5 Costco Salmon Products To Buy And 2 To Skip

If you follow my food reviews, you'll probably know that I go to Costco very often. I shop there for my immediate family, in-laws, parties, and other occasions, so I'm always discovering new-to-me items. I've tried anything from a selection of Italian items from Costco to random nuts to sugar-loaded candies. This time around, I wanted to niche down and try the salmon items available at the big box retailer. I tested seven products to see if they are worth your dollars.

To conduct my taste test, I shared my salmon array with four other family members (including a teen and toddler), so I'll include some of their thoughts to give you context beyond my opinions, but ultimately, my thoughts alone account for what's a buy versus an avoid. I'll give you insights into what I thought, how it tastes, what the texture is like, and whether you should buy them. If they faced any major flavor or textural issue, it was deemed an "avoid," but if I thought it was generally quite tasty and worth spending hard-earned money on, it's a "buy." If you like salmon, then keep on reading because some of these are extraordinarily delicious in my humble opinion.

The Foppen Norwegian Smoked Salmon Slices come at 12 ounces of product; while you might think it is 12 ounces of salmon, that would be incorrect. It's actually 10.2 ounces of salmon and 1.8 ounces of sauce. I've purchased this before and never really considered it. Even so, it's still a terrific value. These are inspired by Norwegian smoked salmon; however, they are produced in Greece and then distributed in the Netherlands. That isn't a factor for me, but it's worth mentioning.

This kosher farmed salmon product is available in three flavors: dill, traditional, and pepper. Dill is my favorite of the bunch, both because it's the most interesting flavor and also because I just love dill. Pepper adds flavor without impacting texture, and was the teen's favorite from Foppen. This also comes with a honey-mustard dill sauce that you can spread over the fish, or on something like a cracker. The sauce is quite sweet, and I felt like it overpowered the fish, so I'd just apply it lightly next time.

I tried three smoked sliced salmon on this taste test, and this offers the most flavor and variety, making it ideal to place out at a gathering. Plus, the pieces are small, so people can add to a crostini or pick up with a fork without having to tear it into smaller pieces.

Kirkland Signature Smoked Salmon took first place in a previous Tasting Table ranking of smoked salmon, beating out the likes of Acme and Private Selection, so I was eager to try it myself. Well, I must back up the overall praise, as it was one of the favorites in my family taste test, myself included. This smoked salmon is ultra buttery, soft, and easy to eat. You hardly need to chew it, and it has a barely-there fish aroma, making it ideal for those who are typically unenthused to eat fish. 

You will get two 12-ounce packs of kosher, farm-raised salmon produced in the Netherlands. The pack does not reseal, so it's best shared among friends and loved ones on the day of purchase — but the back of the packaging says you can refrigerate it for up to four days. This would be terrific on a bagel with cream cheese or in an open-faced sandwich.

Of the three smoked salmon options I tried in this taste test, the Kirkland item is the most neutral with a smoky undertone. The slices are somewhat large — ideal for sandwiches, toast, and the like — but you can easily cut or tear them into smaller pieces.

Now, this product is made with wild-caught Alaskan sockeye salmon. It has the deepest pink hue out of the three smoked sliced salmon I tried. It's also decidedly more fishy, but not in a bad way. It's just more obvious that it's salmon; I think this is in part because it has a thicker slice than the other Kirkland smoked salmon. A piece feels heartier, weightier. Not just that, but the flesh is a little firmer than the delicate nature of the other two. Therefore, it might be good in a decked-out sandwich where you're already biting into a couple of pieces of bread and other ingredients (rather than in a super-soft, fresh bagel or open-faced sandwich). 

That said, this comes with 8-ounce packs of pre-sliced salmon — that's 8 ounces less combined than the other Kirkland smoked salmon variety. I would not add this into my weekly grocery rotation based on the price alone. However, the Kirkland Signature Wild Smoked Sockeye Salmon is a fantastic option if you want an elevated dining experience, whether that's for a special celebration or a nice meal at home; it's well worth the price for such an occasion. This was one of my father-in-law's favorites.

For those on the hunt for some premade salmon burgers, Trident Seafoods has a bag of 12 wild-caught Alaskan burgers. These are gluten-free and made with a potential mishmash of fish, including pink, keta, and sockeye varieties. They are seasoned with ingredients like sea salt, garlic powder, white pepper, rosemary extract, mesquite smoke flavor, and others to add a touch of flavor. Last time I tried them along with other Costco seafood products, and they didn't fare particularly well. And ... that still stands. Based on the salmon medley, my guess is that it's made with salmon bits and pieces, kind of like a seafood version of a hot dog. It's mostly salty with some background flavors. I'm not a big fan of the mushy interior either; it firms up nicely on the outside, though.

