Barbecue fillet buyers
You want a recognisable salmon portion on the grill, rather than fish mixed into a patty. M&S lists fresh salmon fillets separately from the soft, flaky tinned salmon it suggests for burgers and fishcakes.
Who is each format for?
The dish you intend to serve is the useful starting point: an intact portion calls for a different format from salmon that will be mixed and shaped.
Salmon-burger and fishcake cooks
You plan to combine salmon with other ingredients and shape the mixture before cooking. M&S suggests tinned salmon for burgers and fishcakes, and Tesco Real Food uses it in a fishcake recipe.
Cupboard-stock shoppers
You want salmon you can keep in the cupboard until it is needed for a mixed dish. Before choosing a tin, consider whether you are comfortable checking for bones or would prefer a skinless-and-boneless format.
What matters when choosing?
For a barbecue meal, decide whether the salmon must remain an intact portion or will become part of a shaped dish; then choose the tin format, if needed.
| Concern | What to check | Who this matters to |
|---|---|---|
| An intact portion | Look for a fillet or steak, and follow its pack instructions for storage, preparation and cooking. | If I want salmon to appear as a whole portion on the barbecue, a tin will not give me that format. About 50% of consumers put an intact portion first. |
| Salmon for shaping | Choose a tin size that fits the recipe, and check whether the mixture calls for other ingredients to hold its shape. | When I am making salmon burgers or fishcakes, I need fish that I can mix and shape rather than serve as a fillet; about 30% of consumers make that their primary concern. |
| Bone and skin handling | Read the exact tin’s bone warning and any skinless-and-boneless wording; check the fish before serving. | I would rather spend less time sorting through the salmon, though I still need to watch for small bones. Reducing that handling comes first for about 20% of consumers. |
Buying mistakes to avoid
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Buying a tin for a whole grilled portion
M&S describes tinned salmon as soft and flaky and suggests it for burgers and fishcakes. That is a different starting format from the fresh fillets it sells for an intact fish portion.
Choose a fillet when the fish itself needs to remain a recognisable portion; use a tin when you intend to mix and shape it.
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Assuming a tin will contain no bones
John West and Sainsbury’s standard pink-salmon listings warn of bones. Marks & Spencer also warns that small bones may remain in its skinless-and-boneless red salmon.
Read the warning on the exact product and check the salmon before serving, even if the tin is labelled skinless and boneless.
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Choosing a pack without checking the usable amount
Pack weights and formats vary: Tesco Groceries lists both a 170g skinless-and-boneless red salmon product and a 418g pink salmon product. The tin you need depends on the amount of salmon your recipe calls for.
Check the pack weight and compare the label’s nutrition figures on the same basis, such as per 100g drained, if those figures matter to your choice.
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Treating every opened tin alike
Opened-pack instructions differ. Sainsbury’s 212g pink salmon says to refrigerate leftovers and use them within one day; the John West 213g listing gives two days.
Transfer leftovers to a covered, non-metallic container, refrigerate them and follow the instructions on the tin you bought.
Brands and ranges to consider
These ranges illustrate the tinned formats available for mixed salmon dishes; a brand’s presence here does not make its tins a substitute for an intact fillet.
John West
John West has standard pink-salmon tins and smaller skinless-and-boneless formats in supermarket listings.
- Its Wild Pacific Pink Salmon 213g is a named standard-tin option.
- Sainsbury’s listing for that tin warns that it contains bones; check the format rather than assuming all John West tins are alike.
Princes
Princes has canned wild Pacific pink and red salmon formats, including a skinless-and-boneless red-salmon option in supermarket listings.
- Princes lists red salmon and salt as the ingredients in its Wild Pacific Red Salmon.
- Check the particular tin’s format and label rather than applying one product’s details across the range.
Tesco
Tesco Groceries lists own-label pink and red tinned salmon in standard and skinless-and-boneless formats.
- The listed pack options include 170g skinless-and-boneless red salmon and 418g pink salmon. Tesco Real Food also gives a tinned-salmon fishcake use.
- Choose the format and amount for the recipe; a fishcake use does not make a tin an intact grill fillet.
Sainsbury’s
Sainsbury’s lists own-label Wild Pacific pink salmon in standard and skinless-and-boneless variants.
- Its 212g standard tin gives a specific pack size to compare with the amount a recipe needs.
- The standard tin contains small edible bones, according to Sainsbury’s, and its opened-pack instructions call for refrigerated leftovers to be used within one day.
M&S
M&S lists both tinned salmon and, separately, fresh salmon fillets, making the format distinction useful when planning the dish.
- M&S suggests soft, flaky tinned salmon for burgers and fishcakes.
- Its skinless-and-boneless Wild Alaskan Red Salmon warns that some small bones may remain.
Joybuy products for these dishes
These selections cover a frozen salmon portion for a grill-centred meal and tinned pink salmon for fishcakes or other shaped dishes. The frozen steaks need planning for thawing; the tins are not intact fillets.
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The Fish Society Wild Sockeye Salmon Fillet Steaks 220g
For a meal that calls for a recognisable salmon portion rather than fish mixed into a patty. This pack contains fillet steaks and is frozen, not a chilled fresh-fillet option; allow time to thaw it according to the pack. Check its bone and cooking instructions before preparing it.
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Morrisons Pink Salmon 213g, four-pack
For fishcakes or another dish where the salmon will be mixed and shaped. This bundle contains four 213g tins and can be stored in the cupboard before opening. Check the tins’ bone and skin information and follow their instructions for any leftovers.
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Morrisons Pink Salmon 213g
For a recipe that needs tinned salmon to mix into fishcakes or a similar shaped dish. This is one 213g tin, rather than the four-pack above, and is suitable for cupboard storage before opening. Check the can for bone and skin information and opened-pack storage instructions.
Questions about salmon for a barbecue
Can tinned salmon replace a fresh fillet on the barbecue?
Not when you want an intact fillet-shaped main course. M&S lists fresh fillets separately and describes tinned salmon as soft and flaky for dishes such as burgers and fishcakes; choose a tin if you intend to make a shaped dish.
Does skinless-and-boneless tinned salmon have no bones?
Do not treat the label as a guarantee. Marks & Spencer warns that small bones may remain in its skinless-and-boneless red salmon, so read the current pack and check the fish before serving.
How should I keep tinned salmon after opening it?
Follow the instructions on your particular tin. Sainsbury’s 212g pink salmon calls for leftovers to be transferred to a non-metallic container, refrigerated and used within one day; the John West 213g listing gives two days for refrigerated leftovers in a covered non-metallic container.
What should I tell guests about allergens?
Salmon is fish. Check the ingredient and allergen information on the exact product you are serving, particularly when preparing food for a guest with an allergy.