Mamaroneck Chef Brett Portier’s Smoked Salmon

How The Smokehouse of NY’s smokes the competition

When two editors were piling smoked salmon onto their appetizer plates recently at an event at Tarry Market in Port Chester, they had what we like to call at Westchester Magazine a “BOW moment.”

What’s that, you ask? It’s when you happen upon something Best of Westchester-worthy. It usually happens when you least expect it. Your car is fixed correctly with shockingly good service at a fair price. You have a lobster roll that tops the one you had in New England in July. Your hair comes out better than even you had envisioned—halfway decent.

In any case, it turns out the smoked salmon was from The Smokehouse of NY, which happens to have already won a BOW in 2012. So even if the BOW moment was somewhat null and void (hey, at least it affirmed our past picks), the fish was so good that we figured we’d at least find out why it’s so good.

- Advertisement -

Turns out the Mamaroneck smokehouse has been open for 34 years, and is now in the hands of the second-generation owner (it’s a family biz), Brett Portier. The techniques he uses to source and smoke are old fashioned and well honed.

“The most important element is the ingredients,” says Portier. “We import all of our salmon from Norway and Scotland. They have a lot better methods for raising the fish. It’s 100 percent all-natural, and fish raised in Europe uses low-density pen counts, meaning there are fewer salmon in one space.” That means the fish are healthier when they’re harvested, so they have lower mercury/toxin levels, and are less disease prone. Portier says that with the recent rise in prices for salmon, many smokers have resorted to corner cutting, ordering pre-cut filets from Scotland, or in some cases diseased fish from the west coast. Many are artificially flavoring the fish with liquid smokes or smoke salts.

“We have it flown into New York,” he says. “We get the fish fresh and whole so we can see the quality by checking their gills, their eyes, etc.” Then it’s brought to Mamaroneck, where it’s smoked using real hickory wood chips. All the fish is then hand sliced—there’s no machinery involved. This is practically unheard of nowadays. And probably why Smokehouse’s smoked salmon is so unquestionably delicious.

Smokehouse supplies about 75 percent of country clubs in the metropolitan area, along with DeCicco’s and Fairway Markets. But you can also check out their retail store in Mamaroneck. It’s worth a visit.

Unveiled: A Boutique Bridal Brunch is February 23!

Our Best of Westchester Readers' Ballot is open through January 15!

Our Women in Business Awards event is November 21!

Our Best of Business event is October 30!

Our CEOs & Business Leaders Golf Outing is August 5!

Our Best of Westchester Party is July 24!

Our Westchester Home Design Awards event is June 26!

Our Wine & Food Festival returns June 4-9!

Our Wunderkinds event takes place on May 23!

Our Best of Business Ballot is open through May 15!

Our Healthcare Heroes Awards event takes place on May 9!

Our Westchester Home Builders Awards take place on April 4!

Our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Forum is March 14!

Holiday flash sale ... subscribe and save 50%

Limited time offer. New subscribers only.