Farm-raised · New Zealand
Ōra King
Rich · silky · sweet
White lines of fat run through bright orange flesh, and the fat makes it close to buttery in the mouth. The flavor is sweet and mild, which is why sushi chefs like it raw.
Salmon · Breed
Which Salmon Should I Buy?
Start with how you want it to eat: rich or lean, silky or firm, mild or bold.
Pick salmon by how it eats. Ora King is the richest and silkiest, with a sweet, mild flavor. Atlantic is rich and mild at the lowest price. Wild king is rich with a fuller flavor. Coho is lean, tender and mild. Sockeye is lean and firm, with the boldest salmon flavor of the five.
Richest to leanest
How each one eats
Farm-raised · Norway
Atlantic
Rich · soft · mild
Soft, moist flesh and the mildest flavor of the five. It suits people who want salmon that doesn't taste strongly of fish, and it costs the least.
Wild-caught · Alaska
Wild king
Rich · soft · full-flavored
The richest of the wild salmon, with large, soft flakes and more flavor than the farmed fish. It comes in from late spring into summer.
Wild-caught · Alaska
Coho
Lean · tender · clean
Lighter than king, with a tender flake and a mild, clean flavor. It sits between the rich fish and sockeye.
Wild-caught · Alaska
Sockeye
Lean · firm · bold
Deep red, with a firm, tight flake and the strongest salmon flavor. If you want salmon that tastes like salmon, buy sockeye.
Wild-caught or farm-raised
We sell both because they eat differently, and both are good fish.
Our wild salmon (sockeye, coho and king in season) is caught in Alaska during the summer runs. Alaska has banned finfish farming since 1990, and its constitution requires the fisheries to be managed for sustained yield. Wild salmon eat krill and small fish, so they come out leaner and firmer, with more flavor. Color and fat vary from fish to fish and from one run to the next. Meet the fishermen: Alaska Home Pack in Juneau and Sena Sea on the Copper River.
Our farmed salmon (Ōra King and Atlantic) is raised in cold-water sea pens: Ōra King in New Zealand's Marlborough Sounds, Atlantic with Nordlaks above the Arctic Circle in Norway. Nordlaks raises its salmon with no growth hormones and certifies it antibiotic-free. A steady diet gives farmed fish more fat, a milder flavor and the same fillet every time, all year. Their color comes from astaxanthin in the feed, the same pigment wild salmon get from krill, so the label says "color added."
Choose wild for flavor and a firmer bite. Choose farmed for richness, a milder taste and consistency.
Then think about the pan
Raw or seared with little on it: Ōra King. The grill or the smoker: sockeye, or wild king in season, because the firm flesh holds together. Weeknights: coho or Atlantic, baked or pan-seared. Lean fish cook faster than rich ones of the same thickness, so check sockeye and coho early. Cooking from frozen? Here's how.
More: the salmon cut guide and all our seafood.
At a glance
| Richest | Ora King |
|---|---|
| Mildest | Atlantic |
| Firmest | Sockeye |
| Boldest flavor | Sockeye |
| Same every time | Ora King and Atlantic (farmed) |
| Lowest price | Atlantic |
Our salmon
Ora King, Atlantic, sockeye and coho, frozen at the source.
How Crowd Cow sources it
Our Ora King comes from New Zealand's Marlborough Sounds. Our Atlantic salmon comes from Nordlaks, a family-owned farm above the Arctic Circle in Norway. Our sockeye comes from the Copper River out of Cordova, from Bristol Bay, and from Alaska Home Pack in Juneau. Our coho is wild Alaskan.
Questions
Common questions
Is wild salmon better than farmed?
It is different. Wild salmon is leaner, firmer and stronger-tasting, and it changes with the season. Farmed salmon is richer, milder and the same all year. Pick the one that eats the way you like.
Why does the color of wild salmon vary?
Wild salmon get their color from what they eat, mostly krill and shrimp, and every fish eats a little differently. A paler or deeper fillet is normal and says nothing about quality.
Can I swap one salmon for another in a recipe?
Yes. Keep the method and change the timing: sockeye and coho cook faster than Ora King or Atlantic of the same thickness.
What temperature is salmon done?
We pull it at 125°F in the thickest part; it climbs a few degrees as it rests. The USDA recommends cooking fish to 145°F, so 125°F is below that recommendation, and by 145°F salmon is firm and drier.