is one of those thing almost everybody loves. You can probably tell just from the picture this is a nice hunk of salmon. Center cut boneless skin on Norwegian Farm Raised Atlantic Salmon fillet, with three round pats of tasty lemon herb butter. The package is seven ounces, so what I would consider a generous portion for one person. One piece could possibly make two smaller portions, as these days a portion of protein is now generally said to be about 4 ounces. But I could easily eat the whole thing myself!
The Lemon Herb butter consists of butter, lemon zest, parsley, chives, sea salt and pepper. It’s make a very tasty sauce. The herb butter really adds something, elevating this to “gourmet” level. Its quite tasty.
To defrost: ideally I leave the fish in the fridge for a slow defrost (the overnight thaw method) as this is the best method to defrost fish. In a pinch you could leave it out on the counter for a few hours, or submerge the package under cold water (quick thaw method).
Cooking: broiled or pan fried would be my Go To methods to cook the salmon but baking works too. (AirFryer? I don’t have one but people on the Net report its a good method)
What to do with the butter… One can either take the pats of butter off, then add them during the last two minutes of cooking. Or just leave the butter on the fish and cook it like that, for example under the broiler. This will give you more of a cooked “brown butter” sauce. You can baste with it during cooking as well.
Serving with a bit of fresh lemon juice too will elevate the fish even more. This will go well of course with maybe some rice or boiled potatoes and a veg and/or a salad.
TJ’s SALMON WITH HERB BUTTER makes a yummy dinner and is well worth your trying. Googling it I found a ton of web stuff and TikTok’s with people making this salmon. Its popular.
I would buy this again.
$6.99 (7 oz, 198 gr)
35 gr protein per fillet! 510 cals (all that butter) You could remove one or two pats if you want less calories.
“The mild, slightly briny flavor and tender, meaty texture of Trader Joe’s Calamari Pieces in Olive Oil should win over even the most ‘tin-ative’ tasters; especially when incorporated into a charcuterie board with toasted Organic Baguette slices, Mini Heirloom Tomatoes, Colossal Garlic -Stuffed Olives, and fresh lemon wedges. And these Calamari also score a definite tinned-fish win when added to a bowl of Spanish Rice, or to a batch of prepared Linguine with Pesto & Tomatoes.”
Are you Tinned Fish aficionado? If so try this new product Trader Joe’s just introduced which could be interesting to all of those into exploring canned/tinned sardines and other fish, as this is a current popular craze that has really caught on big time via social media. This CALAMARI is a good addition to your tinned fish options.
Trader Joe’s newest addition to their line of canned seafood is: “Calamari Pieces in Olive Oil”. (calamari aka “jumbo squid). This is a Product Of Spain where fishermen catch the squid in the traditional manner, jigged/line caught. The squid is cleaned and the tentacles are cooked in olive oil and canned. When I opened up a can I thought the small pieces of the calamari (tentacles only) looked appealing. Nothing too scary.
The squid had a nice briny taste and was both tender and slightly chewy at the same time. Its good as-is out of the can however this was certainly improved with a squeeze of lemon and a few grinds of black pepper, so I say those are a must with this.
You could enjoy this as right out of the can as an appetizer with perhaps some toasted baguette or other good bread, or on some crackers. Or you might use this in a dish, for example to make a rice dish. You could make an easy Japanese style rice bowl – just top a bowl of warm rice with some of this squid and the juice. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and a drizzle of soy sauce.
I could easily envision using a can of this to make something like a “linguine with clam sauce” type of pasta just using this calamari instead of clams. Add lots of garlic, parsley, lemon, white wine and olive oil, either just like that or perhaps with a tomato sauce. Or using this in perhaps a Paella type of rice dish…
Use your imagination with this Calamari in Olive Oil! Let us know in the comments what you come up with.
$3.99
I would buy this again.
“The large tentacles of the captured Calamari are cleaned & cooked just enough to yield a firm, yet tender texture. They’re cut into 1.5-centimeter chunks and packed with extra virgin olive oil & salt.”
Read more about this on Trader Joe’s website here:
“Great for salads. On a cracker. With Cream Cheese. Or Creme Fraiche”
TJ’s smoked rainbow trout will definitely satisfy fans of smoked fish (raises hand).
You will find this in the Refrigerated case near all the kinds of smoked salmon Trader Joe’s sells. These fillets of Smoked Rainbow Trout are delicious. At $8.49 a package (8 oz) yes it might be a bit of a splurge, however the quality is definitely gourmet level, and smoked fish ain’t cheap eats. We find it worth the occasional splurge as it is so good, and I can get stretch one package into two meals.
