Silverbrite/Chum/Keta Salmon

[Sony]

Hello!

I'm trying to gague people's opinions on this type of salmon. From what I understand, it's generally cheaper than most other wild salmons and has mild taste and lower oil content.

After this, it seems that what I hear about this fish varies widely. Some people love it for its milder flavor and ease on the wallet. Others say they'd eat cat food before touching it.

Anyone have personal experiences? Stories to share? I'm thinking of getting a whole one to throw on the grill but don't want to end up with a ton of second-rate fish. Thanks!

[duckduck]

My father the fisherman, when he was alive, would only use it as fertilizer. Grows some beautiful roses! He used to refer to them as "chum dogs".

Edited June 29, 2006 by duckduck (log)

[petite tête de chou]

Hello!

I'm trying to gague people's opinions on this type of salmon. From what I understand, it's generally cheaper than most other wild salmons and has mild taste and lower oil content.

After this, it seems that what I hear about this fish varies widely. Some people love it for its milder flavor and ease on the wallet. Others say they'd eat cat food before touching it. 

Anyone have personal experiences? Stories to share? I'm thinking of getting a whole one to throw on the grill but don't want to end up with a ton of second-rate fish. Thanks!

←

Hi Sony. I've had Chum salmon and found it to be perfectly edible. It was wrapped in foil with a few lemon slices, pats of butter and cooked on/in a campfire. It remained relatively moist and made great salmon salad sandwiches the next day. I would absolutely eat it again. I'm not sure if it would hold up well against the dry heat of a grill (less oil-could dry out) unless it was wrapped in foil or baked in parchment but hey, since they're cheaper than Chinook you'd have enough to experiment.

But please keep in mind that Chum is *not* high quality, fatty salmon. If you adjust your expectations accordingly you'll probably enjoy the fish more. Does that make sense?

[mizducky]

You might find this page from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife interesting--I know I did. Tons of info about chum salmon, including a recipe challenge seeking to dispell some of the negative press this species has gotten. According to these folks,

Many recreational fishing locations for chum salmon are in freshwater or in saltwater near the mouths of spawning streams, which may be a reason why many sport caught chum are not of the same quality as ocean fish. Chum salmon mature very rapidly, and the fish in these locations are usually close to spawning and their table quality has substantially deteriorated. Because of this, smoke curing and kippering are often a preferred choice for preparing sport caught chum salmon. However, for the best table quality, ocean bright chum should be obtained for both cooking fresh or smoke curing.

Good luck with your quest--let us know what comes of any cooking experiments you decide to pursue!

[Sony]

But please keep in mind that Chum is *not* high quality, fatty salmon. If you adjust your expectations accordingly you'll probably enjoy the fish more. Does that make sense?

Yep, that makes perfect sense!

Miz Ducky- thanks for the link! Those recipes (and petite's experience) make me think that if I try it, perhaps I'll go for the fillets or steaks instead of whole fish because of the lower oil content. I'll have to see how big the whole fish are and figure out if I can regulate the heat to cook it without overdrying.

Duckduck- I don't have roses, but I do have some potted herbs. This may be a little off-topic, but in case the fish is a total bust- do you just bury it in the soil to fertilize? And will cooked fish work as well as raw?

[Sam Salmon]

I generally give Chum away if I happen to kill one-as we all know it's fat that gives food that mouth feel and Chum has little-probably because they feed primarily on Jellyfish.

It's important that a Chum be bled/iced ASAP-which because it's a low value product rarely happens-you get what you pay for.

A complicating factor is that female Chum are killed for Roe-it makes ambrosial Caviar-and their carcasses are sold on the open market.Since so much of the fish's energy went into producing eggs there's little of anything left in the flesh-it tastes likes a mouthful of mush.

That being said there are a few mystical rivers that have runs of Chum with fattier flesh-never had any m'self but have heard the stories.There was one fish from Rivers Inlet some swore was a Chum and others swore was a Coho-it's markings were indistinct and the flesh a deep pink.It was a tasty animal whatever it was I remember that much.

[Sony]

Thanks Sam- that's fascinating information!

I went for a whole snapper instead of the Silverbrite since I have a reliable recipe source for that. Besides, the salmon didn't look like it came from one of those mystical rivers