Samantha Rea

How to spot good quality smoked salmon

  • From Spectator Life

“Try smoked salmon without the lemon – you might just like it!” says Lance Forman, the fourth generation owner of family salmon smoking business H. Forman & Son. Overlooking the Olympic Stadium, Forman’s smokehouse (cum-deli-cum-restaurant-cum-shiny-disco-palace) is the fishtastic Trump Tower of the East End.

“In a restaurant,” continues Forman, “the plate arrives, and people often add salt to their food before they’ve tasted it. It’s the same with smoked salmon – people automatically squeeze lemon over it. But actually, that’s a habit that has sprung from eating poor quality smoked salmon which can be quite slimy. The acid in the lemon helps to cut through the sliminess – but good quality smoked salmon doesn’t need it.”

Dispelling the lemon myth once and for all, Forman says: “It’s personal preference, so if you like lemon, that’s fine – but never squeeze lemon anywhere near wild smoked salmon because it’s so lean, it would literally burn the flesh.”
Stridently

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