15 minute read
SALMON: Understanding what’s what under the sea
Everything you need to know about the ray-finned fish Getting Hooked on Salmon
BY SHAUNA L. NOSLER | ILLUSTRATIONS BY REBEKAH NOLAN, FLATLAND KITCHEN PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALAN LOVEWELL, COURTESY OF EDIBLE MONTEREY BAY
Advertisement
Every year come mid-May, in south central Alaska, there is a massive exodus. But it’s not snowbirds vacating their homes in search of warmer weather—I mean, why would they leave when the temperature is teetering near 60? Mild by Midwest standards, but darn near sauna-like for Alaskans. Still, the exodus happens … and it’s been happening at the same time every year since the Ice Ages.
The rise and fall of the king
Alaska’s Prince William Sound is home to the Copper River—a glacial-fed river with a nearly 35-mile-wide gorge where the river dumps over 500,000 cubic feet of water per second into the Gulf of Alaska, and where thousands of young salmon leave their birthplace in the Copper to feed at sea for the next few years. Then, some two to seven years later, the now-adult salmon leave the Gulf to make their 300-mile-long journey home to spawn—an arduous task fueled by their high concentration of omega-3 fatty acids, an inimitable trait that makes salmon, especially those from the Copper River, one of the most coveted of all seafoods, worldwide.
The Copper River produces three types of salmon: king (aka Chinook), sockeye and coho. All three can come with a price tag more than double that of the same species from other locations—the king landing the highest price at $35–40 a pound. But it wasn’t always like this. Thirty years ago, most Copper River salmon was sold to Japan, where demand was (and still is) high but export prices were excruciatingly low. So low that many fishermen docked their boats in search of more lucrative, land-based occupations. Nowadays, thanks in part to what many call savvy marketing and brilliant PR, the catch from the Copper is one of the most profitable in the country, let alone the world. But unfortunately, there’s a declining population as fewer
The Species
Eating salmon is good for you— all of you. It’s packed with protein and heart-healthy omega-3s, low in saturated fat and, at about 125 calories for a three-and-a-halfounce serving, it’s easy on your waistline. But deciding which salmon to consume can be a little puzzling. Here’s a short guide to the most common varieties. King (aka Chinook and Spring)
The largest and fattiest of all salmon, the king rules most taste tests. Much like a well-marbled steak, it’s the fat that gives this species its rich fl avor; and the farther fat that gives this species its rich fl avor; and the farther they travel to spawn, the higher their fat reservoirs, thus the richer the taste. the richer the taste.
Sockeye (aka Red and Kokanee)
This variety has the darkest fl esh and, unlike its cousins, is known to spawn in lakes as well as rivers. The fl avor is excellent, and many fi shmongers suggest you forgo any other variety of farmed salmon for a frozen sockeye.
and fewer salmon are returning home to spawn and the ones that do make it home are nearly 20 percent smaller than in previous years.
Last year, the commercial season’s fi rst opener on the Copper— which lasted all of 12 hours—only brought in about 1,500 kings and 25,000 sockeye and their average size was the lowest in 50 years. In January of this year, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) forecast this year’s king salmon run to be the smallest since 1980, prompting a March decision to close all king salmon sport fi sheries in the Upper Copper River. Come mid-May, the ADFG will decide whether the Copper will have a commercial season for king salmon.
The case for sustainable fi shing
Years of overfi shing and unsustainable practices have certainly hurt the fi shing industry as a whole, but there are many physical and biological reasons for the diminishing salmon population, including urban development, water diversions and pollution. To try to understand “the factors aff ecting Chinook salmon abundance in Alaska,” the ADFG launched the Chinook Salmon Research Initiative fi ve years ago in conjunction with state and federal legislators, biologists, scientists and academics. Since then, to help ensure the survival of king salmon, annual catch limitations are in place and some rivers have been closed entirely.
But while the current forecast for Alaskan king salmon looks grim, especially for those from the Copper River, good news is other habitats throughout the Pacifi c Northwest and beyond not only produce king, but other well-received salmon varieties as well. And one that’s making a big splash in Indiana and throughout the U.S. hails from Down Under, literally.
“Our best-selling salmon is New Zealand’s Ōra king salmon,” says Nick Caplinger of Caplinger’s Fresh Catch, an Indianapolis-based seafood company that’s been bringing the best of the sea to the Circle City for decades.
But the fi sh isn’t so popular just because it looks good; the taste, says Caplinger (and I concur) is an elegant balance and the texture is soft and buttery, giving it a pleasant palate appeal. Perhaps even more important is the fact they are raised by sustainable husbandry practices emulating the life cycle of wild king salmon—a fact that’s earned the Ōra king a “Green” (or “Best Choice”) rating by the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s universally respected Seafood Watch guide.
Farm-raised or wild-caught?
Th ere’s no easy answers in the farm-raised versus wild-caught controversy. Some people eat only wild-caught because they think farmraised equates to unhealthy practices—and years ago, this was a valid argument. But nowadays, thanks in large part to consumer awareness and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch, there are many excellent farm-raised options.
Pink (aka Humpies)
The most abundant and smallest of the species, these fi sh have the lowest fat content and are typically used for canning.