As with smoked fish a little goes a long way, I found I can usually come up with two meals out of a package. For instance, the first night I used one fillet as an appetizer, served on crackers, and that was very yummy. The next night, I used the other fillet and came up with a Japanese style rice dish for dinner. That in particular was really tasty., and a big hit in our house.
Open up this package and you will find a half side of a rainbow trout, skin on, filleted into two pieces, one thick piece plus the thinner tail half.
This trout has been delicately smoked with four fruit wood chips (Maple, Oak, Apple and Cherry). Which gives this an appealing smoky aroma. As a huge fan of smoked fish over a lifetime, I can tell good stuff and I would call this gourmet level. While not exactly cheap, TJ’s price for this is less. For instance I saw a similar package of trout at Whole Foods going for about $12.
The fish has the typical pellicule (glossy coating) from being smoked which is normal and of course edible. I found the trout to have a nice smoke from the 4 fruit wood chips they use; The smoke is not too heavy, its just right, it doesn’t overpower the trout, it enhances the flavor of the fish. I did find it the tiniest hair on the salty side but this is normal for smoked fish and its counter balanced when you eat the fish with other things which balance out the salinity.
You could prep the fish by taking off the skin, then breaking it up in bite size bits. I broke up the fish with my fingers. You will get smelly fingers but just wash with soap and lemon. If you don’t want to use your fingers you could try doing this with two forks.
Use the pieces any way you wish. One idea TJ’s has is serving this on top of a salad, which is a good idea. A similar variation I came up with is “smoked trout potato salad“. I served the smoked fish with a lemon mayo dressing on top of cold boiled potatoes. The combo was so good. The smoky fish matched perfectly with the potatoes. We really enjoyed this for a summer dinner. Next time I will toss in some capers too, which will make this even better.
PS – I made this in fact a few weeks after I wrote this. We loved it! This potato and smoked fish salad was delicious and so easy.
SMOKED TROUT AND POTATO SALAD
Boil up golden or red potatoes cut into large cubes in salted water till cooked. Drain. I added a cucumber and quarter of a large Sweet onion on top of the potatoes. I put one fillet of the trout on top which I shredded up into bite size chunks (I did it with fingers, or use two forks). Dressing: My dressing was half mayo, half Greek yogurt, lot of lemon juice and dill seasoning. Lot of black pepper.
You can easily make a smoked trout salad the same way, mix your fish up with some mayo, sour cream, or greek yogurt, lemon juice, maybe a little chopped celery or scallions…. Try that on top of a toasted bagel.
I thought this smoked trout would match perfectly with CREME FRAICHE as they suggest, and it did especially with a drizzle of lemon juice. You could use sour cream or even plain Greek yogurt instead, maybe with a little dill or dill pickle season blend. Or mayonnaise with lemon juice….
The trout would be great on a bagel with cream cheese too of course like smoked salmon.
The first night I did an appetizer with the trout. We spread creme fraiche on crackers and topped it with shredded up smoked trout. For the next night, I had saved one fillet for another dish. I came up with an idea to use the smoked fish for a Japanese rice dish with the trout. The finished dish turned out great. I used my traditional clay pot (donabe) as I love cooking with it. A rice cooker would work just as well, or even a heavy pot on the stove-top. Not liking to waste anything I even used the skin to make an easy fish stock (dashi) before hand to cook the rice in and add that flavor. The cooked skin went to the cats later as nothing should be wasted as per the Japanese philosophy of waste “Mottainai” (Mottainai: A Japanese Philosophy of Waste ).
All I can say is my wife, who is Japanese, loved my rice dish and deemed it delicious, which is saying something as she is not easy to please! A recipe follows below.
JAPANESE STYLE RICE WITH SMOKED TROUT – you can make this in a clay pot, rice cooker, or just any heavy pot on the stove. (DASHI/BROTH) Remove skin from the fish and put it in a pot with 2 cups water with 1/2 inch thinly sliced ginger. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 20 minutes (you can add carrots or other vegetables for additional flavor and put them in the rice later) Or you can use Dashi powder (Hondashi) for a fish stock.
