Most of the offerings in Costco’s pre-made food section are easy-to-prepare, reasonably-priced complete meals. This Kirkland Signature Salmon Milano with Basil Pesto Butter doesn’t quite fit that description. All you’re getting is a protein, so you have to figure out your own side dishes. It’s also pricey at over $30 U.S. per tray. Is it tasty enough to be worth the effort and the cost?
Location in Store
We bought this in Kona, Hawaii but it’s also been available in Canada. It can be found in the refrigerated pre-made deli section and the item number is 40254. Costco also carries the Kirkland Signature Stuffed Salmon and the frozen Kirkland Signature Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon.
Taste
The salmon itself tastes really fresh and is good quality! It’s flaky and moist and there aren’t any gross bits or bones in the salmon. It’s salty from the pesto butter but not too salty, I was a little unsure about the combination of salmon and cheese in the pesto but it works well.
There isn’t a strong cheese flavor, just a slight cheesy creaminess and the pesto has a strong herby, earthy flavor. The salmon is buttery and rich from the butter but the pesto butter doesn’t overpower the natural flavor of the salmon.
What I don’t love is how heavy this meal is. Salmon is already heavy and filling because it’s full of natural fats so adding the pesto makes it a really decadent meal. I think one piece of salmon is more than enough for two people.
Cost
The salmon costs $14.99 USD per pound and our tray was just over two pounds and cost $31.78 USD which is definitely not cheap. However, you get a ton of salmon and salmon isn’t cheap to begin with.
Convenience
The salmon is ready to pop in the oven in the tray it comes in. It’s raw so you have to make sure it’s cooked thoroughly. To cook the salmon, preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, remove the plastic lid and bake the container on the middle rack of the oven for 25-30 minutes.
The salmon is done when it reaches 145 degrees internally. I recommend serving this with some rice, couscous, quinoa and a nice green side salad! The salmon needs to be kept refrigerated and the best-before date is two days from when it’s packaged. Since it’s fresh salmon I wouldn’t cook it past the expiry date.
Nutrition
Calories
A four-ounce serving contains 250 calories, 18 grams of fat, eight grams of saturated fat, 210 milligrams of sodium, zero grams of fiber, carbohydrates and sugar and 20 grams of protein.
Although the sodium, calories and fat don’t seem super high. A four-ounce serving really isn’t that much, it’s probably a little bit less than half of a piece of salmon.
Ingredients
I like that the ingredients list is really straightforward with salmon, butter and basil pesto being the main ingredients. The basil pesto has extra virgin olive oil which I like but I wish it didn’t contain sunflower oil too.
Unfortunately, the salmon is farm-raised with color added through the feed used. This meal is gluten-free but not dairy-free and contains fish, dairy and tree nuts. It may contain wheat, soy, peanuts, egg, shellfish, crustaceans and sesame seed due to being produced in a facility that makes food with these ingredients.
Scoring
Taste: 7.5/10
Cost: 7/10
Convenience: 10/10
Nutrition: 6/10
Overall
Give it a try!
If you want to try a very flavorful, convenient salmon meal, I recommend trying the Kirkland Signature Salmon Milano with Basil Pesto Butter!
Have you tried this salmon Milano from Costco? What did you think of it? Drop a comment below!
Please note that this review was not paid for or sponsored by any third party. This product was purchased by Costcuisine for the purpose of producing this review. The opinions in this review are strictly those of Costcuisine. Costcuisine is not affiliated with Costco or any of its suppliers. In the event that Costcuisine receives compensation for a post from the manufacturer of a product or some other third party, the arrangement will be clearly disclosed (including where the manufacturer of a product provides Costcuisine with a free sample of the product).
Given salmon’s naturally high fat content, I’d be tempted to remove 2 of the 3 butter blobs to reduce the saturated fat. But then that’s part of the high price so I’m more likely to make it from scratch and have better ingredient control.
Thanks for your review 😁
This salmon is a delicious dish to serve guests. I keep one in the freezer and it is always well received.