Peninsula Daily News and The New York Times News Service
From The New York Times on farmed salmon (boooh!) vs. wild Pacific king, sockeye and coho (Yeaaah!):
By Mark Bittman
NEW YORK —
Atlantic salmon is an endangered species, but it’s also always in season: we have fish farming to thank for that, if “thank” is the word.
Therefore almost all wild salmon is Pacific.
And in flavor, texture and color, the Pacific species of king (or Chinook), sockeye and coho are all superior to any farmed salmon.
Wild salmon is seasonal, and we’re smack in the middle of that season.
Unless you live in Alaska or the Northwest, where fresh wild salmon are practically flung onto your doorstep along with the morning paper, these fish remain a rare treat, shipped to markets around the country for a few precious weeks in mid- to late summer.
Farmed salmon does have two distinct advantages: it’s not expensive, and it’s very fatty.
That makes not only for pretty good eating but also for extremely forgiving cooking: you can overcook farmed salmon a bit, and it won’t be that dry.
But moisture isn’t flavor; compared with king or sockeye, even the best farm-raised salmon might as well be a frozen fish stick.
A well-cooked sockeye fillet is an incredible treat.
As with any seafood, mislabeling is something to look out for.
It’s not unheard-of for purveyors to label any kind of wild salmon — or even farmed salmon — “king.” Buy from people you trust.
Wild salmon has so much flavor that all it really needs is a hot skillet and a sprinkle of salt, but because you should be cooking it often before the short season ends, I’m including recipes spanning a wide range of flavors and cooking methods.
Obviously grilled fillets or burgers are hard to beat this time of year, but for gentler (and cooler) cooking, try poaching the salmon or simply leaving it raw.
From the PDN News Desk:
Sooooo . . . can The New York Times teach a North Olympic Peninsula resident about how to cook salmon?
Check it out.
Click on this link for the Times’ interactive recipes for wild salmon raw . . grilled . . .poached . . . and as a burger: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/08/11/magazine/bittman-salmon-recipes.html?src=me&_r=0