Wash 1.5 cups of rice (short grain rice preferred but Jasmine rice will work in a pinch) Place drained rice in your pot and cover rice with broth by a 1/2 inch. Place the Smoked Trout fillet on top of rice. Add fresh ginger slivered or grated. Cover and cook the rice as you usually would, being sure to not overcook it (as a rule I would say cook 16 minutes, then turn off and don’t open lid. When the rice is finished cooking just let it sit 10 minutes with the cover on and don’t peek. When ready use a wooden spoon or spatula and gently break up the fish into the rice if it still has large pieces. Gently mix it all up adding a drizzle of soy sauce. Add 2 chopped scallions. Option: add edamame or peas or other cooked vegetables too if you like.
I would buy this again. This smoked trout is gourmet quality. Worth the occasional splurge of $8.49 a package I can get two meals out of a package.
By the way, once you learn how to make rice in it you will find that these traditional clay pots make the best and tastiest rice, especially if you love “o-koge” the slightly browned up crunchy rice from the bottom of the pot, which is popular in so many food cultures (Japan, China, Spain, Iran….) I adore that crunchy brown part.
“In recent years, tinned fish has undergone what can only be described as a full-on reputational renaissance— and if you ask us, it’s about time! We’re doing our part to promote this resurgence in piscine appreciation with the introduction of Trader Joe’s Grilled Sardines in Olive Oil. They’re wild-caught for us off the coast of Tunisia, then their fillets are split down the middle and lightly grilled before being stacked and packed in olive oil. Out of the tin, each gloriously grill-marked Sardine is firm and meaty in texture, with a savory and delicately smoky flavor, ideal for enjoying as a protein for a quick meal, as part of an hors d’oeuvre spread, or as a hearty, anytime snack.”
If you are sardine fan, you should try these new Trader Joe’s sardines.
They’re good.
Considering how canned sardines and tinned fish in general have caught on especially on TikTok the last year or two — enough to create fears of shortages — happily for us aficionados of canned fish (raises hand), Trader Joe’s recently came out with yet another variety of sardines, to stock along with their other sardines such as the really good one called “lightly smoked sardines”, a favorite of mine. That one is just one of their many sardine offerings I really like and have given a big thumbs up. I think with this new “grilled sardines” can, TJ’s may be selling four different cans of sardines ?
I really liked this new one. In this newest version, wild caught Tunisian sardines have been filleted, de-boned and then grilled. You can see a few grill marks in my photo, above. The sardines are packed in olive oil and have a slight smoky flavor. They are yummy. I find them very tasty and think these are good quality, especially for the price of two dollars a can. Compare that with some famous Spanish brands like ORTIZ (AMAZON) which are more like $6/can
I think if you’ve wanted to try sardines but haven’t yet, perhaps these new grilled sardines might be a good place to start if you’ve wanted to explore what this #tinnedfish and #cannedsardines craze/fuss is all about but maybe are one of those who are a little turned off by the way some canned sardines look?
When you open this can up instead of seeing little fishies, all you will see are non-threatening fillets of sardines with attractive grill marks. So perhaps this is a good sardine “starter” if you have been the least bit squeamish about eating sardines (don’t be! they are so good, plus so good for you) Me, I’ve been loving all kinds of canned sardines for years and years, long before they became cool.
These fillets are boneless but not skinless (TJ’s has some that are both). Though sardines with bones actually have more calcium so are really good for all of us – women especially of course. There’s a tiny bit less less fish in this can then some other ones for example TJ’s “lightly smoked” can of sardines (here 77 grams vs 85 grams in those) but its not a big difference.
Ingredients: sardines, olive oil, salt, natural flavor. PRODUCT OF TUNISIA
A can contains 15 grams of protein (the lightly smoked sardines have even more, 21 grams of protein)
TIP: the other day i experimented and instead of anchovies, I put a tablespoon of these into a tomato based pasta sauce for my classic pan fried potato GNOCHHI. It really worked almost as if I used anchovies, and gave the dish that same kind of UMAMI flavor.
These make a great snack, appetizer, or lunch
Trader Joe’s Recipe for easy dish of these grilled sardines on a bed of the Grecian eggplant -sounds good.
Here’s a review of Trader Joe’s Wild Caught Alaskan Sockeye Salmon, which you will find with the fresh fish (Label states “previously frozen” (I believe they process and flash freeze the salmon as soon as it comes off the boats in Alaska.) Boxes of frozen fish arrive at Trader Joe’s; they put it out to slow defrost in the refrigerated case overnight daily (proper slow defrost)
I had asked my wife to pickup some salmon at Trader Joe’s for dinner recently. Instead of the Norwegian Atlantic salmon we usually get and I thought she would buy, she picked up some Wild Caught Alaskan Sockeye fillets. Yes, it cost a bit more. But we really liked the wild salmon and thought it’s worth the occasional splurge for this “upgrade”.
