Published in Scotland Magazine Issue 1 on 5/3/2002.

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A different kettle of fish

Scotland Magazine editor Marcin Miller and a panel of tasters assess a selection of 10 smoked salmon

Received wisdom has it that the very finest smoked salmon is Scottish. But how do you know which to buy from the enormous selection available? Generally speaking, salmon is presented in hermetically sealed packaging: this means that the usual senses used in purchasing food are negated.

You can’t see it properly, or feel it or smell it. So what buying criteria can you engage? Price, packaging or reputation spring to mind but these are often unreliable – especially as taste is subjective. Scotland Magazine organised this tasting in an attempt to help you through this confusion. The samples are representative of what is out there: prices vary from £16 per kilo to nearly £60 per kilo. Most are farmed and cold-smoked but two samples were wild and one is hot smoked. Of course, different salmon might have different strengths. Some may be best in salads, others in sandwiches or even in pasta sauces. The tasting panel tried to reflect this.

A panel of varying degrees of tasting expertise was assembled to put some of these fish through their paces.

THE TASTERS
Laurie Black is a restaurateur and Chairman of Taste of Scotland
Tom Bruce-Gardyne is a freelance journalist based in Edinburgh
Geraldine Coates is a freelance journalist based in Edinburgh
David Dempsey is Chef at Amaryllis
Charles MacLean is Scotland’s best-known whisky writer
Lennox Morrison is a journalist turned novelist
Roddy Martine is Contributing Editor of Scotland Magazine
Marcin Miller is Editor of Scotland Magazine.....

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By Marcin Miller

Section : Scottish Tastings

Page number : 76