Salmon Nutrition: How Good is Salmon for You
Welcome to the salmon 101 ultimate buying, fishing and cooking guide, with all of the basic things there is to know about this amazing fish. This nutritiously packed fish is hard to resist by consumers and especially fishermen with a good knowledge on catching and cooking them. It is an excellent source of vitamin B12, vitamin D, and selenium, a good source of niacin, omega-3 fatty acids, protein, phosphorus and vitamin B6 and It is also a good source of choline, pantothenic acid, biotin and potassium.
All these components mentioned are essential vitamins and minerals that apply to virtually every diet that includes meat. Lets learn all about salmon. How to buy, kinds, getting to know them, beginners fishing guide, locations, tips, and basic cooking recipes. Let me help you get to know salmon now from buying or catching them to cooking and eating.
Buying Salmon 101
Where to buy salmon
Fresh fish markets for sure, if your lucky enough to have one near you. Either that or the next best thing is large commercial grocery stores. Most large stores always have a fantastic fish and sea food section. They contain both fresh and frozen selections of delicious salmon fillets. Of course the best idea of all is to go dine out for a fresh salmon dinner at any fine restaurant cooked up by a skilled chef. Ummm delicious, and easy, with no clean up. However some of us love to cook, and love to fish so we either go to the store, or head to the shore to fish for these life sustaining delicious morsels of tender fish meat.
Types of Salmon You Can Try
Chinook salmon also known as King or Spring salmon
This is the biggest of the salmon species. You can decide for yourself but many people find it to be the most delicious tasting. The fatty content gives it a deep rich flavor, the bigger and fatter the fish the tastier they come.
Pink aka Humpies
The smallest of the species, but most plentiful these fish are used in commercial fishing and sent up for canning. You just need to go to the store, buy some cans, and eat healthy pink tuna sandwiches twice a week or more. These fish as are the others are great for the human body. These fish in particular are lower in fat content so for diet conscience people, putting these into some veggie wraps every day will be just what you need to stay trim and healthy. Any salmon or tuna can be quickly turned into a healthy meal from a can.
Coho or sometimes called a Silver salmon
This fish is much smaller than its huge chinook cousins. With lighter color meat this fish was once a go to staple fish for commercial fishing and consumption. Due to over fishing and methods of catching these fish their numbers started to decline.
One really good thing that happened with coho was the introduction of them to the Great Lakes and continued stocking programs for these great fish. Delicious to eat and fun to catch, these fish fight hard and are awesome looking beautiful fish.
Sockeye Red and Kokanee
Sockeye will become one of your favorites once you try them. Dark rich colored meat, delicious to the taste. Go buy a sockeye and bbq or bake one up today and try it for yourself. Or just throw in the frying pan with some oil and spice, cook till tender, sear the outside if desired and enjoy enjoy with a fresh salad today.
Atlantic Salmon
These beauties are often farmed for consumption. With a high oily content of flesh, it retains its color and moisture more so than the other fish. Atlantic salmon are not doing so well in the wild and as a result are on the US endangered species list. Farm-raised Atlantic salmon sold in the U.S. usually come from outside countries like Canada, UK, and Chile.
Chum aka Dogs
This fish is known as the lean mean smoking machine of salmon. What I mean is the meats lean and firm, and this fish is a known best choice for smoking with it having a drier meat flesh than the others.
Basic Salmon Traits:
Salmon is the common name for fish in the order of Salmoniformes. Salmoniformes are bony fishes that have a single dorsal fin which, like the pelvic fin, is placed half-way along the body or further to the back of the animal. The order consists of about 24 families, which include the Salmonidae, the Esocidae, and Osmeridae, just to mention a few.
Salmon live in the northern Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and are anadromous; for those who are curious about aquaculture, it means most types of salmon are born in fresh water, migrate to the sea, and return to freshwater to reproduce, or deposit eggs.
Salmon varies according to species. Species like chum salmon are silvery-blue in color, while some have black spots on their sides, like the Atlantic salmon, also called Salmo salar. Some other species of salmon have bright red stripes. Most of these species maintain one color when living in fresh water, then change color when they are in salt water.
Fishing Salmon Beginners Guide 101
Figuring out when and where to fish for salmon is one of the FAQ’s for beginning salmon anglers. I’ll go over many useful tools in this brief piece to help you choose the best time to go and afford you the precision you need to catch yourself a salmon.
For starters, I will clue you in on the best time to fish in salmon-rich waters. Adhere to the laws of the area where you decide to fish because oftentimes, government agencies place restrictions on some locations, so as not to endanger certain species or impact their numbers.
Alaska is the Top Source for Salmon Fishing
The state of Alaska with its very diverse terrain is the biggest sea food producing nation in the world and when you visit the area between May and October you will encounter large varieties of Salmon that will make it worth your while. It goes without saying that the best spots to fish is where there are no other folks. In Alaska, if there is a road, it will be crowded due to its popularity. The therapeutically inclined angler will even fish at night to avoid the crowds.
Great Health Benefits
When it is caught in the wild and not farmed, salmon is one of the most nutritious foods on the planet and that is why the fishing option is emphasized more. The many health benefits it can provide include: improvements in concentration, the prevention of heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and the prevention of cancer. It is packed with the highest omega-3 fatty acids of any meat, which is great for a litany of health problems and overall immunity.
