question for the salmon experts

[love the smoke]

What is salmon trout baught some in the local mega mart and was wondering exactly what it is for fish

Cant get good fish here to save your a$$, but we have some of the best Iowa corn fed beef in iowa ;) ???

LTS

[tsquared]

Salmon trout....I'm guessing it's farm raised Atlantic salmon. If the salmon fishing continues to be poor here in British Columbia, I'll be lined up to buy some! :(
T2

[Kummok]

Uh Uh ..... I don't believe that for a second T2....you're just shortstopping all those Kings down there and keeping 'em to yerself!!   ;) ;)

Salmon Trout? Actually never even heard of that before  ??? ???  My first thought was perhaps Kokanee salmon ?!?!?  A quick Google produced this: http://www.lewis-clark.org/content/content-article.asp?ArticleID=1931  which says it's steelhead?!?!?!  Sounds too weird to me, like Ford Chevy or beef pork... :-\

I'm with you Tom.....being sold in the local mega mart makes it sound like soylent green, (aka farmed Atlantic Salmon).

[love the smoke]

I did a little more checking on the bag ................"Salmon Trout " Any of various large trouts, especially the lake trout,sea trout or the steelhead. Flesh of marine trout that migrates from salt to fresh water.

Distributed by Atlantic Trading Co. Weston FL .....................Product of Chili-Ocean Farmed


So according to this it is NOT salmon at all  >:( bettter look over the pakage a little better next time)

What am I looking for just plain old SALMON or is there different kinds of salmon also ?

LTS

[aces-n-eights]

What am I looking for just plain old SALMON or is there different kinds of salmon also ?

LTS

Well, up here in Alaska there are five species of salmon - King (Chinook), Red (Sockeye), Silver (Coho), Pink and Chum.  Each are a bit different and have different flavor.  All TASTE like salmon, IMO, just a bit different taste between the species.  Altho open for endless debate, i've listed the above in MY order of preference!  ;D  If you can get fresh, not farmed, you'll definitely notice the difference.

My first thought when you said "Salmon Trout" was steelhead or dolly varden - both are OK if you're hungry... but i'm totally spoiled for fresh salmon.  :D

[Kummok]

"Atlantic Trading Co. Weston FL .....................Product of Chili-Ocean Farmed"    Dirty rotten wascally buggers are just trying to hide the fact that it's soylent green. >:(

I'm with Aces n Eights on the hierarchy of favored species WHEN you can get them, but if you can find ANY salmon that is honestly labeled as "Wild" and preferably also including the word "Pacific", (no offense to Right-Coasters!), that has been treated right from catch to store, you're in luck!! For most tasters, the difference between the species is insignificant....in fact, most smoked salmon "noobs" seem to prefer the dryer species like Silver/Pink/Chum starting out. The more one eats, the more they seem to migrate to the oil-dripping-down-your-elbow species like feeder King and fat Reds!

[westexasmoker]

I've got a question for ya salmon experts...I've been stocking up when its on sale, waiting for fall/winter to smoke it,  I've vac sealed and frozen but instead of seperate bags I've got like 6-7 fillets per bag am I gonna have one big mess when I go to thaw these out for smoke?

C

[tsquared]

I don't think so West Texas. Salmon is like any other kind of meat as far as freezing goes, if it's in good shape going in to the freezer, then putting it in packs of six or so is not going to hurt it. Sounds like you have a few big fish smoking sessions coming up.
T2

[Kummok]

Ditto what T2 says! I'd want to make certain that it all thaws pretty much at the same rate....a few days in the reefer would allow that.......BTW, as long as it's vac sealed and doesn't get any holes in the bag, it's good for at least 2-3 years for smoking IF you can wait that long! ;)

[stillsmoking]

Have seen Steelhead called salmon trout before, trout that goes to the sea and comes back to fresh water to spawn like a salmon

Have heard some goofy names for various salmon as people try to market what is seen as less valuable or lesser tasting fish.  I have eaten the five Pacific salmon and would agree they are all good if fresh but would steer clear of anything with a name that isn't familiar.  Sometimes difficult as there are plenty of names for salmon.  King-Chinook, Silver-Coho, Pink-Humpy, Sockeye-Reds, Chum-Dog, those are the five Pacific salmon and their more common names.

[Kummok]

Can get even more confusing when folks talk "Winter King"!! Not really any such species up here.....some label the  "Feeder King", (actually just a King that's not ready...fat enough ;)... to spawn yet), as "Winter King" because they are more prevalent in the winter. Then there's "White King" that's gone from cull status to delicacy status but is just a King that "can't show red"....... To very loosley paraphrase an old T-shirt from the VN days, 'Smoke 'em All and Let the Foodsaver Sort 'em Out'!!

[tsquared]

Can get even more confusing when folks talk "Winter King"!!

We've got the topper for confusion here in BC. Since we call "Kings," "Springs" a winter king is called a winter spring. Try explaining that to the folks from the flatlands.
T2

[Kummok]

Hmmmmmm...... I caught a White/Feeder/Winter/Chinook/Springer/King could apply to ONE fish!! Yikes! Getting too confusing....gotta go eat a piece of smoked something!!