You can pan fry, broil, bake or BBQ it. I decided I would broil it in a Japanese style, with WHITE MISO. It was delicious done this way, which is a great way to make salmon, or any fish, if you never tried it. The miso gives it a lot of “umami”.
Normally as I mentioned, we tend to get Atlantic Salmon, farmed from Norway. Which I honestly think is also very good and of a very high quality. So lets discuss, Wild vs Farmed Salmon taste-wise: Most of us are probably now more familiar with eating Atlantic salmon farmed from Norway or elsewhere, compared to wild caught Sockeye salmon, which is more expensive.
Alaskan Sockeye Salmon is different from Atlantic salmon. First, while the two fish are related species, they are actually different fish. If you compare the two fish visually, the two salmon varieties look shockingly different (see pictures below). Second, is the simple fact that a wild Sockeye hunts food. It swam thousands of miles over its lifespan. Therefore it is more muscular with denser flesh. It has a more robust taste than farmed Atlantic salmon. A Sockeye’s body (and flesh) is DEEP RED with a dense texture. It has less fat. So doesn’t exhibit the white marbling (fat) which Atlantic salmon has. Sockeye is not just leaner, its thinner too. You want to cook wild salmon more carefully as it has no visible fat so is less forgiving about overcooking.
TJ’s wild caught Alaskan Sockeye cost $13.99/lb. That is $4 more per pound than the Norwegian farmed Atlantic Salmon at Trader Joe’s (currently $9.99/lb) However even $14/lb is probably a decent price for wild caught Alaskan Sockeye. I have a feeling say at Whole Foods similar wild Alaskan Sockeye salmon probably costs more like $20lb or more….
Our $16 package of salmon was a little over a pound of fish and was cut into two fillets. This was actually a whole side of one salmon filleted, with one thick piece (the head end, visible in the photo above). Under that was a thinner piece (the tail end) not as attractive of course. The tail piece is thin. Wild salmon is thinner than farmed, and leaner so you need to be more careful cooking it and it will take less time to cook.
RECIPE: BROILED SALMON WITH WHITE MISO: I coated the salmon on both sides, slathering on a coat of Trader Joe’s WHITE MISO PASTE and sprinkled it with fresh black pepper. Do not add salt as the miso has plenty. I let the fish marinate for about an hour at room temp. If you don’t have that much time, give it 20 minutes. To cook it I put both pieces in a cast iron pan skin side down. I dotted the top with a few dots of butter, then broiled the fish on just the top side for about 5 minutes, or just until the flesh flaked apart easily. I didn’t flip this wild salmon over to cook the skin as I would normally do to get the skin crispy. I was worried about overcooking it.
The fish was delicious cooked this way. We ate one piece (1/2 lb) and I saved the other so I managed to get another meal out of the one package. I cooked up both pieces and kept that tail piece of salmon for the next night where I used it for a Japanese style “donburi” rice bowl (a rice bowl topped with shredded salmon meat mixed with some white miso. Put the flaked up salmon on top of warm rice and sprinkle with FURIKAKE flakes. The salmon this way was also delicious and was a good way to use that tail end of the fish.
Personally I love the taste of wild salmon which has a more robust flavor than Norwegian farmed Atlantic salmon (however I do enjoy that as well.)
I’m not someone who will only eat wild fish. If we all did that, there would be no fish left in the oceans. I like both kinds of salmon as each have certain qualities, the main difference being the fat content. The fat marbling seen in the farm raised salmon does keep the salmon nice and moist when cooked, making it easier to cook without overcooking it, If you enjoy salmon, try both kinds to compare them. Some people might even decide they prefer the milder flavor of farmed salmon with it’s richer, fattier flesh (remember in fish, fat is a good thing with its Omega-3’s).
I would buy this again.
Just FYI, Trader Joe’s also has frozen Wild Sockeye Salmon in the freezer section. I think it’s a dollar less per pound…. (you can do a slow defrost yourself, overnight in fridge. )
I’ve been buying SKIPJACK TUNA in a can at Trader Joe’s for years, but when I went to get it recently I noticed they also now have it in those new tuna “pouch” packages.
