Are Salmon that live in the Atlantic true Salmon? I have seen some websites say yes, some say no, some say there are but are only very distantly related.
What is up?
I don’t know, but I can tell you from experience that wild Pacific salmon tastes a lot better than the Atlantic salmon I’ve bought from the supermarket. (Wild Pacific salmon is available in stores in the town I’m moving to.)
Atlantic salmom are as much salmon as the five Pacific varieties, Chinook(or Spring,King), Coho(Silver), Chum, Sockeye or Pink(Humpies).
The Atlantics that you see in the market are usually cultured. As far as taste is concerned, I would rate them behind the Sockeye, Chinook and Coho, and better than the Chum and the slimey Pinks.
As to the actual taxonomy, from a biological standpoint:
“salmon”, as a common name, may generally be taken to mean fishes of the family Salmonidae. The commercial fish species identified as “Pacific salmon” are members of the genus Oncorhynchus, along with several species of trout. The Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) is member of the genus Salmo, whose only other member seems to be the brown trout (Salmo trutto).
Excuse me - other sources do list a few more Salmo species. The other remarks still stand.