White salmon -- with photo.

[Smokeville]

I bought a whole pile of frozen salmon that had been marked down from $9.99/lb to ---gasp --- $1.99/lb. It was white, which is likely why the store had to give it away.

I smoked it up and my wife and daughter-in-law say it is definitely salmon (I am allergic).

So, what type would it be? Farm raised without the colour pills??  ;D

Or something more exotic so that I can brag to guests?

Thanks, Rich

[r106]

My guess is it's a Spring, Chinook or King Salmon ( Same species just diferent names) Where i'm from we get a early summer run of Springs that are a nice pink\red colour and the ones that run in the late summer\fall are a whiteish colour

[classicrockgriller]

r106, Welcome to the Forum!

You might want to check out our FAQ's
http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?p=748#post748

recipe site:
http://www.susanminor.org/forums/

Try this link to get your pictures going.
http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showpost.php?p=768&postcount=11

If We can help, Let Us know!

[RossP]

I would say Spring, Chinook King all e same. We get a huge run of White Spring up here in BC. A lot of guys do not like them because of the color of the flesh and the smell of them. I think they are great for smoking and for the BBQ. Nothing wrong with White Springs, you got a heck of a deal enjoy them.

Ross

[Quarlow]

Yea rossP has you covered. On the fish boats we would get about 1 in 50 springs that were white. My captain told me in his younger days fishing they would get say $20 for a red spring and $2 for a white. I have eaten both and I will take either no problem. At that price I would have filled my freezer.

[SouthernSmoked]

I've never seen the White Salmon available here in my part of the world.

So please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong but isn't the white salmon differ in both its texture and taste. I always heard that it has a rich, mild, almost creamy taste. The White Salmon is not as "fishy" tasting and is also very high in Omega-3 oils?

What did the wife and daughter-in-law thinks???

[Smokeville]

Yea rossP has you covered. On the fish boats we would get about 1 in 50 springs that were white. My captain told me in his younger days fishing they would get say $20 for a red spring and $2 for a white. I have eaten both and I will take either no problem. At that price I would have filled my freezer.

Well, I first bought 10 fillets, took them home to defrost and smoke. I was a bit dubious simply because the price was so low, even though the store is reputable. It is an Eastern European i.e. Polish/Russian superstore here in Toronto.

By the time I got back, I could only get another 20.

[Smokeville]

I've never seen the White Salmon available here in my part of the world.

So please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong but isn't the white salmon differ in both its texture and taste. I always heard that it has a rich, mild, almost creamy taste. The White Salmon is not as "fishy" tasting and is also very high in Omega-3 oils?

What did the wife and daughter-in-law thinks???

I'll ask and let you know.

[BuyLowSellHigh]

I'd not previously encountered "white salmon" so this thread inspired a little research.  I found out they are notthat rare.  A couple of interesting tidbits.

From "Professor Salmon" ... http://www.thinksalmon.com/learn/item/why_do_some_salmon_have_white_flesh/

The familiar orange-pink colouration in salmon is produced by carotenoids, which appear as photosynthetic natural pigments. Carotenoids are produced only by phytoplankton, algae, plants, and a limited number of fungi and bacteria. Salmon absorb carotenoids as they eat, and usually the carotenoids are deposited in their muscles, resulting in that familiar orange-pink colour.

However, it's genes that determine the distribution and storage of carotenoids.

In some salmon, the gene(s) responsible for depositing carotenoids into muscle are simply missing or present in low amounts. When this happens, salmon flesh won't turn the colour we're accustomed to seeing, and instead appear white, cream, or marbled.


Second, two related bits from Wikipedia ...  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salmon

A simple rule of thumb is that the vast majority of Atlantic salmon available on the world market are farmed (greater than 99%), whereas the majority of Pacific salmon are wild-caught (greater than 80%). Farmed Atlantic salmon outnumber wild Atlantic salmon 85-to-1.
...

Salmon flesh is generally orange to red, although there are some examples of white fleshed wild salmon. The natural colour of salmon results from carotenoid pigments, largely astaxanthin but also canthaxanthin, in the flesh.[47] Wild salmon get these carotenoids from eating krill and other tiny shellfish. Because consumers have shown a reluctance to purchase white-fleshed salmon, astaxanthin (E161j), and very minutely canthaxanthin (E161g), are added as artificial colorants to the feed of farmed salmon, because prepared diets do not naturally contain these pigments.

My take is it's important to know the source of any seafood you consume.

[Kummok]

If you bought white Kings for $1.99/lb, RUN, don't walk, back and get every bit of it that they have left! I defy anyone I know (an I know LOTS of salmon munchers!) to tell the difference between white and red King in a blindfold test. Here in King Salmon land, the white King is saved for special guests (even though we can't tell any difference in taste). It used to be culled as if something was wrong with it, now the secret is out and high end restaurants market it as "Queen Salmon" and sell it at a higher rate.....sounds "queer" to me, but true none-the-less!

The only thing I have noticed between white and red is that the white doesn't LOOK as good when smoked and the white seems to last longer in the freezer. I will gladly offer my freezer space to anyone wanting to cull their white Kings!

[Quarlow]

I agree with Kummok on the taste. I have had them both side by side and I couldn't say one was different from the other. And I would like to say this and don't take this as throwing it in your face, but when I was on the fishboats we would take a fish straight out of the water, clean it and stick it right in the oven to bake. You would not believe how much better a salmon tastes when it is that fresh. I was blown away at how much better it was. So if you ever get the chance to eat a really fresh salmon like that make sure you jump at the chance. You will not regret it, unless of course you don't like salmon which is just crazy in it's self. ;D

[Smokeville]

SouthernSmoked, my wife said the white salmon tasted identical to any other salmon we have smoked....

[Kummok]

BTW Quarlow....we're getting low on white Kings up here. Can you open the Fraser River gate and let a few more out!?!?!  ;) ;D

[Quarlow]

I'll see what I can do for ya. Cause I got friends in low places. ;D Lower Fraser that is.

[Smokeville]

I'm getting them ready to smoke.....

Do they look like White Kings? I'm going to call them Ivory Kings when we sell them.....