[shel]

Yesterday I bought a couple of frozen Alaskan salmon filets at Trader Joe's - first time. I noticed that under the skin there was a layer of greyish flesh - looked pretty unappetizing. What is that grey stuff? Is it harmful or unhealthy? BTW, I was not at all happy with the taste/texture of the salmon.

Also, has anyone tasted Loch Duart salmon from Scotland. I've heard that it's very high quality. It can be purchased at a market in San Francisco - and that's the only place in the area that I know of it being available. It's a long drive to SF just to pick up a piece of fish. Does anyone know of another place in the San Francisco Bay Area that this fish can be purchased? I'll check with my regular fish guy when I next see him ....

shel

[shipscook]

Gosh shel so sorry to hear that!! the gray is actually fat and as we know good fat! When I serve a fillet, I simply place that side down, it isn't real purty. I usually prefer to serve steaks, not a problem there.

but, what kind of salmon was it? that would make a big difference in taste and texture.

I eat salmon several times a week and often frozen.

Nan

[shel]

Originally Posted by shipscook

Gosh shel so sorry to hear that!! the gray is actually fat and as we know good fat! When I serve a fillet, I simply place that side down, it isn't real purty. I usually prefer to serve steaks, not a problem there.

but, what kind of salmon was it? that would make a big difference in taste and texture.

I eat salmon several times a week and often frozen.

Nan

Glad to know that the grey stuff is OK ... I've never noticed it on the fresh fish I get from the local shops I frequent.

The salmon was labeled as Wild Alaskan Sockeye. I prepare salmon very simply - generally just poach it - it's always so delicious. This was a disappointment, although the price was about 1/3 that of the salmon from my fish guys. Anyway, it tasted nothing like the fresh salmon I got when in Alaska, and really didn't compare with the fish guys' salmon.

scb

[Blueicus]

That grayish layer of fat is prevalent on the fatty/pinkish varieties of fish (such as trout or char or salmon) and you can see that if you take a skin-on side of fish or a whole fish and filet and skin it yourself you will notice this layer of grayish meat between the primary flesh and the skin.

[shipscook]

shel, I think you just got a poor piece of fish. I am lucky here to be able to get fresh salmon most of the year. But oh my do we pay for it!!!

I get frozen Alaska sockeye at the Safeway here when fresh is not available or I am feeling frugel. I think I would ask for credit or a replacement??

I usually just put my cast iron grill pan under the broiler, get it hot, brush with a tad of olive oil and broil to just a bit over medium rare.

had a little fresh sockeye roast last week, stuffed it with carmalized leeks, some fennel pollen and a bit of preserved lemon. Good Stuff!!

Better luck next time,
Nan

[KYHeirloomer]

Shel, I agree with the others. You either lucked out with a poor piece of fish, or you defrosted it incorrectly. Most frozen fish, nowadays, is as good or better than so-called fresh.

Another possibility: You have, in the past, bought coho or chinook, and the sockeye has a different texture and flavor? That's a guess, as the only sockeye I've ever eaten came out of a can.

I'm not familiar with the Loch Duart brand, particularly. But if it's from Scotland it is likely Atlantic salmon; not the Pacific salmon you are used to.

[shel]

Originally Posted by shipscook

shel, I think you just got a poor piece of fish. I am lucky here to be able to get fresh salmon most of the year. But oh my do we pay for it!!!

I get frozen Alaska sockeye at the Safeway here when fresh is not available or I am feeling frugel. I think I would ask for credit or a replacement??

I usually just put my cast iron grill pan under the broiler, get it hot, brush with a tad of olive oil and broil to just a bit over medium rare.

had a little fresh sockeye roast last week, stuffed it with carmalized leeks, some fennel pollen and a bit of preserved lemon. Good Stuff!!

Better luck next time,
Nan

Couple of things:

I'd love to be able to broil things in my current kitchen, however, the current stove is a 79-cent POS, and to use the broiler I have to practically crawl on the floor as the broiler (such as it is) is located below the oven. It doesn't even have a temperature setting or a way to adjust the distance from the heat.

I've had frozen salmon in AK - fish that had been caught the year before. It was DELICIOUS! In all cases the fish was frozen by the people who caught it or the restaurants that served it - not by big commercial outfits or supermarket chains. I got to AK before the salmon season - but once the season opened the fish I got was even more delicious. I'd move to AK just for the salmon and the halibut!

