A bit of a rash-er idea

seeks out gadgets, gizmos, new books and food products and tells you if they are worth having in your kitchen

BEING KOSHER in this country means never having an opinion on two of the culinary matters closest to the heart of the British — the full English breakfast and the bacon sandwich.

However, maybe now we will get to experience both…sort of. A company called Simple Salmon has introduced smoked salmon bacon — salmon which has been shaped into rashers and which is displayed on the label sitting alongside grilled mushrooms and tomatoes in a photo which suggests breakfast.

We wanted to taste the rashers and assess them for flavour but also discover how “bacony” they were. So, to this end, we recruited keen amateur cook Kirsty Gibson, a non-Jew who is an enthusiast for the great British fry-up, to assess the smoked salmon bacon for authenticity.

In their raw state, the rashers look and smell exactly like, well, salmon. When cooked they have a firm, slightly dry texture and a smoky flavour. I tried a couple of rashers in a sandwich drizzled with the maple syrup and lemon glaze which comes with every packet, and found it pleasant enough.

But is it anything like bacon? The answer was yes and no, according to Gibson. She said: “I thought it was quite like bacon in texture, particularly back bacon when it is slightly over-cooked. But it didn’t taste anything like bacon. Actually I don’t think it even tasted like salmon. It had a strong smokey flavour which was more reminiscent of smoked mackerel.”

Gibson won’t be rushing to replace her bacon with the smoked salmon rashers, but she does not think they are a complete disaster. “When I was eating it I was thinking it might be quite nice as a bacon sandwich substitute but if I was in the mood for smoked salmon I’d much rather have a smoked salmon bagel.”