What are the differences between wild and farmed salmon?
Jon Rowley: Salmon are what they eat. Farmed salmon swim around and around in enclosed pens and are fed formulated pellets on a feeding schedule. Pigments are added to the feed to give them red-colored meat. Wild salmon, depending on the species, forage in the open ocean for small crustaceans, herring, and other small fish, squid, and shrimp. They are anadromous, meaning they spawn in freshwater and live in saltwater. Each river represents a different genetic stock within the species. Once salmon enter freshwater on their upstream journey, they stop feeding and depend on stored energy reserves. Longer rivers like the Yukon (almost 2,000 miles) or rivers with difficult terrain like the Copper River, in Alaska, require more stored energy in the form of fats and oils. Those energy reserves give wild salmon its flavor and succulence and make it one of the best natural sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Today, wild salmon come mostly from the Pacific, and there are five species: king (sometimes called chinook), sockeye (red), coho (silver), pink (humpback), and chum (keta).
Is there still such a thing as wild Atlantic salmon?
JR: Wild Atlantic salmon, like Pacific salmon, spawn in freshwater and spend their life at sea. Also like Pacific salmon, Atlantic salmon are genetically adapted to return to their river of origin and depend on healthy watersheds for spawning and survival. Most wild Atlantic salmon runs have succumbed to loss of spawning habitat, pollution of the rivers, and oversilting of the spawning grounds from logging, overfishing, and man-made impediments such as dams. Wild Atlantic salmon runs still occur in less populated regions where spawning river conditions are favorable. The North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization, of which the United States is a member, guides the efforts to restore wild salmon populations where possible in the Northwest Atlantic. To that end, all commercial fishing of Atlantic salmon, except for limited local use in Greenland and parts of Canada, has been curtailed since 2002. The privately funded international North Atlantic Salmon Fund has focused efforts on buying out commercial fishing interests in Europe. An upturn in numbers of returning salmon recently in Canada, Iceland, Scotland, and other countries may be an indication that conservation and habitat-restoration efforts are paying off.
What about organic salmon?
JR: “Organic” salmon is currently the subject of much debate and political wrangling. At this time, there is officially no such thing as organic salmon in the U.S., yet you can find farmed salmon labeled “organic” in some markets. The USDA has no standards for organic salmon, but both the USDA and the FDA are turning a blind eye to organic salmon certified in other jurisdictions and even to labels reading “organic certification pending” or “natural.”
Jon, you were the marketing force behind Copper River salmon. Are the flavor, texture, and fat content really all that different from wild Pacific salmon from other areas?
JR: Absolutely. First, I should clarify that Copper River king salmon and Copper River sockeye salmon, both running at the same time, are very different fish with different sizes, appearances, eating characteristics, and pricing. I was involved with bringing the first fresh Copper River king salmon to market in 1983 at a time when most of this fish was canned or frozen for export to Japan. It was clear to everyone who tasted the fish from the very first trial shipment to a few Seattle restaurants that the fish had a brilliant future ahead in the marketplace. It was noticeably different in flavor, texture, and mouthfeel from other king salmon available at the time. Some of this difference had to do with the on-board handling program I arranged with the fishermen, but the Copper River king is genetically programmed to produce the oils needed to conquer the surging downflow of turbulent rapids and wild canyons of the Copper River. The Copper River is only 300 miles long, but because it drops nearly 4,000 feet, it makes up in turbulence what it lacks in length. The Copper River king is a fat-bellied, well-muscled thoroughbred. With its short four-week season, demand is very strong and prices high. Be aware that not all “Copper River salmon” is Copper River king salmon or even from the Copper River . Know your fishmonger.
And stay tuned for developments to get the Yukon River king, even higher in oil, to the fresh market. For the first time in the history of that fishery, ice is being used on the small open skiffs in the remote lower Yukon, a step necessary to keep a fish with so much oil supple and resilient after going through rigor mortis.
What accounts for the red color in salmon?
JR: The salmon’s unique color comes from the way the fish metabolizes the carotene pigment astaxanthin, found in high concentrations in the microalgae ingested by the krill and other seafood that salmon eat. (For some unknown reason, white king salmon do not have the ability to metabolize astaxanthin that red-fleshed salmon do.) Astaxanthin is also essential for proper growth. Artificially produced astaxanthin is added to fish food to give farmed salmon its red color.
What do you look for when buying a whole salmon? What about steaks or fillets?
JR: The best indicator of freshness in a whole salmon is a protective bright slime that is produced by the fish while it is in rigor mortis. It looks as though a chef had just painted the fish with aspic that hasn’t set yet. It glistens; the light dances off of it. It is somewhat rare, but not uncommon either, to find fish still in rigor in a retail situation. If you see that bright, glistening slime, you have the opportunity to purchase the freshest fish possible. Once a fish passes through rigor, it ceases making the slime but will hang on to it for a day or two. And look for a whole salmon with all of its scales. Check the belly cavity to see how well the fish has been cleaned and to make sure there are no untoward odors. The fish and its belly cavity should have a fresh, clean smell.
Troll-caught salmon are usually sold head-on, gilled, and gutted (a.k.a. “princess dressed”). Net-caught salmon are usually sold headed and gutted (“H&G”). In a head-on salmon, the eyes are small, dense, and change little with age, so they’re not a good indicator of freshness.
With steaks and fillets, look for cuts that speak to the eye. Look for the vivid color and the bright aspect known to fish people as “bloom.”
How can you store salmon after purchase if you can’t use it right away?
JR: Bury whole salmon in ice, which chills and also washes as it melts. Flaked or crushed ice is preferable, as cube ice can leave indentations in the flesh. Wrap fillets or steaks, if needing to keep for a few days, in plastic wrap and cover with ice in a container that will drain the ice melt. Direct exposure to ice or water discolors the flesh and affects flavor.
What is that white matter that comes out of salmon when it is cooking? Is there any way to avoid it?
JR: That’s called albumin, exuding protein that has separated from the fish during the cooking process. It is the result of cellular breakdown caused by the age and/or handling of the fish, freezing and/or cooking method, or temperature. The better the quality and the gentler the cooking method, the less white matter you see. If impeccable-quality fish is cooked gently in a way that preserves cellular integrity, it is possible to cook salmon or any other fish without any of the inside of the fish coming to the outside. Personally, I prefer low cooking temperatures but will sometimes bronze surfaces quickly in a hot skillet before putting in a slow oven. If you see that no albumin has found its way to the outside of the fish after cooking, look forward to rewards in flavor and mouthfeel.