Not all salmon is the same. Consumers in this country can choose from about six varieties, each of which has a couple of common names. Here is a simplified guide compiled with the help of fish experts Jon Rowley, a seattle- based seafood consultant, and Bruce Gore, owner of Triad Fisheries Ltd. in Seattle:
– King salmon or chinook salmon are usually the highest priced of the species and the largest, weighing from 5 to 40 pounds but some more than 100 pounds. Most is caught wild and is high in oil, especially Omega-3 fatty acids which can help lower cholesterol. It is the least abundant and most people believe it has the best flavor and texture so it often commands the highest price.
– Coho salmon or silver salmon also are high in oil and rich in flavor. They are the backbone of the Alaskan troll fishery, though most of them are caught in nets. Weighing from 2 to 12 pounds, they are highly desirable for table use and smoking. Any overcooking dries out the silver salmon.
– Sockeye salmon or red salmon have vividly colored deep red flesh and are comparable to the cohos in texture and taste with a more subtle flavor than the kings. They are widely available year round. Although they can grow up to 15 pounds, they average about 6 pounds. Their firm flesh makes them ideal for grilling and serving as steaks.
– Pink salmon or humpback salmon is the most abundant of all salmon and constitutes about 75 percent of the wild salmon caught. Most pinks are 2 to 3 pounds and low in oil. Although much of the harvest is channeled to the canning industry, last year`s abundant run prompted some retailers to sell pink salmon fillets fresh. They are inexpensive but easily bruised and don`t hold up to distribution, so they must be frozen quickly. When well handled, however, pinks are good eating.
– Chum salmon, sometimes sold as Silverbrite or calico salmon, are 4- to 13-pound fish that fade from pink to gray as they head upstream in their spawning rivers. The process also causes it to lose oil, texture and taste. Smaller pink-flesh chum sometimes is sold whole as ”Silverbrite” and is affordable and delicious.
– Atlantic salmon, also called Norwegian or Scottish salmon, is farmed year round in Canada, Norway, Scotland, the Faroe Islands and elsewhere. Atlantic salmon has a firm texture and good oil content but its flavor is more mellow than the wild varieties. The advantage is that it is consistent in flavor, availability and price.
What to look for
When Mike Federico, the seafood buyer at Shaws Crab House, selects salmon, he looks for several things, some of which may be helpful to those buying fish at retail.
– With fresh fish look for eyes that bulge and are clear. The skin should be bright with an irridescence and a ”good slime coat.”
– The fish should smell fresh like the sea with no odor of sour milk or ammonia.
– Scale loss can indicate how harshly the fish has been handled:
Noticibly missing scales may indicate the fish has been treated roughly.
– Flesh should be firm to the touch, not mushy.
– Whole, eviscerated fish usually are fresher than filleted or steak-cut fish.
– Frederico also looks at how the fish is packaged as an indication of how much care the dealer is taking in handling his product. This applies also to frozen fish. Fresh fish should be kept covered and protected from dehydration but not kept in airtight containers. Frozen fish should not be exposed to oxegen and should be glazed or vacuum packed. Ice crystals inside a frozen fish or package may indicate it has been partially thawed and refrozen or has been stored for a long time, Frederico says.
