King salmon (also called Chinook) is the best of the best in terms of flavor and fat, but it’s extremely expensive. Ask what species of salmon are available, where they were caught, and what the fishing operation is like. How do I buy this stuff? Talking to your fish monger (or whoever works at the fish counter at your supermarket) will help. It’s very important to cook wild salmon to a true medium rare, otherwise you’ll be chewing on a squeaky piece of dry fish. The actual fat content can vary a lot from species to species, but in general wild-caught salmon needs to be cooked more carefully-overcook it even slightly, and it can dry out and become tough and chalky.

How do I cook this stuff? Wild salmon tends to be leaner than farm-raised. The color will be more intense and vibrant than that of the farm-raised stuff-more red-orange than pink- as will the flavor, which will be a lot more savory and complex. A happier, healthier, free-roaming fish delivers more salmon-y flavor and color. What does wild salmon taste like? The reason that people buy and cook wild salmon is for its flavor.

Farmed salmon will differ in the same way that a carrot farmed in New Jersey differs from a carrot farmed in California. But salmon farms vary in size, location, breeding practice, and just about everything else. In the broadest sense, it means that it was raised in some kind of aquatic farming operation, not the wild. What does that even mean? That’s a good question. Here's what to expect from salmon, whether you go the farm-raised or wild-caught route: Farm-Raised Salmon What is the difference, you ask? Great question. When you buy fish at the market, you will most likely see some labeled 'farm-raised' and some labeled 'wild' or 'wild-caught.' Sure, they're both salmon, but they're very different things. They're similar because you can buy onions that are grown on a farm, but you can also find and harvest onions in the wild, too.

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