First though, what is Skipjack Tuna anyway? It’s one of many varieties of tuna, and also called bonito. In Hawaii they call it, aku. In Japan its katsuo and it’s very popular, sold fresh in the fish market. I’ve made fresh katsuo, and its delicious lightly grilled on the outside and raw in the middle.
Skipjack tuna is quite tasty and has a nice flavor. One reason I get it is it’s the most sustainabletuna we can buy, more sustainable than albacore tuna or other tuna species, as you can see : (Source: Nereus program)
On the pouch it says … “this wild skipjack tuna was sustainably caught (by pole/line) without the use of fish aggregating devices (FADs)” that reduces by-catch (other fish).
When I tried the new pouch version of the skipjack I liked it (well, other than the smaller amount* you get!) Ingredients: “skipjack tuna”. The can says “ingredients: skipjack tuna, water, salt”. The pouch doesn’t say “dark chunk light”. Just “wild skipjack, hand cut, hand packed”. The tuna is compressed into a flat brick, the shape of the pouch, with just a small amount of juice, some natural juices at the bottom (its not packed in water). I dumped the whole pouch of tuna and juice into a bowl. You have to break up the tuna brick and flake it with a fork. I added a nice heaping tablespoon of Trader Joe’s Organic Mayonnaise plus a pinch of vinegar, and tasted it on some toast, and it made a nice tuna sandwich. This skipjack tuna pouch is $1.79. Much cheaper compared to the other kinds of tuna at Trader Joe’s. All in all, I’d say this new pouch of Skipjack Tuna is worth trying if you’ve never bought it before so you can compare it to the one you usually get. Obviously if you want to have “tuna to go” this is great for that (picnic, work…)
“Each tuna is tested for mercury and only those meeting specific criteria are chosen”
*Comparing the former can version of the skipjack tuna which I have in the pantry with the new pouch version, you will notice though the amount of tuna in it has been downsized by an ounce. The pouch says “net. wt 3 oz” (85 gm). The can “drained wt. of 4 oz” (113 gm). Another sign of that well known tuna shrinkage that’s been going on for years.
Sidenote: you may have heard of katsuobushi – which is yes made from katsuo which has been smoked and dried.
UPDATE: I may be mistaken in that they’ve will no longer offer the skipjack tuna in a can, or at least today I saw both versions of it on the shelf, together. It’s possible Trader Joe’s is going to offer both versions, pouch and can? Perhaps some people prefer pouched tuna to a can? They are the same price – but one does get a one ounce more in the canned version. I will have to compare both against each other….
This is now one of my favorite New Products at Trader Joe’s. A fully cooked, lovely fillet of Roasted Salmon. Find it in Refrigerated near the fresh fish and smoked salmon. This cooked piece of salmon is so handy and convenient, especially for hot summer days, or anytime you don’t want to cook (or smell) fish cooking. The salmon is fully cooked but just barely, it’s incredibly moist, so you can even heat it up a wee bit if you like, which I did. Now the first time I bought this I didn’t check the dates carefully, and when I opened it, I smelled the tiniest bit of a fishy smell. A sprinkle of lemon took care of that and it tasted fine. However the second time I bought it I checked a few packages and noticed some had a date maybe a day or even two older than another package. So naturally I picked out a package with the most recent date, and when I opened it that night for dinner the salmon had no smell at all. So check the packages carefully and get the latest dated ones.
For under five bucks you get a lovely fillet of farmed Atlantic salmon from Norway. No bones. Skin on. You can slip off the skin in a second. I actually enjoy salmon skin if its crispy. So I tossed the fillet into a hot pan skin side down for maybe 90 seconds to crisp up the skin. Then I flipped it and gave it about 30 seconds on the top side too to get a little sear and color (this is all completely optional of course as it is already cooked). However I did think it was slightly improved with this little searing and I was very careful not overcook the fish. Plating it up I sprinkled some TJ’s DILL SEASONING BLEND on which is a perfect match for this. I flaked up the fish with a fork, put it on a plate with a squeeze of lemon. It was delicious and a pretty good deal for $4.99 (5 oz portion) Of course the fresh Norwegian farmed Atlantic salmon TJ sells for $10/lb is an even better deal if you don’t mind cooking.
note a little color from my searing the fish briefly
To second time I tried this salmon I thought it would be perfect to make some Japanese “Nori Hand Rolls”.
