Salmon lovers - which do you buy? Chinook, Sockeye, Coho, Pink, Atlantic, King, or something different?

[CHenry]

As long as it spends 3 hours on my GMG smoker at 200*, any salmon works.

 

[CHenry]

Canned.

meh, I'll eat canned but not as a favorite

 

[trekrok]

Sam's frozen. Not good, but easy.

 

[Firpo]

I’ve had just about all the species and by far the Blackmouth King is my favorite. It’s a Chinook that stays in the Sound and doesn’t make its way any further. Also I always thought Kings had the highest fat content and according to this they do although I suppose they could certainly be wrong. https://www.marxfoods.com/wi
To me the Blackmouth has the perfect firmness, taste and texture. We’d launch out of Mukilteo, hall arse and drop the crab pots at maybe 20’ then fish with down-riggers at 80’-100’ till around 2:00pm. Come back and have a feast that evening of fresh King salmon and Dungeness crab. Only time we ever got skunked was when those damn Orcas came through. Let’s just say when you see them you’re done for the day because the salmon gets out of town.

 

[PBramble]

meh, I'll eat canned but not as a favorite

I make salmon patties for the GF more than cooking fillets

 

[KroyWen]

Northwest native here. Sockeye is the best salmon, it has the highest fat content the colder and longer the river the better the fish. Back home sockeye will be sold by what river it is from. Sockeye use to run as far south as the Los Angeles river. Stocks are depleted but still sustainable un northern regions. Chinook (King) is good too, it really shines as being cut into steaks due to the size of the fish. Coho (silver) is a solid fish, it really benefits from being troll caught, I used to get it at the farmers market caught to night before. Coho has a lower fat content and really shines for smoking and making jerky. Pink (humpback) Is typically what is found in cans and recently started being offered fresh/frozen (Aldi has a great deal) Pink is fine and great for marinated recipies. If you are eating Atlantic, do yourself a favor and get pink instead. Pinks still have large runs and are a very sustainable choice. Pinks are the smallest of all the above species.

Now on to Atlantic salmon. Atlantic Salmon is pig disgusting. Virtually all Atlantic Salmon in the US is farmed in large pens at sea. Farming sounds sustainable but it is not. Because the fish dont actually make a run they have poor fat and muscle development. These pens are usually rife with disease and fish are treated with antIbiotics. These pens also spread disease to native fish and their feed depletes food for wild fish. Atlantic salmon also hurt the US fishing industry, especially when imported. Additionally fish escape and are an invasive species. These is no limit on Atlantic salmon in the NW. Because of their diet and lack of exercise Atlantic Salmon do not developed a salmon color and the flesh is dyed in processing. Hence the classic PNW bumper stickers "Atlantic Salmon Dyed for You." And "Friends dont let friends eat farmed fish"

Thank you for your detailed info on salmon. We try to eat healthy, and have purchased mail order overnight dry ice Alaskan salmon.
Additionally, I would caution those that care, China markets “ fresh caught wild salmon “ in the supermarkets, usually frozen. IMO, I don’t put any trust in the safety of a food item from China.

 

[Coug91]

Sockeye. Wild, preferably copper river.

Atlantic (farmed) is a solid no.

 

[KroyWen]

Does the FDA allow the Atlantic Farmed salmon be labeled “ Wild Caught “ ?

 

[Firpo]

Does the FDA allow the Atlantic Farmed salmon be labeled “ Wild Caught “ ?

Don’t have an answer for you but it reminds me of a story. While I lived in Washington many moons back an Atlantic Salmon farm was farming their crop in these huge enclosures floating in the Puget Sound. Not sure the cause but one of those enclosures ruptured and a gagillion Atlantics were released into open waters. Being there would be noway for the farmers to collect them and they weren’t a native species so there weren’t any regulations for them making it open season on the buggers.

 

[turkeyrun]

We don't eat a lot of salmon, but it is Chinook, sockeye, or pink; when we do.

Wif keeps a couple cans of pink in the pantry, as emergency stash.

Sam's or Aldi is where we normally purchase.

We love fish, but salmon isn't high on the list of which type.