8 Things You May Not Know About Salmon

Here are a few bits of salmon trivia for you :  

Aaron Dunne Holding Salmon from the Big Green Egg
 

8 Things You May Not Know About Salmon

 

  1. Pacific salmon die after their first spawning (the reproducing process); the Atlantic salmon does not, and returns year after year to its breeding place to spawn again. (ed note: given the choice I would rather be an Atlantic salmon.)

  2. Salmon raised in fish farm pens have white rather than "salmon pink" flesh because their diet doesn't include the natural foods that would normally color the flesh of wild salmon. Therefore, fish farmers have begun adding pigment to the farm raised salmon's food to get that "natural" color.

  3. The Jewish deli staple, lox, was originally salt cured salmon. In the days before refrigeration, salmon from the Northwest would be shipped in barrels filled with salt brine. The deli would soak the salmon in water to remove some of the salt and slice it for sale. Today lox is brine cured and lightly cold smoked.

  4. DHA, the omega-3 fatty acid found in salmon, has been shown in studies to improve the mental and visual development of infants.

  5. Salmon stop eating after reaching fresh water to spawn; they live off fat stored in their body. As the fish travel upstream, their shape and color change. For example, all male salmon develop a hooked snout, male pink salmon grow a hump on their back, chum salmon of both sexes develop purple streaks on their sides and sockeye salmon turn bright red.

  6. There are seven salmon species: 1. Atlantic 2. Cherry 3. Chinook 4. Chum 5. Coho 6. Pink 7. Sockeye-also known as red salmon, this is the most valuable food salmon. All, except the Atlantic salmon, live in the Pacific ocean.

  7. After salmon enter fresh waters, their flesh loses flavour and colour. Therefore, it's very important and imperative for fishing crews to catch salmon as the fish leave the ocean to journey upstream.

  8. "Salmon" is the world's most offensive stucco colour. See many of Calgary's suburbs for irrefutable evidence.

Here are a few recipes using salmon

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