How to Fillet a Salmon
Great Locations for Salmon Fishing Beginners
Those who fish in Michigan, a state which happens to be surrounded by the four Great Lakes, will assure you that they fish the Lake Michigan out of Muskegon and have great luck all summer. You can fish them about 25 miles out and 25-60 feet deep in Lake Michigan during July and August to get the best results. Lake Michigan’s bays and inlets are also great spots for pitching your best bass fishing lures. Often times salmon and bass hit the same kinds of body baits and spinners. You wont find salmon in shallow after spring though, because after spring run they head deep for the summer.
Fish Consumption Rates
In countries with a high fish consumption rate, like the United States, salmon has been the third most dominantly consumed seafood product for a major part of the past decade with an average consumption ratio of an avg of 2 pounds per person every year, it is third to only shrimp and canned tuna.
Two out of the three equal parts of this fish consumed in the United States is captured and imported primarily from Norway, Chile, and especially Canada which borders Alaska. A fraction of this top table fare available in the United State is also farmed in the states of Maine and Washington. Another really great fish to consume is the smaller but very tasty yellow perch. These are plentiful and good to eat and easy to catch for beginners.
Where is salmon harvested from?
The remaining one-third of the fish consumed in the United State is caught from the wild by the commercial fishermen who consistently harvested between 600 and 900 million pounds annually this past decade alone.
The largest harvest by weight is Pink salmon, Sockeye, Chum, Coho, and Chinook respectively, according to their order of appearance. Most of them are harvested in the United States mainly in Alaskan waters except the Chinook (King) salmon, which may also be harvested in Washington, Oregon and a few stray amounts in California.
Catching the Big Ones First Timer Tips
Aside from learning through imitation, which is customary for a practical activity like fishing, it is hard to teach a beginner how to fish for salmon. This is particularly so in fresh water, but the assurance is that after getting your feet wet, a good angler will constantly discover new tricks to improve their abilities and skills.
Best Tips and Bait for Salmon
Useful tips for catching them include: buying the best hooks or sharpening the existing hooks you have, as it must be razor sharp; dusk and dawn are the two most perfect times to fish as well as when its overcast to achieve the best results. Using roe (eggs) as live bait is one of the most effective baits for salmon river fishing; and the adoption of drift fishing. Drift fishing with roe, a trick which presents bait more naturally to salmon, and it catches fish, I promise you that.
On a boat fishing with down riggers and body baits or squids is the best way to go fishing for salmon. Green, pink, and glow colors have worked best for the catfishing.ca crew. Make sure you are using the best fishing rod and best types of fishing reels for the size and kind of fishing you are doing.
If you are fishing in regulated areas, please remember to get a stamp for your fishing license or whatever is applicable to avoid being slammed with a fine. Although, these proceeds are also used to fund the programs that stock, conserve, and prevent the extinction of these great fish.
Salmon 101 Facts:
- May is the big run for salmon and fishing from the end of April to early summer is best
- There are 5 types of salmon
- Your salmon could be wild or from a salmon farm and there is a difference you should be aware of
- Farmed salmon have been known to been exposed to coloring, antibiotics, and hormones
- Salmon live in both the ocean and freshwater
- Salmon are an extremely healthy and delicious food source
Cooking Salmon 3 Ultimate Basic 101 Recipes
How to Cook Salmon Video
There are numerous ways to enjoy a fresh salmon catch if you are competent in the kitchen. You may have it smoked, poached, pan fried, or grilled; whatever you choose, try making the most of this popular fish and enjoy the tremendous feeling of flavor and satisfaction. Enjoy my 3 best salmon recipes below.
My 3 Best Baked Salmon Recipe in the World Secrets
Garlic Salmon 101 Best Recipe
For starters, you will never regret trying garlic Salmon. A large salmon filet, steamed in foil, oven baked or barbecue cooked. Use some butter or Olive Oil then it is seasoned with minced garlic, fresh baby dill, lemon slices, fresh ground pepper and green onions.
Quick Recipe for Salmon: Lemon and Herb My second favorite
Grab a fresh or thawed from frozen salmon cooked with butter or olive oil and seasoned with lemon juice, salt, and garlic pepper spice. This ones quick and easy bake salmon using juice and spices, with no cutting of lemons and onions.
Quick Egg and Cajun Salmon Secret Best Fish Frying or Bake Recipe
My go to favorite for quick pan fried fish. Quick, easy shore lunch for when your hungry and tired. But, at the same time a favorite with my kids, friends and family. The secret ingredient is to add egg. This recipe goes for any type of fish.
- Grab the frying pan, add olive oil or butter, low heat, I like virgin olive oil best, and its good for your heart
- Put fish in a bag with egg and shake it around or dip in a bowl with egg
- Put fish in a bag with Cajun Fish Crisp and shake around or dab it on a plate full of the fish crisp
- The fish crisp sticks to the egg then you add to the frying pan
- Add Cajun spice and black pepper on top cover with a piece of tin foil on low, especially when using olive oil
- Cook, flip, cook, eat,
- The egg adds an extra dimension to the fish that is protein heaven
That’s all you need to cap off a great day of shopping or fishing for salmon. I hope this helps and you enjoyed my salmon 101 ultimate guide for both newbies and old timers alike.
