As the premier smoked fish company in Massachusetts, the Boston Smoked Fish Company has pioneered its own niche within Boston’s thriving seafood culture by focusing exclusively on the art of hot-smoking. This process imparts a “cooked texture” to the fish and gives it a distinctive bacon-like “umami” quality that appeals to traditional meat eaters and seafood lovers alike. Once in the smoker, there is no firm rule for determining how long the fish should cook; only experience and careful attention to each batch ensures the perfect result.
The Boston Smoked Fish Company emerged in 2013 when Matt Baumann and Chris Avery — law school classmates, attorneys and seafood lovers — set out to create a smoked fish that stands apart from the more traditional brands on the market. They renovated a 500-square-foot shed and experimented with 72 different brine recipes and multiple varieties of fresh fish and North American hardwoods, finally arriving at the perfect combination of flavor and all-natural processing. Baumann and Avery ultimately traded in their day jobs and dedicated themselves full-time to sharing their results with the communities around them.
I had the pleasure of doing Q&A with Chris Avery about the past, present and future of the Boston Smoked Fish Company, including its recent expansion via Whole Foods.
Darren Paltrowitz: Word is that both of you are lawyers by trade. Are there any similarities between your two careers?
Chris Avery: Matt and I attended Suffolk University Law School in Boston at the same time, graduating in 2007. Coincidentally we worked at the same law firm after graduation before going off in different directions. It was in January 2013 that Matt and I met up over a beer in a South Boston and he told me of his plans to start a smoked fish business.
DP: How long was it from conceptualizing the Boston Smoked Fish Company to having your first finished product for sale?
CA: It was exactly 6 months. Matt hatched the idea while visiting his family in Michigan at the start of 2013, and the first product was sold at the Lexington (Massachusetts) Farmers’ Market in June of that year.
DP: To you, what makes the Boston Smoked Fish Company products better than other smoked fishes and pates on the market?
CA: We focus exclusively on the art of hot-smoking. This process imparts a cooked texture to the fish and gives it a distinctive “umami” quality that appeals to traditional meat-eaters and seafood lovers alike. But the real key to our bold flavor profile is our brine ingredients, and the critical dry time that allows each filet to develop the perfect pellicle, or smoke-catching surface. Once in the smoker, there is no firm rule for determining how long the fish should cook; only experience and careful attention to each batch ensures the perfect result.
DP: Was it difficult to become a kosher-certified company?
CA: It was fascinating to work with the Rabbis as they explained the Biblical origins of the law and the rationale for why certain products and procedures met its requirements. Our hot-smoked process initially presented some novel questions to the Rabbis, but after careful analysis and some minor adjustments to our operation, we were able to become fully compliant with Kashrut.
DP: Did having Boston in your company name pose any challenges with expanding into other cities like Los Angeles and New York?
CA: We have yet to really find out because so far we’ve primarily focused on growing our brand in New England. But we’re very excited about our recent arrival in all Whole Foods locations throughout the New York Tristate region. Boston is internationally-renowned for the superb quality of its seafood, so we’re hopeful that our name will carry a certain amount of cachet and customer appeal in other parts of the country. California is the next great frontier!
DP: Do you have a favorite of the Boston Smoked Fish Company products available?
CA: To this day I think our Simply Smoked Salmon Filet embodies the purest representation of what we do. The brine flavors, balanced smokiness, and perfect moisture content all combine for an unforgettable experience. I believe all of our products stand out, but for my money, the Simply Smoked is the best place to start for the uninitiated.
DP: What is coming up for the company in 2020?
CA: We’re currently building a salmon burger business in our adjoining space on the Fish Pier. We plan on manufacturing and selling the burgers by March.
DP: Finally, any last words for the kids?
CA: Keep eating fish! We made it extra tasty for you. Actually, my nieces and nephews love the smoked quality and love telling me that there’s nothing “fishy” about it.
More on the Boston Smoked Fish Company can be found here.
More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.