Atlantic salmon (farmed)

[scott craven]

Has anyone eaten it lately ?
we had a staff BBQ lunch the other day and i tried some out of curiosity.
I was surprised that it was actually quite good.
(By the way I won't be buying it for my family, simply an observation)

 

[Tips Up]

Say it isn't so Craven!!!
I have a fair amount of respect for you on the line.

It is mushy crap and an environmental/ polital disaster.

You can add flavor to dog crap and make it palitable. Must have been a good chef.

The only place I have eaten it (by mistake) is sushi restaurants as they are buying on price and availability. I can tell right away by the lack of texture and flavour. I always bring it up with the restaurant and won't return.

Tips

 

[scott craven]

Like I said Tips, I was very surprised...
I won't be supporting any farmed fish , but sometimes you have to try things.

By the way, 1st time i've tried it (knowingly)

 

[hambone]

Well... I can admit ive had it, I didnt find it enjoyable but thats mainly because it was mass produced cafeteria food. My guess is that its also been put in my sushi and slipped past my detection once or twice (I now make sure it's wild salmon). Most meat and poultry that is sold in restaurants and grocery stores has probably an equally disturbing story behind it, so before we jump all over this thread.... Just think about what you've consumed in the past week.

Would never buy it and try to avoid eating at places that serve it...

 

[GDW]

Craven why don't you offer to supply the salmon for the next staff BBQ? Keep the atlantics on the grocery store shelves where they belong.

I agree with the above poster though if you think the farmed salmon at Costco is grosse what conditions do you think their chicken and beef were raised in? Probably about the same only the chicken farm isn't poisoning wild chickens and damaging surrounding habitat.

 

[Finished Business]

Say it isn't so Craven!!!
You can add flavor to dog crap and make it palitable. Must have been a good chef.

Tips

Couldn't help thinking of this classic scene...


[8rU5mpwJ6GU] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rU5mpwJ6GU

 

[jaymasta]

I have it in candied form from thriftys, I didn't notice much difference from the wild in candied form. There is so much moisture removed and flavour added. I was buying some for a camping trip and the farmed was on sale, at the price and time I couldn't pass it up vs what the real stuff cost. I also agree with what other posters said, when comparing to other protein choices purchased...unless your purchasing all organic free range blah blah etc...Most other farmed animals are no better. Some of the documentaries I have seen on them are disturbing. I buy organic and local when I can but often the price is the biggest limiting factor for us.

 

[Rum Buddies]

its used in A LOT of sushi and you'll never know.

 

[Gong Show]

its used in A LOT of sushi and you'll never know.

Pretty easy to know, if they are paying the premium for wild salmon, they will advertise it!

GS

 

[rockdog]

Whenever I eat out, I ALWAYS ask. Is it farmed, or wild fish. Then, if they tell me its wild, i ask what species of salmon. I've been told by a fish and chips place, that their salmon was wild. When i asked which type, they told me Atlantic. There is no more commercial fishery for Atlantic, so thats your cue.
If they tell me its farmed, I always inform they why i wont touch, or support farmed fish.
I wouldnt even buy salmon candy if it was farmed and on sale. I declined a free piece at a health food show.

 

[Tips Up]

its used in A LOT of sushi and you'll never know.

You are correct that it is used in A LOT of shushi but incorrect that you will never know. You can tell right away by the mushy texture and lack of flavor.
The time I ate it and found out was because my sushi was mush and crappy so I asked what type of salmon they used.
I gave them a polite rant but it was like I was speaking to them in another language ; )

 

[Whole in the Water]

Whenever I eat out, I ALWAYS ask. Is it farmed, or wild fish. Then, if they tell me its wild, i ask what species of salmon. I've been told by a fish and chips place, that their salmon was wild. When i asked which type, they told me Atlantic. There is no more commercial fishery for Atlantic, so thats your cue.
If they tell me its farmed, I always inform they why i wont touch, or support farmed fish.
I wouldnt even buy salmon candy if it was farmed and on sale. I declined a free piece at a health food show.

Right on Rockdog, I ask the same thing and encourage everyone else to do the same, the best way to shut the lice farms down is to reduce and stop the demand for the product!

 

[scott craven]

Nooo!!!! We lost one....

Lost what ?

 

[scott craven]

This is getting silly, just because I tried some Atlantic salmon
doesn't mean I advocate fish farms.
In fact the reverse is true, and I would like to see them go away.

 

[scott craven]

It was joke..lighten up

Funny, ha ha

 

[rockdog]

Just remember, that was your quota for the month, due to the toxicity of the product! Yummmm.

 

[jeffywestcoast]

pretty simple to detect it at a sushi place, it is pale orange with white stripes of fat..yuck..My girlfriend is from Alberta and didn't know the difference, i chucked that piece of pale orange fish right in the garbage..wouldn't even feed it to the stray cats in the neighborhood.

 

[agentaqua]

some good responses and pointers on this thread from Rockdog, Whole, GDW, Jeffery and others.

My experience is that I never conciously/knowingly buy farmed Atlantic salmon due to impacts associated with the open net cage technology. PCBs and other contaminents are also a potential issue but assuming one hardly ever eats farmed salmon - prob. not a major concern.

The last point is that when compared to properly cared for ocean-caught wild salmon - farmed Atlantic salmon is an inferior product - although many people in Canada and elsewhere never have the opportunity to know what quality salmon looks and tastes like.

I find sockeye is the "king" of wild salmon, but fairly "rich" or "full" wrt ability to eat lots in one setting. Sockeye is also the reddest of fillets. Next in line (for me) would be ocean-caught coho where the fat oozes through the meat fibres. Coho is normally deep pink to pinkish-red.

Then after that (for me) the preferences are a mismash dependent upon how the fish flesh was cared for and prepared. Chum is light pink to pinkish white, pink salmon looks a bit like coho by colour but fillets are way smaller and thinner and the flesh is weaker (sorta like Dolly Varden or farmed Atlantic).

Finally, chinook can be either pink or white dependent upon whether the fish has been feeding upon mysids or forage fish. Different clades of chinook have different life cycles and therefore are exposed to different prey items which shows-up as either "white" or "red" chinook flesh. Chinook I find is similar to coho (often a little less red), but often a little drier (a little less fat) and fillets are normally larger and thicker.

If properly cared for and prepared - ALL the species of Wild Pacific salmon are generally superior to farmed Atlantic salmon fillets - and you can generally tell the difference.

If wild salmon are caught in freshwater - they seem to start loosing their fat content after they enter the streams in a week or so and can get quite a bit drier after that.

Check the trash bins behind the resturant after a delivery to see where their fish really come from as all styrafoam fillet boxes have that information on them. Don't take it for granted that the waitress or cook actually know fish and where they are from - even if you ask them.

AND as Rockdog and tips-up suggest - ask what species and let them know about your displeasure over farmed salmon - ALWAYS.

 

[finaddict]

News Flash......... RSCraven was taken to the hospital today suffering from severe abdominal cramping, diarrea and flatuence. He was also noted as having green glowing eyes, an increase in hair follical stimulation and apparently was in extreme panic that his manhood may have also fallen off. Reports of the latter have yet to be confirmed..........

 

[scott craven]

Ok, I'm beat guys...
it tasted like $**** and i'll never eat it again or even speak the dirty word again
am I forgiven ?