CONOR POPEchecks out smoked salmon this week

Aldi Irish Organic Smoked Salmon €3.99 for 125g, €31.92 per kg

Aldi has been careful to cultivate relationships with a lot of local artisan producers in recent years which has seen its Specially Selected range, including cheeses and steaks, develop into something worth visiting the shop for. You can add this smoked salmon to the list. It comes from the west of Ireland, has a lovely soft smoky flavour and almost literally melts in the mouth, although we’re not sure we’d agree with Aldi that it has been finely sliced. It is up against some very stiff competition but holds its own and finishes on top because of the price.

Verdict: Top notch *****

Kinvara Organic Smoked Salmon €5.99 for 100g, €59.90 per kg

This is another salmon that is hard to find fault with, so hard in fact that we found ourselves giving out about the difficulty we had separating the individual slices, which, really, is not the most serious problem. We also mildly chided the company for spreading out the thin slices in the packaging to make it look as if there is more salmon than there actually is, which is even more of a minor gripe. It does taste saltier than its rivals, mind you. The meaty texture was very much to its credit as was the rich and robust smokiness.

Verdict: Pretty good ***

Burren Organic Smoked Salmon €12.99 for 200g, €64.95 per kg

You get thick slices of mild-flavoured salmon in this pack. While some salmon can be very greasy, this is quite the opposite and it has a pleasingly dry texture. The smoked flavours are also very subtle and while some of the competition is just a little too salty, this manages to get the balance between smoke, salt and salmon spot on. It is undeniably expensive – although not a whole lot more so than the competition and sometimes it is worth paying a higher price to support local producers.

Verdict: Nice but salty ****

William Carr Smoked Salmon €4.29 for 100g, €42.90 per kg

This is unique among the products reviewed this week because it comes from Cork rather than the west coast and it is also the only one which is not organic. It is considerably cheaper than all but the Aldi salmon – and it would be very hard for any small company to compete with the discounting giant – and tastes absolutely fine. It has a very sweet, smoky flavour and the salt is somewhat understated. Inevitably, given its non-organic nature, is struggles when it comes to texture and is a little greasy but still manages to be pleasant.

Verdict: Pretty good value ***