Salmon as food

Salmon is a tasty fish.

It is often bright orange or red.

Wild fish get this color from tiny shellfish.

Many people eat it in a warm soup.

You can also eat it in a burger.

It is a very healthy food to try.

Salmon is a popular food fish.

It is an oily fish. This means it has healthy fats. It is also full of protein.

Most salmon is orange or red.

Wild salmon get this color from eating tiny shellfish. They eat things like krill. This gives them pigments called carotenoids.

People eat salmon in many ways. Some people like it raw. In Japan, people eat salmon sashimi. This is sliced raw fish.

They often eat it with soy sauce.

Other people like it cured. Gravlax is a Nordic dish. It is salmon cured in salt, sugar, and dill.

In North America, many people eat lox. This is thin salmon served on a bagel.

You can also eat it in a warm soup. In Finland, they make Lohikeitto. This is a creamy soup with potatoes and leeks.

In Alaska, people make salmon burgers. These are fishcakes made to look like beef burgers.

Salmon is a very popular food fish found in many parts of the world.

It is known as an oily fish because it has a high amount of healthy fats. These fats include omega-3 fatty acids and DHA or EPA. The fish is also a great source of protein for people. For every 100 grams of raw salmon, you get 142 calories. It also provides many vitamins and minerals like B12, selenium, and phosphorus.

This makes it a very nutritious meal for many cultures.

The color of salmon is one of its most famous features. Most salmon flesh looks bright orange or red. This color comes from natural pigments called carotenoids. Wild salmon get these pigments by eating tiny shellfish like krill.

In wild fish, these levels can reach up to 25 mg/kg. Fish producers often use a tool called a Roche Colour Card to measure pinkness. They try to reach a value of 16 on this scale. Sometimes, pigments are added to the food of farmed salmon to keep the color bright.

People have found many ways to prepare and enjoy salmon throughout history. In Japan, people enjoy salmon sashimi, which is sliced raw fish.

Before refrigerators were common, people in Japan did not eat raw salmon. It only became popular in the late 1980s with parasite-free salmon from Norway. Other traditions use different methods like smoking or curing. For example, Nordic cultures make gravlax by curing salmon in salt, sugar, and dill.

This is often served as a tasty appetizer.

There are many specific dishes that use salmon in unique ways. In Finland, people eat Lohikeitto, which is a creamy soup with potatoes and leeks.

In Hawaii, a dish called Lomi salmon uses diced salted salmon with tomatoes and onions.

Some people enjoy lox, which is thinly sliced cured salmon. In North America, lox is a favorite topping for bagels with cream cheese. In Alaska, you might even find a salmon burger. These are fishcakes made to look like beef hamburgers.

Salmon production is a huge part of the global food market.

Norway is a very important place for this industry. It produces more than 50% of the world's salmon. Some salmon are caught in the wild, while others are raised on farms. Most Atlantic salmon in the world market are farmed. However, many Pacific salmon are still caught in the wild. Canned salmon in the United States is usually wild-caught from the Pacific Ocean.

This shows how much the world relies on this amazing fish.

Salmon is a widely consumed food fish known for its nutritional profile. It is classified as an oily fish because it contains high levels of fats. These include omega-3 fatty acids, specifically DHA and EPA. A 100-gram portion of raw salmon provides 142 calories. It is also a significant source of several B vitamins. For example, it provides 133% of the Daily Value (DV) for vitamin B12. It also contains 52% DV of selenium and 29% DV of phosphorus.

The visual appearance of salmon is quite distinct. The flesh is typically orange or red in color. This coloration comes from carotenoid pigments, specifically astaxanthin and canthaxanthin. Wild salmon obtain these pigments by eating krill and other tiny shellfish. In wild fish, carotenoid levels can reach up to 25 mg/kg.

Fish producers use specific tools to manage this color. They use a tool called the Roche Colour Card. This card measures how pink the fish appears at certain doses. Producers aim for a value of 16 on this scale. This scale specifically measures pinkness from astaxanthin. It does not measure the orange hue from canthaxanthin. Because processing and storage can lower pigment levels, producers sometimes add pigments to farmed salmon diets. This helps compensate for any degradation during processing.

Salmon comes from both wild environments and farms. Norway is a major global producer of both types. In fact, Norway accounts for more than 50% of global salmon production. There are slight differences between farmed and wild salmon. Farmed salmon often have lower levels of environmental contaminants. Conversely, wild salmon typically have higher omega-3 fatty acid content.

Culinary traditions around the world use salmon in many ways. In Japan, salmon is used for sashimi, which is sliced raw fish. Historically, Japan did not eat raw salmon because of refrigeration limits. It only became common in the late 1980s. This change happened after the introduction of parasite-free salmon from Norway.

Different cultures have developed unique recipes. Nordic traditions include gravlax, which is salmon cured in salt, sugar, and dill. In Finland, Lohikeitto is a popular creamy salmon soup with potatoes and leeks.

In Hawaii, Lomi salmon is a cold salad of salted salmon, tomatoes, and onions.

In North America, lox is a popular cured fillet often served on bagels. In Alaska, salmon burgers are common fishcakes that serve as an alternative to beef.

There are also specific ways to preserve salmon for the market. Smoked salmon can be prepared using either hot or cold smoking methods. Lox can refer to cold-smoked salmon or salmon cured in a brine solution, also called gravlax. In the United States, canned salmon is mostly wild-caught from the Pacific Ocean. Traditional canned salmon may include skin and bone, which provides calcium.

While salmon is nutritious, there are some safety factors to consider. Salmon is a known allergen for some people. Additionally, raw salmon flesh may contain Anisakis nematodes. These are marine parasites that cause a condition called anisakiasis. In certain areas, like the Pacific Northwest of the United States, wild salmon may contain pollutants. These include mercury, PCBs, and metformin near metropolitan wastewater plants.