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Salmon, since the beginning, has always been valued by its fat content. The fat content corresponds with richness in the mouth (though not invariably with the best flavor). Here are the five major Pacific salmon varieties, listed in order of Fat content and taste:
- King (chinook). The most luxurious fresh salmon, the king, is the highest in fat and usually the most expensive, prized for its silken, melting texture, almost like smoked salmon.
- Silver (Coho) Has fatty, reddish-orange meat and has been called one of the best-tasting salmon. Although Coho costs less than king salmon, its quality is still
- relatively
- high. Silver’s are a medium fatty salmon with nearly two times the oil content of pink and chum salmon, but less than sockeyes or kings.
- Pink (humpies) Is the smallest wild Pacific salmon, and its flesh is pale pink. This salmon is mild-flavored, softer than most salmon, has a small flake, and contains a relatively low oil.
- Chum (dog). Like pink, chum is fished in high numbers and is lower in fat than other varieties; when it spawns in intertidal waters, it doesn’t need to build up energy to swim upstream. However, its eggs are the most valued of the five varieties because of their size and flavor. These eggs are what you find on some different kinds of sushi rolls.
- Halibut is a lean fish with mild, sweet-tasting white flesh, large flakes, and a firm but tender texture. Because of its leanness, this fish becomes dried out if overcooked. I like Halibut Deep fried!
- Snapper has a lean, firm texture. The flesh is white, delicate, and mild, and it’s tinted pink from its red skin, and it has a mildly sweet taste.
It is delicious any way you cook it.
- There are many other strange bottom fish that you could catch out there, and I have not tried many of them. Shark as an example not too unusual as a species, but as a menu item? I tried it at a restaurant, and it was not bad. It tasted like Halibut, although it was overcooked.
With any Seafood, the worst thing to do is overcook it!