What is wild Alaskan salmon?
- Juro Kusnir
- Mar 25, 2018
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 13
There have been many studies in recent years proving the superior quality and health benefits of wild salmon versus farm-raised (read here, here, or here). On top of that, wild salmon offers you choices of different species. And even though they're all wild Alaskan salmon, they can be quite diverse. Let's take a closer look.
Each wild Alaskan salmon specie brings something else to the plate.
There are five species of wild Alaskan salmon: king (aka chinook), sockeye (aka red), coho (silver), keta (chum), and pink (humpy).
The biggest and rarest of the group is the king salmon. If you're lucky enough to catch one, you deal with fish whose weight averages around 20lbs, in some cases up to 50-60lbs. Especially in long and cold rivers, such as the Yukon or Copper rivers, kings develop excellent fat content, which makes them extremely popular amongst all fish lovers. But they're hard to get, and even if you do see them on a menu, you'll pay a pretty penny. At a restaurant, you can easily pay over $50 for a portion of high-quality king salmon (read more here)
The most popular wild salmon is sockeye, also known as "red". The nickname comes from the bright red color of the flesh, but this salmon has other important qualities - good size (around 8 lbs average), great nutritional value, high fat content, and excellent taste. The top amongst sockeye are the ones coming from Copper River. This long, cold river gives the fish its exceptional qualities, and the local fishermen make sure these qualities are not compromised. Very few fisheries have the fishermen treat their catch with as much respect, care, and awareness of quality. More about Copper River sockeye here.
On the other hand, the area with the most abundance of sockeyes is Bristol Bay. Nowhere in the world can you see so many millions of sockeye run up the streams of a local river system. The number varies every year; last year was historically in the top 5 with over 56 million fish. Watch some of the spectacular Bristol Bay salmon fishing here.
Rated by culinary popularity, coho salmon comes right after sockeye. This relatively large salmon (average around 10 lb) has a milder taste than king or sockeye and is often enjoyed by salmon lovers and people who would typically not pick salmon as their first choice. And again, Copper River gives this species just a little extra. You can read more about Copper River coho here.
Keta is known more in marinated form than just plain fresh or frozen, but what really puts this fish on the top quality seafood map is the roe. Salted keta roe, also known as ikura or red caviar, is a world-famous delicacy that extends its popularity from North America, through Japan, to Russia and Europe.
Similar can be said about the pink salmon, but the pinks also make their name as a popular canned fish. What pinks lack in size (average around 3-4 lb), they make up for in volume - they are the most common wild Alaskan salmon. They didn't quite make their way to the fresh/frozen market, but with more and more education about the health benefits of this lean wild fish, we can expect that to happen soon.
Each wild Alaskan salmon species brings something else to the plate. Our favorites
are sockeyes and cohos. Make sure you order yours here.
*Visit our store to learn more about the variety of fish Alaska has to offer, such as Copper River King Salmon, Wild Alaskan Halibut, Wild Alaskan Black Cod (Sablefish), and more.
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