As I have mentioned in previous posts, I love Sunday brunch food, especially of the “Jewish” variety. I grew up with lox and the occasional special treat of a whole smoked whitefish at my grandparents’ house. While I still love whitefish, several years ago, I tasted its “cousin” in salad form. When I first tasted it, I could not believe how good it was. My only complaint was that the container was small and there wwas not enough! This complaint is certainly not applicable to the whitefish salad at Costco as it is sold in a 32-ounce container! (In fact, given the size, I only allow myself to buy it before a family gathering so that I can give some away to my fellow whitefish-salad-loving relatives…who, in turn, don’t buy it due to its size, and instead, wait for me to dole it out!)
This whitefish salad is delicious. It has a strong, pure taste of smoked whitefish, without any filler added. It is salty, but not overly so, indicating that the salt is from the whitefish itself, rather than from a salt shaker. The texture is very soft and smooth, with a consistency akin to very finely mashed tuna salad. There are no discernible bones, and only a few dark flecks of skin (edible).
Although very tasty, this whitefish salad has a very strong flavor, so, despite the small portion size, one to two portions is satisfying. It is rich, but will not leave you with a heavy feeling. I find that I like to eat it with a relatively bland or sweet side dish,much as challah, bagel, noodle kugel, or vegetable soufflé.
Although I think I still prefer whitefish in its original variety, this whitefish salad is a special treat as well!
Cruising Costco 
Your review coming of have been so much simpler – “a gift for one’s taste buds”
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Sounds like you are quite the fan! Hopefully enough others like it so that they keep it in stock…I didn’t see it in the Waltham store on my last two trips there so I am getting a little nervous. I’ll check again on my next trip!
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Where is this smoked white fish salad in Costco lately? I’ve been enjoying it on my bagel every morning,but lately Costco doesn’t carry the product anymore. I’m soo disappointed ☹️ please bring it back. !!!
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I saw it in Dedham, MA on Sunday. I know that Costco (like all other places) has been having trouble with consistency of deliveries so the items are unpredictable in terms of availability right now. But most stores should still be carrying it!
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Sorry to say but I got so sick after eating this salad. Today is a third day still not feeling well. Definitely will stay away from this salad in future.
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Sorry to hear that! Getting sick after eating something definitely doesn’t lead to wanting to try it again.
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Curious if the EDTA for color with potassium sorbate also a preservative, and nisin are safe or even actually “Kosher”?
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I’m not the person to ask about that! I just like the product 🙂
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Has to be the worse Whitefish salad I ever tasted…instantly spit it out, yuk.
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Really? I (obviously) love it. You’ve had better? I can see not liking whitefish salad in general (strong taste) but the brands I’ve had have been quite similiar. What brand(s) do you prefer? Bluehill bay and Acme are the same company and I don’t know of many other popular brands (at least in the Northeast). And what makes your preferred kind better? I can expand my knowledge!
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Just had this at friends in West Hartford. Have had it before, and it is always consistently high quality and delicious. In fact, I found it as good as the storemade product at Price Chopper’s Ben & Bill’s Deli.
Not sure where Robert is getting his, but I find Costco’s among the best that I’ve had.
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How Come?/Why?
1) Do you like seafood, fish, or smoked fish at all? 2) Are you just trolling?…because, it sort of sounds like trolling when you fart out a negative comment without any explanation as to _why_ something is good or bad…It’s sort of like saying “Harry Potterland SUCKS!” simply because you get carsick, dislike roller-coasters or children, or flat out dislike English accents.
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One must be careful how a fish product is treated. I take the container of the whitefish salad out of the refrigerator just long enough to scoop out the portion I want and immediately return it to the cold.
This last container was finished a week before the expiration date and tasted as fresh as the day it was first opened. My wife, however, would leave the container out while she eats breakfast.
If it was off before the expiration date I would check the temperature of your refrigerator or do like I do for maximum freshness. Enjoy.
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I put it into little baby-food jars as soon as I get home from CostCo, and line them up in a row in the fridge. The rest of the week, I bring one Gerber jar full of Whitefish to go with my bagel (also from CostCo, yay!), drag along my coffee mug, and I’m all set. =) It makes me so happy when I have yummy food all set. The little pleasures in life, you know?
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I like that idea! I have not heard great things about the bagels though…what do you like about them? How often do you buy the whitefish salad? And does it last longer than a week? I get nervous about it going bad!
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It’s quite clear that this website attracts weirdish readers, led by the moderator’s father. However, it now appears that Scarlet S may replace him. Scarlet fills baby jars with whitefish salad and takes one a day to work with one of Costco’s awful bagels. Of all the products to buy from Costco, bagels are not one of them. They don’t have any of the important features of a good bagel–crusty outside, chewy inside. But I digress. Imagine working with Scarlet and seeing a white-fish salad filled baby jar everyday at work. Here’s an efficiency tip. Bring five on Monday and then you’re all set for the week. Maybe the moderator’s father–the only person that I can imagine liking your idea–can join you and you can have your baby food whitefish salad with Costco’s so-called bagels.
So, here is some career advice for Scarlet (who likes the bagels) and Robert (who doesn’t like the delicious whitefish salad)–don’t become food testers.
Charles
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Enough with the “yummy”. What are you people, infants? How did this children’s word become so popular with the sheep?
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I agree. I also am conscious of minimal time out of the refrigerator and it stays fresh a long time.
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Charles, I have asked you before to please be more respectful of at least my father (if not me as well) and now I also ask you to be respectful of other people commenting. I think Scarlet has a pretty good system!
Absolutely fine to have your (clearly strong) opinions but please don’t insult others.
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Does anyone know why the label says:DO NOT FREEZE”? Marge
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Does anyone know the price?
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Absolutely the best product. Delicious with everything.
Stuff tomotos or other fish with this
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I absolutely love this Whitefish Salad. I buy one every time I go to Costco. The best I’ve ever had.
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