That said, it certainly has its fans. Those who like it seem to pair it with a condiment of some sort — spicy mayo, honey mustard, guacamole, tartar sauce, bang bang sauce, and lime crema are some of the mentioned accompaniments. They also recommend grilling it, which I totally see would add a lot of dimension. Nobody mentioned this as a favorite in my at-home family taste test, but the teenager did point out the protein (20 grams per patty) as a positive. I'll finish off the rest of the bag by pairing it with a condiment or sauce, but I can't recommend purchasing it.

If you want prepared seasoned salmon for an easy meal, then you might have considered the Kirkland Signature Atlantic Blackened Salmon. These come with six boneless, skin-on fillets, giving you 2 pounds of seasoned ASC-certified farmed salmon. As I placed the fillet onto the baking sheet, I was impressed by the sheer amount of blackening seasoning. The whole thing was covered, including the sides. This means that every bite is richly flavored. This Kirkland item offers the most standard salmon experience out of everything I tried (since the rest are smoked salmon and other products), and I was impressed by how juicy it was after cooking it directly from frozen. 

The package included directions for cooking it from frozen and thawed, so you can get dinner on the table in 30 minutes if you forgot to thaw it. It's seasoned with a pepper trio (black, white, red), thyme, oregano, paprika, garlic, onion, and salt. I will say, though, that these are quite salty with a whopping 42% of your daily sodium in one fillet. That's to say, don't eat more than one. This definitely docked some points, but I still like the convenience, level of flavor, and texture. It's buttery, flakes beautifully, and is surprisingly juicy. Buy these to keep specifically for those busy nights when you need a hearty protein. I wasn't the only one who liked it; this was popular in my family's taste test.

I'm a big fan of this high-protein Costco snack! I've had the Honey Smoked Fish Salmon Stackers (which come in a pack of four) from Honey Smoked Fish Co. before, and I think everything pairs well together. There's a herby richness from the lemon and chive spread. The salmon is already flaked and ready to eat, so creating your stackers is easy. The rice crackers are tasty and light, but still ultra crispy. It comes with six crackers, but I'd say eight crackers would be an appropriate amount with the amount of spread and salmon. 

With the six, they live up to that "stacker" name because you really have to pile them on top to finish the cheese and salmon. I quite enjoy the blend of flavors and textures this item provides. This feels like a highly elevated snack to eat on your lunch break or to pop in the cooler if you go to the beach. Everything is ready to assemble, and it even comes with a little spreader; one side is kind of spoon-like, where you can place the spread, and the other side has a couple of prongs so you can pick up the salmon. I can't rave about these more. My toddler especially liked the rice cracker part.

Honey Smoked Salmon Co. returns with its Honey Smoked Salmon Fillet, a hickory-smoked, sustainably raised farmed salmon. And while there are plenty of recipes that use smoked salmon, a lot employ sliced salmon as the star ingredient. So, the company offers examples on how to use the fillet version, including salads, sandwiches, pasta, and eggs. This cooked fillet is a bit crumbly and dry, so it could work well mixed with a bit of mayo and mustard spread on sourdough toast, and call it a day. It has a clear smoky taste with a hint of sweetness, which I quite like. But it's just not something I think I'd use or appreciate based on the cost and overall value. 

For the price, I'd simply buy the Costco salmon fillet from the refrigerated seafood section; both the farmed and wild-caught are several dollars less per pound; that way, it's a bit more versatile for how I want to use it, slightly more cost-effective, and moist. In this case, the fish wouldn't be smoked, but it could use a touch of liquid smoke (which is usually made with real smoke) to get a comparable flavor — not the same, I totally understand. Nobody called this out as a top contender in my family taste test, and the teen said it simply tasted like salmon. I caught the smokiness, but still, I'd rather cook a salmon fillet in its place.

I tested all the items in one afternoon and offered a buffet of them to five people, including myself. We added a bit of everything to our plate and went to town. I identified buy/skip items based solely on my own reasoning, but I included insights from my family to offer additional context beyond a single person's opinion. I asked what they liked and noted certain items as favorites based on whether multiple people said it was a top item.

I prepped items according to their package directions, if any. The flavor and texture are the most important elements, but value also plays a part. If I liked an item and generally found it tasty and thought others would enjoy it, I deemed it worth purchasing. If it had a prominent issue (regarding flavor, texture, and/or value), I considered it something better left on the Costco shelf.