Coho (aka Silver)
Leaner and generally not as dark as the king, this variety was originally the most commercially sought-after of all salmon. Due in part to unsustainable fi shing practices, it is now heavily depleted in certain parts of the Pacifi c Northwest. However, after its introduction to the Great Lakes in the mid-1960s, the silver runs abundant throughout the region. Its pleasing taste and fi ne texture make it very popular among recreational fi shermen and local markets. Chum (aka Dogs)
Chum is quite lean, offering about one-third the fat of king salmon, with fi rm meat and orange, pink or red fl esh. The drier fl esh of this variety makes it well-suited for smoking.
“Th ere needs to be a very good balance of each,” says Caplinger of the farm-or-wild debate. “Th e advances of farm-raised fi sh and seafood have come a long way in the past 15 to 20 years. Many of the aquaculture techniques and practices along with the feed is borderline organic, if there was such a classifi cation. I tell people that if they’re not eating farm-raised fi sh and seafood now, that in 10 years they won’t be eating fi sh and seafood.”
And Americans need to eat more fi sh—be it salmon or something else, be it sustainably farmraised or wild-caught.
“Both wild and farmed seafood off er delicious and nutritious options to choose from,” says Linda Cornish, president of the Seafood Nutrition Partnership (SNP)—a nonprofi t organization providing tips, resources and nutrition programs to encourage Americans to include more seafood into their diets. Wild seafood, she says, has the taste profi le from the waters where it lives—something many seafood lovers crave. But, echoing Caplinger, she adds that as farmraised seafood practices have improved dramatically in the last two decades, farmed fi sh is now an important way of providing healthy protein for Americans.
“Seafood is healthy,” says Cornish. “It’s a lean protein fi lled with vitamins, minerals and nutrients.” And, she says, seafood is the only natural source of healthy omega-3 fatty acids that support brain health, provide heart protective properties and have been shown to reduce the risk of death from heart disease.
“Th e USDA recommends all of us eat a variety of seafood at least twice a week for good health,” she says. Which, in theory, sounds easy enough but only 10 percent of Americans actually follow this guideline.
Why? One of the biggest reasons people say they don’t eat seafood (at least in their own homes) is because they don’t know what to buy, or how to prepare it. But with organizations like the SNP and knowledgeable folks like the ones at Caplinger’s, you can rest assured you’ll fi nd good recipes, good cooking tips and good fi sh.
Ready to start eating more fi sh? Take the Heart Healthy Pledge at SeafoodNutritionPartnership.com and commit to eating seafood twice a week—your heart will thank you, and so will the rest of you.
For the State of Indiana, farmed fi sh means local food and local jobs. Indiana produces roughly 1.5 million pounds of fi sh per year from about 40 farmers, estimated at a value of $15 million.
The Labels
C.O.O.L. (Country of Origin Labeling) The Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 requires all wild and farm-raised fi sh and shellfi sh to be labeled according to their country of origin. So if you want to know where your fi sh is from, just read the label or ask your server. What you need to know: In the U.S. close to 90 percent of the seafood we eat is imported.
Frozen vs. Fresh vs. Flash Frozen or FAS (frozen at sea) The term “fresh” might imply the fi sh has never been frozen—that it goes direct from hook to market to consumer—however, it can be a bit misleading for the average shopper. Within two hours of catch, almost all fi sh caught at sea is put on ice with a minimum temperature of -40°F. So clearly, unless you’re baiting the line yourself, chances are the fi sh you’re going to eat has been FAS. Thankfully, commercial freezing techniques have improved so much over the years that fl avor and texture aren’t poorly impacted like they were in the past. What you need to know: Frozen fi sh is good fi sh, too.
Farm-Raised A farm-raised salmon (or any fi sh) is just that—farm-raised. But the term itself doesn’t tell you anything about the actual “raising.” Farm-raised seafood can be reared in any type of containment system: an open-net cage in the ocean, an irrigation ditch, a pond or something else. What you need to know: Not all farm-raised salmon are created equal—know its origin and check the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch guide.
Wild-Caught A wild-caught salmon is either born naturally (in the wild) or hatchery-raised, released, and caught in the wild. What you need to know: Wild-caught is considered (by many) the best of the best, but don’t be afraid to eat farm-raised—just be sure you choose salmon from a farm with a good rating and don’t eat any variety that’s suffered from overfi shing.
Organic The USDA doesn’t have organic standards (yet) for farmed fi sh and in some places, like California, sales of “organically” labeled fi sh aren’t allowed. But some foreign countries do produce organic fi sh and can be labeled organic so long as they adhere to their C.O.O.L. laws. What you need to know: Until the USDA has organic standards for fi sh, we can’t rely on the label alone.
Atlantic Farm-raised Atlantic salmon has an excellent oil content, which helps the fi sh retain its moisture and orange color when cooked. Interestingly, most Atlantic salmon sold in the U.S. actually come from Chile, Canada or the UK. As far as wild Atlantic salmon goes, some do exist but they are extremely rare and are on the U.S. endangered species list. What you need to know: Salmon labeled “Atlantic” is farm-raised.
