Know What You Are Getting

It Really Does Matter

-what to be aware of when selecting salmon at the supermarket

Salmon is the pinkish red fish, right? Yes, for the most part. However, it is more than this. Within the US, what we refer to as salmon includes 6 different species. Salmon is also categorized as being either wild-caught or farm-raised. Both types of categories are relevant when selecting for your eating delicacy. Salmon come from the family Salmonidae, which includes the commonly named salmon fish and others, such as trout and white fish. The pink to red colored fish are what we commonly call salmon. The 6 species are Chinook (king), sockeye (red), Coho (silver), Chum (keta), pink (humpback) and Atlantic. Aside from the Atlantic salmon, the others come from the Pacific.

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All that are from the Pacific comes from wild fisheries. It is illegal to farm raise salmon in the Pacific Northwest. You will see labels and signs that read “wild-caught.” Unless your Atlantic salmon is being handed to you directly from fishermen, nearly all Atlantic salmon is farm raised. Atlantic salmon is the kind that is most readily available at most supermarkets in the US. They are either farm raised in Europe or other parts of the world with cold waters.

Currently, you want to select the Europe farm-raised type, as the fish are raised in organic and the least harmful environment, such as overcrowding. It is generally twice as expensive (or more), but it is worth it. Along with less crowding, the fish are fed an organic diet more similar to their natural diet. Other farm-raised salmon are overcrowded and given non-organic, GMO, pellet food not even close to their vegetarian natural diet. Perhaps worst of all, they are in waters where medications are regularly pumped in to compensate for the sickness caused by the first two less-than-wonderful conditions.

At this point, you realize that wild-caught Pacific species are the best choice. The differences in these species are color, texture, fat content and so forth. Unless you are a world-class chef, the differences are minimal. All are delicious and better for your health. The two most popular you will see at the grocery store are the Chinook and sockeye, more commonly termed king salmon and red salmon. They may cost 3 times more than inexpensive farm-raised salmon, but it is worth it. I recommend eating smaller portions less often.

image credit – photo by Justin Marx of a wild-caught sockeye salmon recipe