Sullivan Harbor Farm Smokehouse

Sullivan Harbor Farm Smokehouse produces excellent smoked salmon. If that’s all you need to know, you can, of course, skip ahead to the URL and simply order some right now. But there’s more to this small business than just that. They make both cold-smoked and hot-smoked salmon (cold-smoked refers to a technique where the air in the smoker doesn’t rise above 90 degrees F, producing a texture akin to that of raw salmon. In a hot-smoked product, the internal temperature of the fish reaches 145 degree F or more, rendering the texture flakier and closer to that of cooked fish). Fish and seafood are commonly brined prior to smoking, but here a dry cure is the rule, as they believe that dry-curing results in a superior texture and mouthfeel. There must be something in that; I can personally attest to the silken texture (and wonderful flavor) of their cold-smoked salmon. This company also smokes Arctic char, and if you’ve never had char, it’s a great fish. They even make gravlax, a Scandinavian delicacy that’s cured with dill, pepper, sugar, and salt. And did I mention their Smoked Salmon Pate, Roasted Rainbow Trout, and Cajun Shrimp?

There’s a lot of controversy these days over fish farming. I have qualms about aquaculture myself, but I must admit that Sullivan Harbor Farm Smokehouse offers some excellent logic for using that method of raising their salmon (see “About Our Salmon”). In addition to the smoked fish and seafood offered, you can rent one of three vacation cottages or take an intensive, hands-on course in smoking fish, complete with knowledge of how to cure them prior to smoking and the proper way to package them afterward. If you’re not up for a trip to the beautiful Maine coast, and just want some ofSullivan Harbor Farm Smokehouse’s offerings from the sea, nothing could be easier. Point and click your way to www.sullivanharborfarm.com. Be sure to check the “Add-Ons” section, and don’t forget that smoked seafood makes a divine gift.