Sushi Style Salmon Hand Rolls Bites
I made some Sushi Rice and served up these tasty little bites of Salmon Hand Rolls (“Temaki Sushi”) with the salmon and matchsticks of cucumbers on TJ’s SEAWEED SNACKS (nori). One piece of salmon was enough for two of us with the rice and other things. We REALLY enjoyed these sushi bites. You take a square of nori in one hand, gently spoon on a little sushi rice add some salmon and cukes, then pop the whole bite into your mouth. This is super tasty. Really, try making this, it’s fun and delicious.
Want to learn how to make sushi rice? Its not hard and TJ’s carries the rice vinegar (you have salt and sugar). Sadly I’m afraid they’ve discontinued the CALROSE RICE they had! I’m bummed about that as med/short grain rice is best for sushi rice and it was easy to get it at TJ’s while they had it. Oh well. In a pinch, Jasmine works if you can’t get short/med grain rice.
I would think even though this salmon is cooked its still best to use it the day you buy it, if you can. If not, you could keep it in the coldest part of the fridge to use the next day (or in a pinch freeze the whole package and when ready to use, do an overnight defrost in fridge).
PS – If you dont like / eat salmon skin, and you have a pet, don’t throw it away; Wash it off as much as possible and give it to your cat or dog. They’ll likely go nuts getting some healthy healthy Omega-3’s and fish oil.
Trader Joe’s suggest this goes well with the new TAMARIND SAUCE (I’ve yet to try it)
60 Second Tamarind Salmon Sweet and tangy with a gentle heat, Trader Joe’s Tamarind Sauce delivers maximum flavor with no prep time required. Slather it on a Trader Joe’s Fully Cooked Salmon Fillet and serve atop a bed of rice or salad greens for a protein-packed, positively satisfying meal that’s ready in about a minute. For a pleasant crunch, top with Trader Joe’s Crispy Onion Chips and fresh green onions.
(note: this product seems to have a tendency to go bye bye and get sold out as supplies come and go; you can ask at the front desk for if / when it will be restocked if you can’t find on the shelves)
“Trader Joe’s farm raised Lightly Smoked Salmon, Skinless & Boneless Applewood Smoked in Extra Virgin Olive Oil “
RAVE
I would call this a Trader Joe’s top 10 item! When we can find it. It does seem to go in and out of stock, often. The pink cans of “Lightly Smoked Salmon” come in a square can can, with the other kinds of canned fish, like tuna, sardines and about three other cans of canned salmon. All round cans. This one is very popular so its does seem to get Sold Out on occasion, eventually returning when they get new stock of it. There is nothing wrong with the other cans of salmon they have. They are fine, pretty much similar to any canned salmon you’ve tried before.
This one however is better, think of this as “gourmet canned salmon“.
I happen to love this canned salmon. Apparently along with many other Trader Joe’s fans of it (read some of the Comments below).
Everyone seems to love it once they try it. Word has gotten out so from time to time, you may not see it. It gets Sold Out pretty easily (it does seem to eventually get restocked when they get more, though it may be awhile before they get stock). You might see people taking 6 cans, which is why you may not get one!
Now the very first time I saw this can I was both intrigued and maybe slightly confused by the name… What does “Lightly Smoked Salmon” even mean, as this is in a can?
Basically I say just ignore the name and especially the word, “smoked”. This has nothing to do with what you or I think of when we see the words “smoked salmon”.
What this actually is, is the best, I repeat “The Best” can of salmon you probably ever tasted.
Frankly I think that name, Lightly Smoked Salmon, that they picked for this may not be ideal. A more accurate name would have been something like “Chilean Olive Oil Poached Salmon”, or “Gourmet Canned Salmon” as that is exactly what this is.
This tinned salmon makes me think about those imported tins of canned fish made by high quality Portuguese and Spanish producers. Like Ortiz’scanned tuna ($23/lb) and the like, cans and jars of which I see at gourmet grocery vendors like Zabar’s and Fairway. $18 for a jar of canned tuna? Yup. That stuff is not Chicken of the Sea.
As you can see when one opens this can, you see an appetizing piece ofskinless, boneless salmon. It was cooked in Extra Virgin Olive Oil. The label says this is a “Product of Chile”. I’ve since learned that Chile, after Norway, is the world’s second largest producer of farmed salmon. Overall the quality appears high.The salmon has had all the skin and bones removed (some canned salmon has both). The fish was cooked in olive oil. Think “olive oil poached salmon”.
