Wild Salmon vs Farmed?

Does wild salmon really taste better than farmed? (I mean wild-bought-from-store, not wild-i-just-caught-it-at-montara).

If you think that wild does taste better, what method of preparation would you recommend to really highlight the difference. I want to do a blind taste test.............

Much Better if it's  fresh

I would poach both pieces in just water. The true flavor of the fish is the only thing there. I think the fat content is higher in wild. I dont think purina fish chow would be too tasty with red food coloring added to give the orange cast to the flesh.

I think there can be difference, but very little.
I mean, there's not just one type of salmon.
Steelhead have a subtle flavor-difference from Atlantic Salmon.
Copper River Sockeye from Alaska......probably a flavor difference.

But my feeling is the one is not better than the other.

If I were to do a formal taste-test comparison?

8-ounce fillet....allowed to reach room temp.
placed in a "microwave-able" container WITH lid
salt it
put a pat of butter on it
Give it 65 seconds

I do this with Atlantic Salmon every morning before I go to the gym.
The result is FABULOUS (a bit on the rare-side, but that's the way I like it) salmon...just incredibly good.

Judd

PS.....I do know for an absolute certainty.....that quality and texture of salmon undergoes a MAJOR degredation even when "properly" bagged, in the freezer.  You (I) don't detect much difference within the first week-and-a-half of freezing.  After that it's obvious.   Within 4-weeks it's visible in this way:

Right along the external midline of the fishes side, there's a "channel" of flesh that is differently composed than any other muscle tissue.   I've been told this "different composition" is nerves and sensors.  When you skin a salmon there is no visible difference.   BUT AFTER FOUR WEEKS IN THE FREEZER THIS ENTIRE "LINE" GOES BROWN IN COLOR....and changes in taste from:  A) just like any other part of the fish, to: B) awful...a deep dark kind of bad-fat taste.

As a further demonstration of the bad-effects of freezing:   Take a piece of salmon that's been in the freezer for 4-weeks and cut a few sashimi strips from it.
Now take sashimi strips from a salmon just bought from Costco.   Lightly salt them and eat them in a side-by-side test.    Night and Day.    The fresh strips will have melt-in-your-mouth consistency.   The frozen strips will be noticeably (not hugely, but noticably) fiberous and most of that lovely flavor will have oddly vanished.

In fact:   Northern Boy....yu'know......I'd never thought of this but now that we're talking about it:   Maybe the way to do "taste tests" of any kind of salmon....???......would be as a straight sashimi-test...????.....

Judd

Complete difference in taste, texture, and look.  A large percentage of the farmed salmon on the market is Atlantic salmon so they taste different because they ARE different.  But farmed raised Chinook is very different than wild Chinook.  But even spring run Chinook is different than fall run Chinook.

Different doesn't necessarily equal better.  To each their own.  But to me personally, there is no farmed raised salmon that compares to wild.

Don't get me started on farm raising practices ... 

-Allen

I'd say they're different as well. Just look at what the farm raised eat everyday as compared to a wild fish. I think what an animal eats has a direct link to what the meat will taste like.

To test I think a light dash of salt and then under the broiler. The fat content is usually really evident that way... which to me equals tasty goodness.

And like others have said, if it ain't fresh it doesn't matter...

Z

Thanks for tips all. My plan is to compare chinook v chinook, farmed v wild. Both fresh. From 3 different sources. I am planning to have my tasters be blind when they do the tasting. (Blind to the identity of the fish and also actually blindfolded so they can't make any judgements based on color).

funny enough-- i think wild king can actually taste different amongst themselves. I've noticed that i catch two different flesh versions-- one that is deep red, and rich. and another that is pale orange and oily. I'm convinced that the red ones are krill fed, and the orange ones are now feeding on bait fish. i prefer the red version....

I'd taste test broiled, with nothing on it, after of course the fish has reached room temp. If i want to eat for pleasure, then broiled/grilled a bit o' salted butter

When's the taste test, Phil?   

Wild salmon is leaner and "gamier" than farmed, which is fattier but has actually less flavor.  In my mind.  Zee is right, just look at what they eat: fish pellets.  The color of a farmed salmon comes from red dyes because the fish don't eat the shrimp which give them the color.  There is a whole "cottage industry" in dye pellets they feed to the fish to give them that appetizing pink look.  Like a cocktail cherry, the same stuff.  "Organic" farmed salmon are given shrimp shells in their pellets to impart the color naturally, so that's better.  I really think you can't compare the taste between the two but maybe that is just me. I think I heard the wild fish have more omega fatty acids but I could be wrong.   Then there is the environmental impact of these huge aquaculture cages in places like Chile, where the salmon farmers are a big lobby and are called "Salmonistas."   

In Japan, where I used to live, they like fattier cuts and actually prefer farmed fish for that reason.  Any Alaskan wild salmon imported usually has been heavily salted for grilling.  I tried it once, couldn't swallow, and consequently didn't have wild salmon again until I got back here, and had some Washington salmon.  sigh.

When's the taste test, Phil?   

Gonna be next month I think. I'll take some video!

Phil -

Try this recipe...   http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sara-moulton/seared-salmon-with-horseradish-mustard-vinaigrette-recipe/index.html

Personally I only eat wild salmon for many reasons of which taste is only one. Not that I am an "enviro" but besides the PCB issue, there may be some environmental concerns... http://www.grinningplanet.com/2004/02-26/farmed-salmon-pollution-gmo-eco.htm
Lastly, I like to support my friends who are commercial anglers. Yeah it costs more but you won't find many people who recommend eating farmed salmon except for the people who farm them or sell them. One of the few things commercial fishermen and enviros agree on. 

The wild king salmon has a fairly high fat content but the wild silver and sockeye are much leaner and therefore are easier to overcook. I prefer to pan sear wild salmon because it is easier to not overcook.

BTW, was interested to know your eel (MFE) smoking technique.

Scott

Just don't make a habit of buying farmed salmon...it's bad bad bad for the wild salmon!

There's no fish on the planet like a 12or18 lb salmon caught bled iced and eaten within a few hours of coming out of the pacific

Some major chi stored up in a fish like that

Some major chi stored up in a fish like that

Couldnta' said it better myself!!

Z