Salmon's rich, buttery meat pair easily with many wines.
Salmon is prized by chefs and gourmets alike for its rich, buttery meat. Neither red nor white, the flesh of this silvery, sleek fish can be paired with almost any type of wine. Indeed, its versatility as an entree has inspired many dishes. Salmon can be served raw, poached, grilled, steamed, baked, and yes, even smoked. Most smoked salmon is cold smoked, a process where the salmon is kept at room temperature while smoke is blown across it. This results in salmon, with a unique flavor, that keeps its smooth, raw texture.
Instructions
1. Know your salmon. Salmon from different regions have different flavors and farmed salmon tastes different than wild salmon. There are two types of salmon, Atlantic and Pacific. The single species of Atlantic salmon is primarily farmed and has a higher fat content than Pacific salmon. More fat means more flavor. The five species of Pacific salmon include Chinook, silver, wild sockeye, chum and pink salmon. The Chinook, or king salmon, has the highest oil content and the richest flavor off all the varieties. For this reason it is the most commonly smoked salmon in the United States.
2. Avoid woody wines. Woody wines, specifically oaky wines, turn heavy when paired with already smoky salmon. Examples of woody wines include California sauvignon blancs, Oregon pinot grigios and Washington State chardonnays.
3. Avoid fruity wines. While they don't clash with the fish and do provide an adequate pairing, fruity wines don't do anything to enhance the flavor of smoked salmon. Fruity wines include Australian rieslings, South African chenin blancs and New Zealand sauvignon blancs.
4. Choose dry, acidic wines. These wines add a refreshing sparkle and make the fatty salmon seem leaner. Wines that pair well with smoked salmon are Bollinger champagnes, French chablis and an Italian gavi.
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