Simple Tip For Picking Better Salmon!
There is something fancy and sophisticated feeling about eating salmon vs other fish...or is it just me? lol
We have been incorporating more fish into our diet over the last year, and it's been great! Its light and fresh taste is a great break from the rich red meat norm in our house.
However, like most foods, not all salmon is created equal! In fact, if you get low-quality fish, the toxin levels for humans are even HIGHER than if you were to buy super low-quality meat and worse than lunch meats...
Why? Essentially, farmed and lower-quality salmons are grown in dirty tanks or barrels and fed synthetic fish food full of chemicals their whole life. Their living environment is not often cleaned, so their poop and other fishy bacteria are absorbed right back into their flesh. Not to mention, they get loaded up with heavy metals in the process....plus some "farms" slip red dye into the water to make the meat more colorful for processing...
Your mom wasn't far off when she used to say, "You are what you eat." After you eat cheap salmon, all that metal, chemical fish food, and poop get absorbed into you like a secondhand fishy cigarette.
Hungry yet? Haha
Well, not to fear; spotting better-for-you and good salmon is simple!
Visually, you can spot "farmed salmon" just by the color. Fish that lived in farmed or "unhealthy" environments are more pale orangish color with thinker white fatty lines running through the cut.
Healthier fish, higher quality, and "wild caught" fish will be more of a brighter and more vibrant reddish color.
(Pic From Wild Alaskan Company)
What To Look For When Buying Salmon
If your town has a farmers market or fresh fish shop, you are in a great position! Spotting fresh vs farmed salmon will be easy. Don't be afraid to ask the farmer or the person behind the counter where the fish are from and if you can get a better look at them yourself.
If you are like me, you are in a landlocked location, and fresh seafood is mostly on vacation! Haha
When looking at the store, a good rule of thumb is to search for labels with "wild caught" for most fish, but also look out for "Sockeye" salmon! This is my go-to salmon cut!!!
Sockeye is not farmed, has naturally vibrant bright colors, is less fatty, has more flavor and nutrients, and is not dyed...if you can find any "Sockeye" salmon in the store or online, it will be better quality than 70% of the salmon out there. It makes reading labels a little less fatiguing!
Happy Salmon Cooking!
-Ca
Real Food Fun Fact:
This is one of the coolest things about cooking and learning more about REAL FOOD!
Spotting quality is easier than you think. We actually see this same principle applied to eggs! The higher quality or healthier the chicken, the brighter the yolk of the egg! (Photo from instagram @cookwithrealfood)
