Salmon salami takes top prize in seafood show awards

11 March 2024

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A ‘salmon salami’ made by UK-headquartered smoker and processor Highland Farms Ltd has won the Best New Retail Product award at Seafood Expo North America in Boston.



The product was selected from a group of 11 finalists during a live judging yesterday by a panel of seafood buyers and industry experts from the retail and foodservice industries.


Highland Farms is a sister company of Grants Oak Smoked Ltd, and both are headquartered in Maryport, west Cumbria. The company also has premises in Miami in the United States.


The salami comprises Atlantic salmon air-dried for 14 days and cured over fragrant beechwood, according to the company, and “embodies the perfect fusion of traditional craftsmanship and exceptional taste.” 


“We’ve spent a year and a half working on this project and wanted to develop something that has a unique taste,” Highland Farms chief executive Jonathan Brown told seafood website SeafoodSource. “The original recipe, we found, went back 80 years. We’ve worked on it for months and months.”

The other top prize, Best New Foodservice Product, was awarded to Social Kitchens Professional/SK Foods Brands for its Premium Shrimp Sliders.


Seafood Expo North America has 249,665 net square feet of exhibit space, 5% more than last year’s event, with 1,210 exhibiting companies from 49 countries, including new participating exhibiting countries from Azerbaijan, Germany, Kenya, Malaysia, Mauritania, Tanzania, Uganda; and an increased presence from countries including China, Ecuador, Japan, Norway and United States.


The Expo, which finishes tomorrow, hosts state pavilions from Alaska, Florida, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Virgina and international pavilions from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Greece, India, Indonesia, Scotland, Singapore, Taiwan, Turkey and Vietnam, among others.


A robust expo

“The success of this year’s edition demonstrates the value of having a dedicated space for seafood professionals to network, conduct business and learn about new products, equipment and services in-person,” said Wynter Courmont, vice president of seafood at event organiser Diversified Communications. 


“We’ve put together a robust three-day expo connecting top industry leaders, seafood suppliers from around the world and seafood buyers from every corner of the industry – restaurants, supermarkets, catering firms, seafood markets, hotels, airlines, and cruise lines.”


Fish farmers exhibiting at the event include Cermaq Group, Hofseth International AS, Leroy USA, Mowi, Multi X, and Nissui Corporation (Salmones Antártica).ut it.

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by Terry Yannick 12 March 2025
Atlantic Salmon is air-dried for 14 days and cured over fragrant beechwood. This premium delicacy embodies the perfect fusion of traditional craftsmanship and exceptional taste. Our Salmon Salami has been crafted for those who enjoy the finer tastes in life.
10 March 2024
Highland Farms and Social Kitchens Professional/SK Foods Brand were revealed as the winners of the 2024 Seafood Excellence Awards, announced 10 March at Seafood Expo North America/Seafood Processing North America in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A. Highland Farms won the Best New Retail Product award for its Salmon Salami, while Social Kitchens Professional/SK Foods Brand won the Best New Foodservice Product prize for its Premium Shrimp Sliders. The winning Salmon Salami product by Highland Farms comprises “Atlantic salmon air-dried for 14 days and cured over fragrant beechwood, and … it embodies the perfect fusion of traditional craftsmanship and exceptional taste,” the company said. “We’ve spent a year and a half working on this project and wanted to develop something that has a unique taste,” Highland Farms CEO Jonathan Brown told SeafoodSource. “The original recipe, we found, went back 80 years. We’ve worked on it for months and months.” Social Kitchens Professional/SK Foods Brand said its Premium Shrimp Sliders are “made with solid chunks of shrimp, [with] no binders, fillers, scraps, or gluten.” “Our company’s mission is to create products that people really enjoy and they can actually resonate with. Our slider was built by lots of feedback and collaboration,”Social Kitchens Professional/SK Foods Brand Director of Product Development Kenneth Fryer told SeafoodSource upon winning the award. “We really rely on our chefs to give us all the details about what really makes sense. This product represents that, and I think it’s showing well; people really enjoy eating it.” The winning products were selected from a pool of 11 finalists by a panel of judges live on the first day of the expo. This year’s judges included Jason Driskill, the vice president of seafood at San Antonio, Texas, U.S.A.-headquartered H-E-B; Bob Donegan, the president of Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.-based restaurant chain Ivar’s; and Robin Fisher, the director of corporate purchasing at Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.A.-based HF Foods Group. Finalists’ products were appraised considering criteria including uniqueness and appropriateness to the market, taste profile, market potential, convenience, nutritional value, and originality. Finalists for the competition were selected via a prior screening of products participating in the Seafood Expo North American New Product Showcase , featuring seafood products, condiments, and culinary dishes launched in the past year by exhibiting companies.  Produced by Diversified Communications, Seafood Expo North America/Seafood Processing North America is North America’s largest seafood trade event, drawing seafood professionals from around the world, featuring 1,210 exhibiting companies from 49 countries.