What are the top varieties of salmon?
There are 6 top varieties of salmon based on consumer choice and its taste, including:
- Chinook Salmon / King Salmon
Oncorhynchus tschawytscha, also known as King salmon, is considered by many to be the best-tasting of the salmon bunch. It has a high-fat content and corresponding rich flesh that ranges from white to a deep red color.
- Coho Salmon / Silver Salmon
Oncorhynchus kisutch are sometimes called silver salmon or "silvers" because of the silver skin. It has bright red flesh and a slightly more delicate texture than Chinook salmon but a similar flavor.
- Pink Salmon / Humpies / Humpback Salmon
Oncorhynchus gorbusha are the most common Pacific salmon. It has a very light-colored, flavored flesh and low-fat content. Pink salmon are often canned but also sold fresh, frozen, and smoked. Sometimes called "humpies" or humpback salmon due to the distinctive hump that is developed on the back when laying eggs.
- Red Salmon / Sockeye Salmon
Oncorhynchus nerka salmon are noted for the bright red-orange flesh and deep rich flavor. It also known as "reds" both for the dark flesh color and because the salmon can turn deep red when moving upstream to spawn.
- Salmo Salar / Atlantic Salmon
While the Pacific is home to several species of salmon, the Atlantic has but one, the species Salmo salar, commonly known simply as Atlantic salmon. All commercially available Atlantic salmon is farmed.
- Silverbrite Salmon / Chum Salmon / Keta Salmon / Dog Salmon
Oncorhynchus keta is also called dog salmon for its dog-like teeth. Keta comes from its species name and is a way to get away from the negative association chum sometimes has. Keta is a smaller fish—averaging about 8 pounds—with pale to medium-colored flesh and a lower fat content than other salmon.
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