When buying salmon, farm vs. wild poses safety, price issues
Jackson Sun, Staff
Published August 21, 2007
Salmon makes for quite a fish tale or, as some might say, a love story.
In the past 10 years, we've fallen head over heels for this pink-fleshed, bold-flavored fish.
Sales skyrocketed 300 percent in a decade, and last year Americans ate a record 2.4 pounds of salmon per person, according to H.M. Johnson & Associates, an Oregon consulting company that tracks U.S. salmon consumption.
The fish - born in a freshwater stream only to migrate to the ocean to live in saltwater, and then back again to a stream to spawn - ranks as our third-favorite seafood behind shrimp and tuna.
"There's no question that we have fallen in love with salmon," says Mary Grace Viado, corporate executive chef for Village Tavern, a national chain. "We love its strong, rich flavor, health benefits and versatility."
Because salmon is a firm fish, it can be grilled, baked, smoked, sauteed and poached.
Whether wild, farmed, fresh, frozen or canned, salmon is easy to prepare and can be dressed up or down. Salmon's distinct flavor also makes it compatible with an assortment of herbs, spices and seasonings, from Asian to Greek, says Viado, who created recipes to showcase its versatility.
"You can eat it five nights a week and never have the same meal twice," she says.
In addition to its culinary attributes, the fish's highly touted health benefits are inflaming our infatuation.
The American Heart Association lists salmon as among the highest carriers of omega-3 fish fatty acids, which help prevent heart disease by lowering blood pressure, "bad" cholesterol, triglycerides and inflammation.
According to multiple studies, omega-3 fatty acids in this pink powerhouse also are good for the brain and skin.
"Salmon makes every list for superfoods. It's incredibly healthy, and people are getting the message, from preventing disease to making your skin look younger," says Diane Morgan, a Washington-based author of "Salmon: A Cookbook" (Chronicle Books, 2005, $24.95).
Health experts recommend eating salmon at least once a week, and today's widespread availability of both fresh and farmed salmon makes it easier than ever for health-conscious consumers to comply.
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# 3 each center-cut skinless salmon fillets, 6 ounces each
# 2 T. olive oil
# 2 T. unsalted butter
For the vegetable salsa:
# 1 Roma tomato, finely diced
# 1 avocado, finely diced
# 1/2 yellow bell pepper, finely diced
# 1/2 red onion, medium, finely diced
# 1 garlic clove, minced
# 1/3 cucumber, seeded and finely diced
# 1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced
# 2 limes, juiced
# 1/2 cup fresh pineapple juice
# 1/2 cup olive oil
# 2 T. cilantro leaves, finely chopped
# Salt and pepper, to taste
Soak the wood chips in warm water for 20 minutes. Drain and place wood chips in the bottom of the stovetop smoker (available in kitchen stores) and cook salmon on medium high heat until fragrant but still rare in the center, approximately 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, make salsa by combining the lime and pineapple juice in a medium-size mixing bowl. Whisk in the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add the remaining ingredients for vegetable salsa and mix well. Salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside.
To finish salmon, heat a large saute pan on medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons each of olive oil and butter. When hot, add the salmon and saute until lightly golden brown, about two minutes per side. Remove from heat and transfer to serving plate. Place vegetable salsa on top of the fish or on the side. Serves three.
- Recipe by Mary Grace Viado, corporate
executive chef for Village Tavern
Farmed or wild? This is the choice facing today's salmon consumers.
Although there's no clear-cut answer, the differences between salmon harvested from ocean farms and those caught in the wild are significant.
Consider these pros and cons before buying your next salmon meal:
# Wild salmon is generally cleaner but pricier than that raised in pens off coastlines.
# Farmed sells for as low as $3.99 a pound, compared with wild salmon, which costs between $9 and $20 a pound.
# All salmon contain polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, and pesticides, which collect mainly in the skin. None of the levels exceeds the safety standards set in 1984 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for commercial fish.
Wild fish get the contaminants from pollution in the water. Farmed salmon get them because they are fed with small, oily fish that come from areas contaminated with PCBs, harmful industrial chemicals that have been banned since the 1970s but persist in the environment.
# Farmed salmon, which account for nearly 60 percent of salmon sold in U.S. supermarkets and restaurants, contain a higher level of cancer-causing chemicals than do wild salmon. The Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit research organization, found in 2003 that farmed salmon contain seven times more PCBs.
# Wild salmon get their omega 3s and rich color from eating sea organisms, while farmed salmon get theirs from supplements and dye in their feed.
# Farming makes fresh salmon available year-round, but wild salmon has a season. Through August, Chinook, sockeye, coho, chum and steelhead varieties are available fresh. Limited supplies of frozen are available the remainder of the year.
Despite the differences, experts agree that the health benefits of any salmon outweigh the risks. Salmon is valued for its high level of fatty acids, which are good for the heart and brain, and because it has relatively low levels of mercury.
"I tell people to buy as responsibly as they can afford. I think wild is better tasting, better for you and an environmentally sound choice, but if you can't afford wild, farmed salmon is OK," says Diane Morgan, author of "Salmon: A Cookbook."
