Saturday 27th December Aftermath eating!

[In A Pickle]

Other than colour - if it is cooked - it's cooked! as I say, in a side by side with the exact same cooking technique perhaps then I could taste a difference - but otherwise, nope highly doubt it.

I know what you mean but I’ve noticed a big difference in the bog standard farmed salmon we get here and the better stuff.
The cheap stuff has a different ‘grain’ in the flesh and is much fattier. The better stuff is firmer and less fatty.

I guess it’s the same as any intensively farmed animal, they take fast growing species and feed them up as fast as possible, that always seems to have consequences on the end product.

 

[dragnlaw]

Yes, but you are looking at the raw flesh of the fish - are you saying you can still see that difference once it is cooked?
I don't eat them raw - so I don't really care what they look like then.

 

[pictonguy]

It really depends. Eric Ripert, Thomas Keller, Daniel Boulud, and half the Michelin world use farmed Atlantic salmon and so the “looked down on” part has nothing to do with flavor. Basically the stigma comes from farming, not the fish per se. in my opinion of course. King salmon and chinook have around the same amount of fat as farmed as well, which also happens to be the most desirable of the pacific varieties, but again the problem is it's seasonal and in short supply mostly.

 

[pictonguy]

LOL which part is the obvious? I'm talking a finished food - not the look of the individual fish.

Maybe sockeye - with it's colour and does taste more 'salmony'. But that is liable to put me off as I'm not really partial to fish tastes.
Very mild? yes, I like. Strong? nope, I'll pass.

You may be the exception to the rule considering your not a fish person and certainly not one that enjoys the actual fishfulness and yes I said that instead of fishiness to draw attention to your overall dislike.

 

[In A Pickle]

The farmed salmon we get here (which is what I buy because my lot are BIG eaters) is without a doubt a softer fattier fish. I don’t mind that but there’s a distinct difference.

As for looks I dunno

 

[pictonguy]

The farmed salmon we get here (which is what I buy because my lot are BIG eaters) is without a doubt a softer fattier fish. I don’t mind that but there’s a distinct difference.

As for looks I dunno

I suspect you've never had king or chinook then because they are not only soft but very soft and softer than most farmed Atlantic.

King is the softest of all wild Pacific salmon and has the highest fat content and has large loose muscle flakes that are buttery, almost a custardy texture when cooked properly but again almost impossible to get for the average person.

what other species (type) of salmon have you had to say it's softer comparatively speaking?

 

[In A Pickle]

I suspect you've never had king or chinook then because they are not only soft but very soft and softer than most farmed Atlantic.

King is the softest of all wild Pacific salmon and has the highest fat content and has large loose muscle flakes that are buttery, almost a custardy texture when cooked properly but again almost impossible to get for the average person.

what other species (type) of salmon have you had to say it's softer comparatively speaking?

I’m no salmon expert or even vaguely knowledgeable about salmon so wild or sockeye is probably the sum total of it.
Supermarkets offer mid and tail cut, Scottish or Atlantic, I don’t really know if that makes a difference, I guess it does or they wouldn’t mention it.
The place I buy fish from online offers Coho. It is very well reviewed

Buy Whole Coho Salmon Fillet Online | Next day Delivery – The Fish Society

www.thefishsociety.co.uk

 

[pictonguy]

I’m no salmon expert or even vaguely knowledgeable about salmon so wild or sockeye is probably the sum total of it.
Supermarkets offer mid and tail cut, Scottish or Atlantic, I don’t really know if that makes a difference, I guess it does or they wouldn’t mention it.
The place I buy fish from online offers Coho. It is very well reviewed

Buy Whole Coho Salmon Fillet Online | Next day Delivery – The Fish Society

www.thefishsociety.co.uk

Cool. Maybe try the coho.

Scottish is farmed Atlantic salmon but they've built a reputation on their integrity to produce a product of a higher quality and it's been around for a while so it's also quite recognizable in the big scheme of things which goes a long way when marketing their product. But be aware not all Scottish farms keep that original ethos intact and some are outright scarry as well, so it's still buyer beware.

 

[In A Pickle]

Cool. Maybe try the coho.

Scottish is farmed Atlantic salmon but they've built a reputation on their integrity to produce a product of a higher quality and it's been around for a while so it's also quite recognizable in the big scheme of things which goes a long way when marketing their product. But be aware not all Scottish farms keep that original ethos intact and some are outright scarry as well, so it's still buyer beware.

Yes. One of the big ones (Mowi) lost their royal warrant recently due to ongoing animal cruelty concerns

 

[pictonguy]

Some of the best if not the best farmed Atlantic salmon comes from the Faroe Islands which is halfway between Scotland and Iceland.

Regular farmed is normally around 8 to 12.00 lb. Faroe is easily 20-30.00 lb and for the hand‑selected, air‑shipped, extremely high fat that Michelin restaurants use can exceed 60.00 a lb.

 

[pictonguy]

Yes. One of the big ones (Mowi) lost their royal warrant recently due to ongoing animal cruelty concerns

Wow, what a slap in the face, but when it's all about profit, it shall come to pass.

 

[In A Pickle]

There’s another type I fancy trying called ‘Artic Char’ apparently it’s loved by chefs

 

[pictonguy]

There’s another type I fancy trying called ‘Artic Char’ apparently it’s loved by chefs

Absolutely, but it's production is low worldwide and therefore not as available. it's mostly in the nature of the species where cold and natural environment is ideal and where over 80% is farmed and even when they're farmed in more southern areas the tanks are temperature controlled to mimic those very cold arctic type temps and not in the actual ocean waters where most if not all salmon farms exist. It's a niche market really.

 

[In A Pickle]

Absolutely, but it's production is low worldwide and therefore not as available. it's mostly in the nature of the species where cold and natural environment is ideal and where over 80% is farmed and even when they're farmed in more southern areas the tanks are temperature controlled to mimic those very cold arctic type temps and not in the actual ocean waters where most if not all salmon farms exist. It's a niche market really.

Ah thanks for the info

 

[In A Pickle]

Looks like my usual supermarket that has started selling a small selection of ‘The Fish Society’ stuff has decided to include ‘Artic Char’
So it’s in the basket and I’ll be getting it on my next shop

It said elsewhere where that how it’s farmed in Iceland means it has a low carbon footprint so thats a nice bonus

 

[FrankZ]

I got a deep fryer for Christmas. Well, ok, I got it twice.

I did shrimp and tot baskets tonight.

 

[Katie H]

Since we kinda picked and poked yesterday, I thought a "real" meal might be nice. I baked a large, sweet potato, pan-seared a thick ham slice and make what I would call potato roll bread. I had a small quantity of potato roll dough, so I decided to form it into a loaf. Turned out well. For dessert, we had our first of this year's taste of Assumption Abbey's fruitcake. Ohhhhhhhh good! Last year was the first year we had it and it definitely DID NOT disappoint this year.

 

[Kathleen]

I would give so much for another fruitcake made by my grandmother. She would start making them in September. I love fruitcake...and will have to take a look at your fruitcake producer, @Katie H!

 

[Katie H]

I would give so much for another fruitcake made by my grandmother. She would start making them in September. I love fruitcake...and will have to take a look at your fruitcake producer, @Katie H!

It turns out the abbey is very near us, and we saw a documentary piece on it a year or so ago and thought their cake was worth investigating. As a result, we bought one for each of Glenn's children and one for ourselves. Everyone had positive responses, even the ones who didn't like fruitcake. Did it again this year and there were smiles all around.

 

[dragnlaw]

Well, ok, I got it twice.

Explain...