That golden orange-y liquid is a decent Chilean EVOO mixed with the salmon’s juices. This juice is very delicious. The salmon is moist and flaky, with both a wonderful flavor and wonderful soft texture. I would guess the olive oil is from Chile. Yes, this is farmed Atlantic salmon (not wild) but its Top Quality. About the word “smoked”, well “Applewood smoke” is listed among the Ingredients but honestly I don’t really taste any smoke flavor. Maybe it is so subtle in the background. It doesn’t matter. This stuff is really really good.
I opened a can the first time to review it. I found it so tasty I could not stop trying some. I kept saying to myself “just try one more bite”. Suddenly I noticed the can was empty.
This can of fish makes a super easy almost instant lunch, dinner or healthy snack. Its got a whopping 21 grams of Protein.
That Golden Oil the fish is swimming in? I implore you to not dump it. If you do that you will be making a mistake. That sauce is delicious. Its like a built in sauce, a golden elixir that matches the salmon perfectly. It’s extra virgin olive oil mixed with the cooking juices now colored orange from the salmon, and its yummy, and just oozing with UMAMI. Sure you can sprinkle on some fresh lemon juice with it and it will be even better.
I suggest when you serve it you spoon the golden oil over the fish with a squeeze of lemon. Perfection. You could equally spoon some of this golden oil on say this salmon atop salad greens, or boiled potatoes, or a rice bowl or what have you.
Basically this is a piece of poached salmon in a can. You can simply put it on a plate and you are done. Or on top of a salad or greens or a protein bowl…. Mashed up into an avocado with a little mayo and lemon. Voila, you have a delicious healthy meal with almost no effort. This salmon is wonderful as-is right out of the can. Try it on toast, or a toasted bagel, or on crackers. I found this is a perfect match with TJ’s great Norwegian CRISPBREAD for a Scandinavian style open faced sandwich.
This salmon is especially perfect for summertime heat or whenever you don’t feel like cooking. Mix a bit of mayo and lemon juice into this for lovely perfect salmon salad. The other night I didn’t feel like cooking. I found I had a nice ripe avocado I needed to use, so I just mixed a can of this salmon with a little mayo, lemon juice and some Peri-Peri sauce and spooned that into an avocado.
Avocado Stuffed with Salmon
I ate this lovely avocado stuffed with salmon for dinner. It took me minutes to make and was so yummy.
RECIPE IDEA – Japanese Salmon Rice Bowl: I make this all the time. Put some fresh cooked rice in a bowl (if you have it, short grain) Now top it with this salmon, which you flaked up. Drizzle some of the Golden Oil over things. Sprinkle on a TJ’s Furikake seaweed seasoning and chopped scallions. Mix gently. YUM. Dinner! Optional: a sprinkle of Soy Sauce and a sprinkle of Toasted Sesame Oil. Maybe slices of avocado and cucumbers?
Seaweed Hand Rolls with Salmon and Cucumber
One serving contains 190 calories and a whopping 21 grams of protein. The 5 oz can has about 3.6 oz of drained salmon. It’s $3.69. Product of Chile. Great pantry item. I would gladly buy it again.
Can one put this away in your larder for a year or two to improve with age like the do in Spain? (canned fish improves with age like wine*) *Spain and Portugal have some bodegas which specialize in tinned fish and seafood which they keep for a year or two or three… Believe it or not the cans of fish improve with age, just like wine. Search for a video of the late, great Tony Bourdain visiting one of the most famous of these bodegas in Spain, eating cans of seafood and loving every bite…. EL ESPINALER
(Norway, Farm Raised, Skin On, Boneless, Medium Firm Texture, Mild Flavor)
Each 1 lb bag has 4 (4 oz) pieces of fish inside. Norwegian farm raised, Atlantic salmon, perfectly flash frozen. You will get mostly center cut portions plus a tail portion usually. So first things first, DEFROSTING: The best method to defrost anything is an overnight thaw in the fridge. So best to take out the portion(s) you want the night before and put in a covered container. I did that last night and while it was not completely defrosted, it was mostly defrosted so I just left the salmon out for another hour on the counter.
If you didn’t take it out the night before, in a pinch you can do the quick thaw method as described on the package (bagged, in cold water 30 minutes) . Obviously if you are not using the whole thing, just seal the package back up with the nice built-in zip lock and try to squeeze out excess air.
COOKING : (Grill, bake, boil or pan fry)
I like pan frying and broiling the best. Brining? I tried the quick brine technique of giving the defrosted salmon fillets a 30 minute soak in a brine. I liked the results (see link below for full info at The Kitchn)
But if you don’t have time for brining, don’t worry it will still taste great.