Norwegian Another type of farm-raised salmon, this variety comes from the Baltic Sea—which, according to activists at Greenpeace, has suffered from years of freely dumped toxic pollutants into many of the rivers that fl ow directly to the sea. What you need to know: Don’t eat Norwegian salmon.
While it may or may not be true that a rose is a rose is a rose … roses, like salmon, aren’t always red. In parts of Alaska, British Columbia and elsewhere in Canada, anglers occasionally hook the rare white-fl eshed Chinook. From the outside, the fi sh looks the same as its red-fl eshed cousins, but some fi shermen say it acts differently when hooked: The white, they say, swim straight down while red swim away. But most will never have the chance to test this theory as only fi ve percent of the world’s Chinook are white-fl eshed.
Why white-fl eshed? Simple genetics—the seldom caught fi sh doesn’t metabolize the bright red pigment in their heavily crustacean-based diet. As for fl avor, the white-fl eshed Chinook is just as delicious, maybe even more so due a higher oil concentrate. Years ago, the rare fi sh sold for less than half the price of the more commonly seen red-fl eshed Chinook, but in recent years—as consumers have learned there’s nothing wrong with a white salmon—the commercial value has increased. It now sells for upwards of $35 per pound in some areas (compared to $25 per pound for the red-fl eshed variety), earning it the title Ivory King.
Farm-raised Atlantic salmon has an excellent oil content, which helps the fi sh retain its moisture and orange color when cooked. Interestingly, most Atlantic salmon sold in the U.S. actually come from Chile, Canada or the UK. As far as wild Atlantic salmon goes, some do exist but they are extremely rare and are on the U.S. endangered Salmon labeled “Atlantic” is farm-raised. Another type of farm-raised salmon, this variety comes from the Baltic Sea—which, according to activists at Greenpeace, has suffered from years of freely dumped toxic pollutants into
(compared to $25 per pound for the red-fl eshed variety), earning it the title Ivory King.
KISS Your Fish: Three tips for preparing salmon at home
1. Don’t judge your salmon by its color.
When buying salmon to cook at home, don’t be fooled by its color. Some species, like Alaskan Chinook, are naturally redder than others because their diet is full of crustaceans, while other varieties can be a light grayish pink. But, unfortunately, some farm-raised salmon also have that magnifi cent Alaskan Chinook red color because they’re given color-enhanced feed. So instead of focusing on color, make sure the fi sh smells clean. Check that the fl esh is fi rm and bounces back to shape when lightly pressed.
When buying a whole salmon, the eyes should be bright and clear and the skin should have an abundance of shiny scales. 2. Purchase fi sh the same day you plan to eat it.
Ideally, you should cook your salmon the same day you purchase it, but that’s not always possible. If need be, refrigerate as is for two days: rinse with cold water, pat dry and wrap tightly with plastic. Above all else, handle your fi sh delicately and keep it cold, right around 32°F. 3. You don’t need a recipe.
There’s nothing better than simply grilling a nice piece of salmon: place fi sh on aluminum foil, lightly brush each piece with a combination of canola and olive oils, salt and pepper to taste, grill hot for about eight minutes for a one-inch-thick, three- to four-ounce serving. Another excellent and easy preparation method is to use cedar planks in the oven. Same basic preparation as you would for grilling; cook at 375°F for 10–15 minutes. Be sure to always cook salmon skin-side down. Note:
You can buy cedar planks just about anywhere and they can be reused. Just be sure to soak the planks before use according to the package directions.
Don’t want to grill your fi sh? Caplinger suggests baking or broiling instead. “Since all salmon has a healthy fat content, they all should turn out moist and tender,” he says adding you don’t need to be a professional chef to cook salmon—just be sure to use the KISS method: Keep It Simple, Stupid. “Fresh lemon juice, dill or your favorite fi sh seasoning, topped off with some capers. We can advise the customers how to cook and we have seasonings and sauces to help make it easy.”
Our picks for buying fresh salmon:
Caplinger’s Fresh Catch | 7460 N. Shadeland Ave. Ste. 400 Indianapolis | CaplingersFreshCatch.com Caplinger’s Fresh Catch & Cuts | 15009 Gray Rd. | Noblesville Goose the Market | 2503 N. Delaware St. | Indianapolis GoosetheMarket.com Joe’s Butcher Shop | 111 W. Main St. Ste. 110 | Carmel JoesButcherShop.com The Butcher’s Block | 115 S. State Rd. 46 | Bloomington BloomingtonMeat.com Fresh Market | FreshMarket.com Whole Foods | WholeFoods.com Or get it delivered fresh to your door with Sitka Salmon SitkaSalmon.com
Every Saturday
MAY-OCTOBER 8AM-NOON
Lawrence North High School 7800 N. Hague Road Indianapolis
m a r k e t a t h a g u e . c o m
16-PERSON, PEDAL- POWERED PUB BICYCLE IN FISHERS. 2 hour tours of breweries, bars and more. BYOB
Optional stops: Four Day Ray Brewery, Brixx Wood Fired Pizza Pub, Louvino and Nickel Plate Bar and Grill
proud partner
