Meet The Producer: Mike Jensen

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Mike Jensen carries on a family tradition, smoking salmon in Greenwood

Save for a memorable mechanical fish sign nearby, the series of small buildings on Greenwood Avenue is undistinguished. But for a quarter of a century this area has served as headquarters for Jensen’s Old-Fashioned Smokehouse, where owner Mike Jensen has been producing sought-after cold-smoked lox, hot-smoked and vacuum-packed salmon. (Cold smoking smokes the fish at 70–90 degrees; hot smoking, at 170 degrees. The vacuum pack extends the salmon’s shelf life.)

Jensen learned the ins and outs of the business working in his dad’s Bremerton smokehouse before establishing his own business after moving to Seattle to attend college. From the start, he relied on his dad’s treasured recipes and methods—and he still does things the old-fashioned way, without additives or preservatives.

Jensen smokes the best salmon available during the year’s fishing seasons; fish fans can choose from wild Washington, Canadian and Alaskan keta salmon, sockeye, red king salmon and white king salmon. His silky, thinly cut lox is just the ticket on a bagel, in a sandwich or even on a plate for snacking. The hot-smoked salmon, often sold in a hefty chunk, is usually thicker and has definite muscle striations—great for a snack or appetizer.

Find Jensen’s smoked salmon ($10­–$25/pound) at 10520 Greenwood Ave. N (206.364.5569), and at local Thriftway grocery stores, Town & Country Markets, Central Markets, Red Apple Markets and Top Foods, among others.

Originally published March 2010

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