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The Story of Wild Irish Salmon
Wild
Salmon are one of the most pure and unpolluted food sources
on the planet. Wild Salmon is an excellent source of high
quality protein, completely natural containing no antibiotics,
growth hormones or artificial colors. As an oily fish Wild
Salmon are rich in antioxidants and contain all the essential
amino acids.  Wild
Salmon is high in heart healthy Omega 3 fatty acids which
have been proven to reduce the risk of heart disease and are
an essential nutrient in the formation of tissue.
Kerryfish
Wild Smoked Salmon is the flavored choice of many food lovers
and is enjoyed throughout the world. Our unique Wild Smoked
Salmon's taste is the result of 50 years experience and is
available for your enjoyment via our online shop. Visit our
Wild Salmon care page for tips
on care and slicing our products
The
life cycle of the Irish Wild Salmon
The
life cycle of North Atlantic wild salmon is truly one of the
most remarkable wonders of the natural world. Life for the
Atlantic Salmon (salmon salar) begins in spring in the shallow
waters of a fresh water river. Firstly eggs transform into
alevins. Still beneath the gravel of the river bed at this
stage they emerge into the river as fry. Remaining in the
river for as long as two years, during which time the fry
mature into parr.
.   
The final stage of early life in the river is when the parr
lose their early colouring and take on the characteristic
sliver of the mature salmon. The parr have now become smolts.
The smolts are now ready to make their journey down stream
towards the ocean. This journey is usually begun in May or
June.
 
Once at sea the fish undertake an epic migration of several
thousand miles; traveling well up into the North Atlantic
ocean on a mammoth feeding spree of oil-rich smaller species
such as capelin, sand eel and krill and crustaceans such as
prawn and shrimp. It is this diet that give the salmon their
distinctive pink-coloured flesh. The through which they acquire
adequate nutrition to produce sufficient fat reserves to support
their breeding. Whilst in the oceans salmon are subject to
predation by seals and humans amongst others. After a period
of up to two years at sea The smolt gradually mature into
grilse and at this stage the salmon are ready to return to
the freshwater spawning grounds from where they originally
began their epic journey.
On re-entering the rivers, the fish (now ranging in weight
from between 3kg to 15kg each) may spend several months before
they actually spawn. During this time they refrain from eating,
living off their stored fat reserves, and in this way reducing
the threat to younger fish on which the mature salmon would
otherwise feed.
Trace ability
Ireland is now the only location in Europe where a commercial
salmon fishery continues. Conservation measures mean that
the catching season is limited to the months of June and July.
Each Wild Salmon has a unique numbered tag attached through
the gills when it is caught in the Atlantic. This tag denoting
the fishing district help customers to readily identify the
source of certified, premium quality wild salmon. See the
Tag
Search pages on the BIM website to obtain the details
of the Wild Salmon tag.
Our Customers can be confident that:
Kerryfish Wild Salmon are from a managed fishery;
Kerryfish Wild Salmon are bled at sea, reducing fillet bruising
in our smoked products;
Kerryfish Wild Salmon are iced at sea and are firm to the
touch with good skin condition;
Kerryfish Wild Salmon are fully traceable to source and can
be checked, online, worldwide.
We source our salmon from local fishermen on the South West
coast. Immense care is taken of the fish from the moment it
is caught, to the production of the finished smoked product
to ensure that full justice is done to this magnificent product
of our natural environment.
Prices must reflect the true value of this resource if it
is to be safeguarded whilst still fished. True connoisseurs
of this delicacy appreciate this fact and in our experience
demonstrate clear understanding of the need to value and protect
something so unique.
Kerryfish's smoking Process
Once hand-filleted, we 'pin bone' the fish removing all traces
of bone from the fillet. We then salt the salmon and since
each fish will vary in the amount of fat in its flesh, which
inhibits salt uptake, they will be brined for different lengths
of time, as appropriate.  After
salting, the fish are "cold smoked", meaning that
they are placed on racks in a kiln through which oak smoke
is passed and where the temperature is regulated at between
20' and 28'C. Length of smoking time varies depending on humidity
and the size of the sides, but runs to several hours. To order
this unique product visit
our Order Page.
The Smoking Process
Smoking is one of the oldest methods of preserving fish. Long
before there were refrigerators and freezers, our fishing
ancestors learned to use a combination of salt and smoke to
keep fish from spoiling. Today, smoking is no longer "necessary,"
but it remains popular for the flavor it gives to such fish
as salmon. Smoking methods vary, but all are based on a few
common principles. First, the fish is treated with salt, either
in the form of a strong brine or a surface coating of dry
salt. During this curing stage (which can last for anywhere
from a few minutes to many hours depending on the size and
density of the fish), a two-way exchange takes place, with
much of the moisture drawn out of the fish and some salt soaking
in. This combination of reduced moisture and salt inhibits
the growth of spoilage bacteria, a basic principle of all
cured meats.
Most fish are given a second cure after the initial salting
to add additional flavors. Recipes for this second cure are
often proprietary secrets, but they typically include sugar
in some form; like salt, sugar both draws moisture out of
and soaks into the fish. After curing, the fish is rinsed
to remove the salt and other curing ingredients from the surface,
then allowed to dry in cool flowing air until a shiny, slightly
tacky skin (pellicle) forms on the surface. The pellicle serves
several functions: it provides an ideal surface for the smoke
flavor to adhere, it helps seal in the remaining moisture
through the smoking process, and it prevents the fats in the
fish from rising to the surface and spoiling.
The actual smoking takes place inside a chamber filled with
smoke from smoldering hardwood, Kerryfish use Oak from Irish
forests. During the cold-smoking, the fish is slowly smoked
for several hours at low temperatures. The fish is not cooked,
just dried a little further and infused with smoke flavor,
so it remains especially moist and tender.
Lightly cured, tender, and moist, Kerryfish Wild Salmon can
be sliced thin without breaking apart.
In pre-refrigeration days, smoked fish were heavily cured
and smoked fairly dry, for storage at room temperature or
in a cellar. Today's cures are lighter, so most forms need
to be refrigerated. They will last longer than fresh fish,
but you should still plan to use them within a couple of days
of purchase.
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