Food - Drink
6 Types Of Salmon Ranked Worst To Best
By JOCETTE LEE
Chum Salmon
One of the least versatile, chum salmon is a Pacific variety that swims the western coast of America, weighing 8 to 15 pounds. While the title and look may not be immediately appetizing, chum salmon delivers incredible taste for a more affordable price.
Pink Salmon
Pink salmon are smaller, weighing on average 3.5 to 5 pounds per fish, and male salmon develop a distinct bump on their back, earning the nickname humpbacks. They are ideal for consumers who are in the market for a healthy, sustainable, and low-oil option.
Atlantic Salmon
Atlantic salmon has higher oil content, a light pink-to-orange colored flesh, and a flakey, dense texture. The Atlantic variety is commercially available exclusively through farm-raised production, with the average fish weighing 8 to 12 pounds.
Coho Salmon
Coho salmon weigh 7 to 8 pounds, have nearly double the oil of pink and chum salmon, and when cooking, their interior reveals vibrantly reddish-orange meat. This is an excellent option for recipes that involve poaching, smoking, cooking en papillote, or other low-heat slow-cooking forms.
Sockeye Salmon
Sockeye salmon are more commonly referred to as red salmon due to their deeply colored body, which results from a diet high in krill. Raw and high-grade sockeye salmon is commonly used in Japanese sushi dishes, such as handrolls or sashimi, because of the eye-popping color and richly flavorful meat.