Product Review: Kirkland Wild Alaskan Pink Salmon

It is no secret that I love salmon. I have reviewed several salmon products over the years (Product Review: Foppen Hot Smoked Salmon); (Product Review:Kirkland Signature Smoked Salmon); (Product Review: Kirkland frozen Atlantic salmon)). One salmon variety that I have not yet reviewed and actually have not eaten in awhile is the canned Kirkland Wild Alaskan Pink Salmon. 

My grandmother introduced me to canned salmon. Sometimes when visiting my grandparents, my parents would go out and the three of us would spend the evening together. One dinner that we enjoyed was salmon croquettes. My grandma and I would make them together by mixing the salmon with breadcrumbs, egg, and shredded onion. We would then drop balls of the mixture into a very hot oiled pan and fry them. She served them with pasta with sauce. We only had them a few times because there were many other things I wanted to eat there but I have nice memories of eating these croquettes. I also remember my grandfather being on hand to take the smoke detector down when it inevitably went off due to the smoke from cooking the salmon on such a high heat. 

Although my mom never made the croquettes, she did make the salmon salad that my grandma also made. A very simple meal with canned salmon, lemon juice and some shredded onion. My mom bought the red salmon, as did my grandma. It was high quality but contained skin and bones and required a lot of cleaning and resulted in a lot of waste (in addition to food waste, we were paying for the parts we then threw out). When I started buying canned salmon for myself, I bought the lower quality (but easier and more convenient to prepare) pink salmon without bones or skin. 

The Kirkland canned salmon is easy to prepare and eat without cleaning. The flavor is not as strong as red salmon, but it is a fine trade-off for the convenience. The flavor is subtle (i.e., not too “fishy”) and it can be used in sandwiches, on green salads, as a side with pasta, or in croquettes. It is not my favorite meal because I prefer a stronger salmon flavor but it is good to keep in the house for an easy meal option, especially in the summer when cooking is not appealing.

Costco sells this salmon in packages containing six 6-ounce cans. I eat the entire can at a time. 

Have you tried this salmon? Any suggested recipes?