Salmon

Six commercial species

“Salmon” covers two distinct genera:

Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) — one species. Most farmed salmon worldwide (Norway, Chile, Scotland) is this. Naturally distinct from Pacific salmon despite shared name.

Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus) — five species:

• Chinook (king) — largest, fattiest, most prized.
• Sockeye (red) — deep red flesh, intense flavor.
• Coho (silver) — milder, mid-fat.
• Pink (humpback) — smallest, palest, cheapest, mostly canned.
• Chum (dog) — leanest, milder, often smoked.

A wild Pacific sockeye is a different eating fish from a farmed Atlantic — different fat content, different texture, different flavor.

Wild vs. farmed

The wild/farmed split in salmon is more consequential than for most fish:

• Wild Pacific — varied diet of krill and small fish gives natural deep red-orange flesh and high omega-3 content. Highly variable supply, peak summer.
• Farmed Atlantic — fed pellets including fishmeal and color additives (astaxanthin, otherwise the flesh would be pale gray). More uniform, year-round, lower market price.

Environmental concerns differ too: wild salmon sustainability depends on stock health; farmed has historical issues with sea lice, pollution, and escapes.

Cooking spectrum

• Raw — sushi, sashimi, ceviche, gravlax.
• Cured — lox, gravlax, smoked salmon.
• Quick-cooked — pan-seared, grilled, broiled (3–4 min per side).
• Slow-cooked — poached, baked en papillote, low-temperature oven-baked.
• Long-preserved — canned, smoked.

The 50–55 °C internal temperature for medium-rare salmon produces flesh that’s just opaque, with a velvety center.