Here at Kai we are always looking for the best quality products to use in the kitchen. We don’t just use the best quality products regardless of source or content, but we are committed to finding the best natural, organic and locally sourced produce.

There is a growing number of smokehouses throughout the country ands we are lucky to have one of the finest production facilities just out the road.

The family run Connemara Smokehouse has been in operation by the Roberts family since 1979, and is now run by husband and wife Graham and Saoirse.

Grahams parents, John and Bridget founded Connemara Smokehouse with a smoking kiln that was first commissioned in 1946—and it’s still smoking today.

Situated on Bunowen Pier, just outside Ballyconneely the company encourage visitors to tour their facility and learn about its products and the process of smoking.

The smokehouse is one of the few remaining smokehouses that specializes in smoking wild Atlantic Salmon, along with tuna, herring, cod and mackerel.

Connemara Smokehouse Smoked Mackerel fishcakes at Kai Restaurant, Galway

Graham Roberts hand-fillets each fish to ensure quality and consistency is upheld with all of the companys products.
Sea salt and beechwood smoke create the flavour and texture in all the smoked products.
In the restaurant we use the smoked mackerel for fish cakes which is often seen on the lunch boards. We also use the smoked salmon in many of our dishes.
We believe that by supporting traditional companies that have standards as high as ours, and an ethos of quality we can work together to offer the best finished product to our customers.

If you want to find out more about the Smokehouse make sure to visit them in Connemara, or check out their website on www.smokehouse.ie

Have a look at the Nationwide feature on Connemara Smokehouse to get a real sense of what goes on there…

Kai Restaurant 18/07/2012

Irish Times-Food File by Marie-Claire Digby 2/7/2011

Graham and Saoirse Roberts produce some of Ireland’s best smoked fish products at their Connemara Smokehouse, situated right on the water’s edge at Bunnowen pier in Ballyconneely. Their cold and hot smoked salmon is superlative, but they also smoke mackerel, kippers and tuna – the latter is supplied to UK chef Rick Stein for his Padstow seafood restaurant.

The cold smoked tuna is a revelation – meaty, delicately smokey and sweet at the same time. As part of a smoked seafood platter it steals the limelight from its more common cousin the salmon. Roberts says he uses only Irish albacore tuna, line-caught in an environmentally-friendly way. You can buy this delicacy at the smokehouse, or from the couple’s website and it costs €15 for a 200g pack. Delivery of up to 25kg to addresses within Ireland adds a further €12. “If customers are visiting during June, July or August, they can come on one of our tours of the smokehouse which we run at 3pm every Wednesday”, Graham suggests (booking is advisable).

Saoirse suggests using the hot smoked tuna (€15/200g), in a salad with beetroot ribbons (pictured), while Graham prefers the cold smoked atop thin rounds of toast smeared with cream cheese, with a delicate sliver of cucumber. “Normally we serve it very simply, and it goes very well with some bubbly,” he says. See www.smokehouse.ie.

Honey Roast Smoked Tuna