Wild Versus Farmed Salmon: Fishing For Information
Time for a taste test in Renata's Kitchen.
Elmhurst Patch, August 9, 2011
Have you ever stood in the supermarket scratching your head, wondering about the difference between wild and farmed salmon?
If you are like me, you may have thought to yourself, “Oh no, something new to add to my environmental guilt trip list.” Well, that might be true, but let's look at the taste and texture.
I absolutely love to conduct taste tests. I find it’s the only true way to test whether you prefer a taste without any extraneous influences, such as level of hunger, cooking method or mood.
Farmed salmon is sometimes called Atlantic salmon. This salmon is raised in fish farms and the term refers to the type of fish.
If a salmon is wild, it will say “Wild,” “Wild Coho” or “Wild Chinook” on the label.
I decided to do a taste test on wild salmon and farmed salmon I bought frozen at Costco. Frozen fish is generally frozen immediately after the catch, and since we live far from coastal waters, it doesn’t lose any flavor in transit.
Cooked in the same way (5 minutes per fillet in the microwave in a covered dish) I placed the fish side by side to conduct my investigation.
Color: The wild caught salmon is a much deeper pink and the skin is much richer silver and black. Wild salmon get their pink color from the krill they eat in the ocean.
Farmed salmon is a lighter shade and gets its color from added synthetic pigment.
Taste: Wild caught salmon tastes much more woodsy than farmed salmon. There is a distinct oak flavor in the wild salmon, and I can’t say I preferred that flavor.
Farmed salmon tastes much milder. Since farmed salmon was the type I normally buy, I wasn’t sure if this was just something I was used to. I prefer the farmed salmon’s flavor, but then again, I am not someone who generally likes change. My children also prefer the taste of the farmed salmon.
Texture: Wild salmon was much drier and flakier, but perhaps it would have benefited from cooking in a different way that sealed the fat inside the fish. Upon researching the nutritional content, it’s no wonder. According to the Washington State Department of Health, farmed salmon is fattier than wild salmon. Naturally I like the one higher in fat!
Nutritional differences: The difference between the nutritional content of these two types of salmon is controversial. There is debate over whether farmed salmon has fewer Omega-3 fatty acids than wild.
Omega 3 fatty acid is a healthy, inflammation-reducing acid the government recommends eating twice a week; the human body cannot produce it on its own. According to the Washington State Department of Health web site, farmed salmon contains as many grams of omega-3 fatty acids as wild caught.
"Omega-3 fatty acid levels are lower in farmed salmon, apparently because of the plant oils used in their feeds," according to the site. "This is part of the strategy to lower contaminant levels; plant oils have lower contaminant levels than do fish oils. On the other hand, farmed salmon fillets contain as many grams of Omega-3 fatty acids as does a wild salmon because farmed salmon are fattier than wild salmon."
If that doesn't clear things up, the next time you're in the supermarket scratching your head, try your own taste test. It's the best way to decide what type of salmon is best for your family.
