Ingredient: Salmon
Category: Fish
Season: All
Salmon is the common name for several species of Fish of the family Salmonidae.
Several other fish in the family are called trout.
Salmon live in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans , as well as the Great Lakes and other land locked lakes.is an anadromous migratory fish found in the temperate and arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere.
Salmon is a popular food. Consuming salmon is considered to be reasonably healthy due to the fish's high protein, low fat, high Omega-3 fatty acids, and high vitamin D content.
Salmon is also a source of cholesterol, ranging 23–214 mg/100g depending on the species.
Salmon flesh is generally orange to red in colour, although there are some examples of white fleshed wild salmon. The natural colour of salmon results from carotenoid pigments, largely astaxanthin (E161j), in the flesh.
Wild salmon get these carotenoids from eating krill and other tiny shellfish.
Typically, salmon are anadromous: they are born in fresh water, migrate to the ocean, then return to fresh water to reproduce.
In all species of Pacific salmon, the mature individuals die within a few days or weeks of spawning, a trait known as semelparity. However, even in those species of salmon that may survive to spawn more than once (iteroparity), post-spawning mortality is quite high (perhaps as high as 40 to 50%.
Farmed salmon
According to reports in the journal Science, farmed salmon may contain high levels of dioxins. PCB (polychlorinated biphenyl) levels may be up to eight times higher in farmed salmon than in wild salmon. Omega-3 content may also be lower than in wild caught individuals, and in a different proportion to what is found naturally.
Because consumers have shown a reluctance to purchase white fleshed salmon, astaxanthin, and very minutely canthaxanthin (E161g)), are added as artificial colourants to the feed of farmed salmon
Buying fresh salmon
Most of us buy our salmon from the fishmonger or supermarket. Much of this salmon currently comes from fish farms.
Similarly, if our dietary intake of salmon depended on our skill with rod and line, many of us, might be sadly under-nourished
Wild Scottish salmon, fresh from sea or river, will invariably be superior to the farmed variety, this is the best salmon you wil ever taste..
Wild Scottish salmon, caught in commercial nets, is now a scarce commodity commanding a high market price, but well worth the extra cost compared to farmed salmon.
Other types of salmon sold, include:
Canned salmon, usually wild Pacific catch, though some farmed salmon is available in canned form. It comes in two colours, red or pink.
Scottish smoked salmon is another popular preparation method, and can either be hot or cold smoked. A favourite for that special meal, starter or champagne breakfast (served with scambled eggs) or served in a sandwich with salad.
Lox can refer to either cold smoked salmon or to salmon cured in a brine solution (also called gravlax) |