After drying off the salmon, I gave it seasoning on both sides with a nice sprinkle of AJIKA which will give great color as well as flavor (in my case as it was brined, I added no more salt). I cooked the fillets using the pan fry method in a cast iron pan (or use a non stick pan) in a mix of oil and butter for about 5 minutes on the skin side first till the skin looked crispy. Flipped them, then cooked about 2 minutes on the second side which needs less time than the first. Personally I hate overcooked fish. Cook fish just till it’s no longer translucent and flakes easily with a fork. You can always put it back for 30 seconds if it needs it. You don’t want to dry it out especially as farmed salmon has less fat.
Other cooking methods would be broiling or grilling or baking. Or I imagine cooking in an air fryer.
SAUCE: If you want to serve with a sauce, TJ’s tzaziki sauce will be great with salmon. Or Greek yogurt mixed with lemon juice, or tartar sauce. Even simple lemon juice and butter is great. Fresh dill is wonderful with salmon. This time I plated the salmon up with some lemon butter, and served it with a side of TJ’sHarvest Grain Blend (shown) which is perfect with this. The salmon was tasty, if a bit mild of course as this is farmed. Wild salmon, which I love is usually about double the price of this. Trader Joe’s sells this for $8.99 for a 1 lb package (a bit little over $2 a portion). For the price I think this salmon is very tasty and a good value. I find Trader Joe’s version, superior to Costco’s version. So giving this a thumb’s up for value and quality. INGREDIENTS: Atlantic Salmon (no added salt) Protein = 23 grams! EAT FISH
(note: price has increased)
Overnight thaw: Remove fish from packaging and place on a try (or covered container) Leave overnight in fridge
Quick Thaw: Place fish in a sealed bag in a big pot of cold water until defrosted (which may take up to 1 hr).
DO NOT microwave fish to defrost: it will give a very mushy texture and ruin the fish
Don’t feel like cooking but want to eat salmon? Check out Trader Joe’s LIGHTLY SMOKED SALMON . Gourmet quality hunk of salmon, just open the can. Probably the best salmon you ever got canned.
“Made with Norwegian farm raised salmon” Bake, pan fry or broil. Ingredients – Salmon, parmesan cheese, panko breadcrumbs.
Trader Joe’s uncooked SALMON BURGERS are in the fresh fish refrigerated section. They come packaged on a tray with vacuum wrapped plastic tightly covering the two burgers. Made from ground salmon, these burger are quite soft. So soft that removing them from the package was tricky without breaking them. I ended up carefully cutting around the plastic wrap with a sharp knife. They kind of wanted to fall apart on me just trying to get them out, so I ended up sliding a spatula under each one to lift it out intact. So be careful, lest they fall apart. Frankly if this was my recipe I would have put egg in the mixture with a bit more binder so they would stay together better (bread crumbs / panko….hmm, that may not be a bad idea, I may do exactly that next time and re-shape them.) I am guessing TJ’s wants you to know they are mostly all salmon with little binder, however in this type of burger made from ground fish, the binder in reality help keep things together.
“Cook 4-5 minutes, flip and cook another 4 minutes or to desired done-ness.”
I cooked these pan fried in a tablespoon of butter, first dusting them with some more panko breadcrumbs. I found these a bit under seasoned so I would give them a hit of salt and pepper. I could not taste Parmesan cheese though it’s listed as an ingredient, probably as a binder.
We ate these salmon burger patties on a toasted hamburger bun. They were good. I put some Tzaziki sauce on them but realized what I should have actually used: TJ’s Tartar Sauce – Of course that would match with these! I will get some next time. These were good on a bun but they might be equally good without the bread just served on their own with some sauce and some sides (rice, potatoes, veggies…). They really do need a bit of some sauce to liven them up, and TJ’s tartar sauce should match perfectly with these.
Two salmon patties are $6.29, or about 3 each. I would buy these again. SHOPPING suggestions: Salmon burgers, buns, tartar sauce, lemons, soft greens for garnish. Maybe your fish-hating kids will eat it if you disguise it as a burger!?
UPDATE (FALL/WINTER ’21) I have not been able to find these for some time so I am afraid they are discontinued. Anyone seen them ? Can you still buy them?TJ’s does sell frozen salmon burgers.…
Trader Joe’s Rants & Raves (mostly raves, a few rants) 
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