In my fogeydom I’ve started to really enjoy a salmon sandwich at lunch. For the last 6 months or so, I’ve been buying whatever is on sale with varying degrees of success.
What really got me started down this road is the small cafeteria at work that offers a half pita with salmon. Their salmon is pink and delicious without too many bones (not that that’s a major deterrent for me; I’ll eat anything). But sometimes what I buy is pale, bony, and not too scrumptious.
Who knows their salmon, and what specifically should I be looking for?
There are many types of salmon. Three that I know of which you can find canned are Keta (Chum), Pink, and Sockeye. The deeper the color, the more expensive (usually).
Keta does not have much color, so it is low on the desirability scale. The canned flesh is almost grey. Pink salmon is pink (duh), and Sockeye is actually red. The pretty stuff you see in the fish displays (IF it is wild caught) is typically Sockeye. Fresh Sockeye is seasonal, too.
So, read the labels.
Canned salmon will have bones, fat, and skin. The bones make canned salmon an excellent source of calcium. I don’t care for the skin, so I usually remove it. My favorite way to serve canned salmon is to make patties: mash up the meat and bones, add bread crumbs, diced onion, an egg, and a bit of mustard. If it still seems dry, you can add another egg or some mayo. Stir that all together, form patties, and either pan fry or bake in a 350 degree oven until browned. We fight over it.
All canned salmon is wild-caught, so you’ll get the full benefit of the purported nutrients. Shop around. Occasionally you can even find canned salmon at the dollar stores.
~VOW
I love salmon patties! The kids put them on buns and call them Crabby Patties, and everyone is happy.
Sometimes the salmon I buy (mid price range) has a metallic or bloody smell though, and makes me a little green. I haven’t figured out if it’s a brand or certain type, or if I’m more sensitive at certain times or something though. If anyone else notices this I’d be interested in any info.
Try to get the little tins of Alaska salmon. I’d heard they can these right on the fishing boats, but that does sound a little unlikely. Forget the canned meat aisles; the cans you want are kept near the deli or seafood counter.
I’m probably spoiled by living in Seattle… but why limit yourself to canned? Certain times of year you can find great whole salmon at a good price here. Sometimes cheaper than canned Sockeye. Freeze it chunks and use all year, just pop in the broiler instead of opening a can/pouch.
Perhaps the Big Box warehouse stores in your area will have occasional deals? I know Costco does at times.
For salmon patties, whatever is on sale works great. Keta (Chum) is fine for patties, because you mix a bunch of stuff with the salmon. I’d take canned Keta salmon over Atlantic salmon any day.
Some people buy Atlantic salmon; I won’t. That is farm-raised salmon, artificially colored, and the texture is mushy compared to wild-caught salmon. Read the menus carefully when you go out to eat: a lot of salmon offered as the “fresh fish” is Atlantic salmon.
If you are looking for chunks of salmon to eat in a sandwich, you might be happier with frozen, as jasg suggests. I do think jasg is spoiled by living in Seattle, LOL, because fresh wild-caught salmon outside of Alaska and the Pacific Northwest is quite expensive. If you read the labels carefully, you can find bargains in the frozen food section. Again though, avoid Atlantic salmon.
Some farm-raised fish is great, but since salmon is a premium fish, farmed salmon is overfed with sometimes questionable ingredients, and it’s then artificially colored to mimic the expensive stuff.
~VOW
I just made canned salmon and macaroni salad, the same way you would make it with tuna. It was grayish fish, I picked out the bigger bones and the skin, and mixed it with a little chopped onion and celery, elbow macaroni, some mayonnaise and some tartar sauce I’m trying to use up. Not too much, as it was very moist. Didn’t look all that great, but OMG it was SOOO good!
Not canned, but if you can find these frozen salmon burgers, they’re really good - I think better than canned salmon. We get them at GFS, but as the link suggests, you can get them at Costco and probably many other places.
We keep them around for quick dinners & lunches - they’re great on wheat toast with cream cheese, capers, and red onions.
Salmon is supposed to be very good for you, and the canned kind is said to be better for you than the nice pink farm-raised fillets. The big cans can be pretty ugly, but they sell little tuna-sized cans of pink goodness, and in pouches. I think all canned fish has that gamey taste, but the little canned fillets are milder, IMO.
We can get those from Costco in Australia - they’re surprisingly good and great to have as a quick burger meal from the freezer when we don’t feel like cooking. Nice with sweet chilli sauce.