Acme Smoked Fish Adventure

Acme Smoked Fish in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, is a 4th generation, family-owned fish smokehouse that produces smoked salmon, whitefish, trout, and sable, pickled herring, and fish salads, amongst other specialties. They are exclusively wholesale, and they distribute widely to local New York institutions like Russ & Daughters and national grocery chains like Whole Foods. (They also make the Blue Hill Bay brand.)

Once a week on "Fish Fridays," they open their warehouse at 30 Gem St. to the public from 8am to 1pm, offering their amazing fish at equally amazing wholesale prices.

I lined up at the (fragrant, in a good way) entrance with an eclectic mix of fish fans, including elderly Eastern European immigrants, families, and foodies...

As I moved further into the warehouse, I picked up packages of smoked salmon and jars of pickled herring in various sauces...

Then came whole whitefish....

When I got to the front of the line, I was greeted by an Acme employee in a white coat, gloves, and a hair net. I was led to a table full of fresh smoked fishes sold by the pound, of many types and flavors...

They let you sample everything...

I learned the difference between hot smoked fishes, like whitefish, salmon, and sable, which is baked at 145°F, and is flaky and succulent...

...and lox, which is brined, then "cold smoked" at 72°F for up to a day, which preserves the silky texture of the raw fish.