One Of The Best Smoked Salmon Brands Is Family-Owned And Almost As Good As Costco's Kirkland Signature

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Smoked salmon is one of those rare items that is healthy, delicious, and incredibly versatile. Packed with nutrients, vitamins, and omega-3 fatty acids, it has a luxurious texture, a rich smokiness, and sits as easily on a bagel or in a salad. And while the version from Costco's Kirkland Signature label set the bar high when we ranked 11 smoked salmon brands, there was one other package that was almost as good: Acme Smoked Nova Salmon. Incredibly, the Brooklyn-based business remains family-owned even 120 years after it first began selling smoked fish.

The company was founded by Harry Brownstein, a Russian immigrant who started by picking up fish from smokehouses and delivering them to stores on his horse-drawn cart. Today, the company is run by a fourth generation of innovators. While Acme sells a wide range of smoked salmon products, the Nova salmon really hits the spot. Nova salmon is one of the most popular types of cured and smoked fish from around the world. Acme describes this product as the "quintessential smoked salmon," with a rich and silky quality, and our reviewer's verdict was consistent with this. 

"While the flavor was strong, it wasn't strong in a fishy way; rather, it was incredibly smoky and salty enough to be full of flavor. I was quite impressed by this one," our taster wrote, placing it second only behind Costco's offering. Our reviewer also praised the tenderness of the thinly sliced salmon. They concluded by stating, "All those qualities made for a well-rounded smoked salmon entry and one I'll seek out again."

Our reviewer is not alone. Acme's Smoked Nova Salmon has a 4.6-star rating across over 1,200 reviews on Amazon. "We have tried every brand that you can purchase through a grocery store, and this one is, hands-down, the best of any we have come across. We highly recommend it!" one happy customer wrote on Amazon. 

A smoked salmon aficionado said they preferred it to most house smoked salmon in the Bay Area for a very specific reason. "It's not Fairway's house salmon, or Zabars! But, it's very good and way better [than] most of the house smoked salmon out here due to an inexplicable overuse of liquid smoke," wrote the reviewer, adding that they wished Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods Market would sell Acme's whitefish salad, too. "Then my life would be complete," they concluded. The one recurring complaint among those who left negative reviews was that the product was too salty. One customer on the platform even said that the product wasn't very smoky, writing, "For the price, I expected the taste of smoked salmon. It tasted like salt."  

Overall, though, there are more fans than critics out there. One enthusiast said that Acme Smoked Nova Salmon tastes great on a toasted bagel with cream cheese, capers, chopped onion, eggs, and sriracha mayo, before writing, "I've never felt fancier in my life." If you're looking for more inspiration, here are eight satisfying smoked salmon recipes, starting with a lovely pasta.