Robert Simon’s passion for fishing meant his family enjoyed fresh, delicious salmon on a regular basis. His frequent fishing trips often resulted in more fresh fish than his family could eat, so he began to investigate smoking the fish to preserve them. He installed a small-scale smoker in his garage, and what began as a hobby became a full-fledged business by 1995. Catsmo Smokehouse, tucked into the Hudson Valley’s Catskill Mountains, has been supplying us with exceptionally delicious smoked salmon since 2017.
Every morning, fresh salmon is delivered to the smokehouse directly from the airport, just hours after being harvested from the icy waters of the Atlantic. The fresh, never frozen fish is carefully inspected by sight and smell—the only aroma that passes inspection is the scent of fresh water, never a fishy smell.
Immediately after inspection, the salmon is hand-salted, not dipped in brine (that’s the industry standard) for a more delicate, even salt distribution. At just the right time, the salt is rinsed off and the cured salmon is cold-smoked for hours over a mixture of apple, cherry, and other fruit woods to delicately infuse the fish with aromatic flavor. (Cold-smoking, using a temperature of less than 90 degrees, yields a smooth, silky texture; hot-smoking, done at over 120 degrees, produces a flakier texture.) The result of this time-honored handcrafting process is an exceptional smoked salmon with velvety texture, subtle fragrance, rich orange color, and mouthwatering flavor.
We’re proud to carry several varieties of smoked salmon. They’re all made in small batches and so delicious. Try them all—especially on a bagel with a smear of cream cheese!
