Fresh, Wild Caught Salmon | Salmon Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What to do with a fresh caught salmon? ›

Clean and gut your salmon as soon as possible after it's caught. Most importantly, keep it cold. Ideally, freshly caught and cleaned salmon should be placed on ice immediately. If no ice is available, wrap it loosely in a damp cloth or paper and place it in the shade.

My favorite way to make wild-caught salmon (like coho or sockeye) is to drizzle with olive oil and sea salt, then bake it at low temperature (about 320° F – 325° F) until just barely cooked through. This takes about 12 minutes for a 1 pound fillet.

Olive Oil, Salt, and Pepper - This wild caught salmon recipe is totally basic! The quality of the fish speaks for itself, seasoned very simply with just olive oil, kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Don't skimp on the salt, it enhances the natural flavor of the fish.

The bottom line

While farmed salmon and wild-caught salmon are similar in terms of overall health benefits, farmed salmon may have more added antibiotics. It's also possible for both farmed and wild caught salmon to contain organic pollutants such as PCBs, as well as mercury.

Wrap your salmon in a parchment packet with aromatics, citrus, veggies, and a drizzle of olive oil. The steam trapped in the packet will infuse the fish with flavor and cook it gently, making it tender and juicy. Bonus: The parchment packets only take about 15 minutes at 425°F and the cleanup is minimal.

No, you are not supposed to wash salmon fillets before cooking them. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) advises against washing raw fish, seafood, meat, and poultry, which can spread bacteria to other foods and surfaces. The only effective way to get rid of bacteria is to cook it.

For smaller, crispy, skin-on Salmon; a crispy pan sear is recommended. For bigger fillets, and succulent, skin-off King Salmon; the best method would be cooking in an oven.

Baking or broiling wild salmon usually requires about 8 to 12 minutes at 400 degree F for roasting, and 5 to 7 minutes on medium-high for broiling. Thickness varies, so adjust the time accordingly.

Garlic marinade

Garlic and salmon make for a very tasty pairing, especially if left to marinate for a good amount of time. You can use garlic butter, olive oil, and a little bit of rosemary or other fresh herbs of your choice to make a light and flavorful dish.

Wild salmon feed on sea creatures like shrimp and krill that give it a characteristic reddish-orange color. They are known to have a distinct breeding and migration pattern that leads to their naturally firm texture and distinct flavor.

Do you eat the skin on wild salmon? ›

Yes, salmon skin is good for you—and is actually one of the healthiest parts of the fish. Just like the flesh, salmon skin is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins B and D, and minerals like niacin and phosphorus.

Indeed, our Sockeye Salmon presents this peppy hue. It's wild-caught in the icy waters of the major Northeast Pacific fishing area located west of Canada and south of Alaska.

Wild Salmon - A Healthier Option

The protein content of a portion of farmed salmon is similar to that of a wild fish, but the wild fish is lower in calories while being higher in many vitamins and minerals like potassium, zinc, and calcium.

Wild salmon is low in contaminants — a clean source of protein that you can feel good about eating. Farmed salmon could often be highly contaminated with toxins that are harmful to human health. Wild salmon are naturally a vibrant shade of pink or red because of their diet of wild crustaceans and zooplankton.

Raw fish and shellfish should be kept in the refrigerator (40 °F/4.4 °C or less) only 1 or 2 days before cooking or freezing. After cooking, store seafood in the refrigerator 3 to 4 days. Any frozen fish or shellfish will be safe indefinitely; however, the flavor and texture will lessen after lengthy storage.

Wild-caught salmon have a higher incidence of infection because they're at greater risk of eating infected food in the wild (as opposed to a farmed salmon's man-made, parasite-free diet). It's not a good idea to eat raw, wild-caught salmon unless you know it's been flash-frozen first.

Healthline says yes, but not without risk. Even if you're eating salmon fresh out of the ocean, the fish can still be ridden with bacteria and parasites absorbed from the natural environment. The only way to kill these pathogens would be to cook the salmon to at least 145 degrees Fahrenheit.

Raw or fresh salmon will last in the fridge for up to 2 days before starting to spoil. When buying fresh salmon, understand that it's very perishable and should be prepared or frozen within a couple of days of buying it.