I'm going to try another piece of fish from TJ's and give it a taste.

Leeks and salmon make a great combination. Yummmmy!

Thanks for all your help and suggestions, Nan.

scb

[shel]

Originally Posted by KYHeirloomer

Shel, I agree with the others. You either lucked out with a poor piece of fish, or you defrosted it incorrectly. Most frozen fish, nowadays, is as good or better than so-called fresh.

Another possibility: You have, in the past, bought coho or chinook, and the sockeye has a different texture and flavor? That's a guess, as the only sockeye I've ever eaten came out of a can.

I'm not familiar with the Loch Duart brand, particularly. But if it's from Scotland it is likely Atlantic salmon; not the Pacific salmon you are used to.

Well, I know it was properly defrosted. I've had several varierties of salmon in the past, chinook and sockeye included.

Yeah, I understand about Loch Duart being Atlantic salmon, however, the reports I've gotten on it indicate that it's exceptional. I've gotta try it at least once. I've had Atlantic salmon in the past, and what I've had has been a disappointment. However, I wonder if the salmon from different areas taste different? Isn't there more than one type of Atlantic salmon?

scb

[KYHeirloomer]

No, Shel. Unlike Pacific salmon, of which there are five major species, there's only one Atlantic salmon.

There are, however, different populations, and that could account for differences in flavor. It certainly makes a difference in size. Other factors might be the time of year and location of the catch. "You are what you eat" applies to fishes as well as people.

I've had fresh Atlantic salmon from a market. And fresh Atlantic salmon I've caught myself. Although it's not bad, I understand why its reputation is based on it being smoked.

As a sport fish on a flyrod, Atlantic salmon is unsurpassed. Plus, of course, after God made the earth he looked around and put a salmon stream in all the prettiest parts.

But as a culinary treat----well, there are other things I'd choose first.

[OregonYeti]

Is seafood frozen on shore? I thought all frozen seafood was frozen on the boat . . . ?

By the way, here in Oregon we have landlocked sockeye salmon we call kokanee.

[novice_01]

Originally Posted by shipscook

Gosh shel so sorry to hear that!! the gray is actually fat and as we know good fat! When I serve a fillet, I simply place that side down, it isn't real purty. I usually prefer to serve steaks, not a problem there.

but, what kind of salmon was it? that would make a big difference in taste and texture.

I eat salmon several times a week and often frozen.

Nan

What's the difference between a salmon steak and a salmon filet?

[shipscook]

a fillet is cut on the length of the fish, cutting around the collar and then along the backbone from top to tail, turn over, grip tail and cut along the backbone again. with the right knife, an excellent edge and practice, the bone is pretty clean. You will have some rib bones, pull those out with needlenose pliers. remove skin or not. Most people leave it on for grilling to hold flesh together.

To steak, remove fins, choose thickness you want and cut through backbone. I prefer steaks, I think the skin and bones add flavor.

This is actually something l learned from fishermen, not sure it totally the proper way?
Nan

[novice_01]

Originally Posted by shipscook

a fillet is cut on the length of the fish, cutting around the collar and then along the backbone from top to tail, turn over, grip tail and cut along the backbone again. with the right knife, an excellent edge and practice, the bone is pretty clean. You will have some rib bones, pull those out with needlenose pliers. remove skin or not. Most people leave it on for grilling to hold flesh together.

To steak, remove fins, choose thickness you want and cut through backbone. I prefer steaks, I think the skin and bones add flavor.

This is actually something l learned from fishermen, not sure it totally the proper way?
Nan

I wouldn't be cutting the fish into a steak or filet but am wondering (when I go to the store to buy the fish) whether one is preferred over the other.

[boar_d_laze]

Originally Posted by novice_01

I wouldn't be cutting the fish into a steak or filet but am wondering (when I go to the store to buy the fish) whether one is preferred over the other.

Neither is better. Much depends on how you choose to cook it. Steaks are easier to handle for people who aren't good at handling fish gently or preventing it from sticking. If you're new to cooking fish (and your question suggests you are), steaks are a great way to start!

One nice way to prepare a steak for cooking is to take a sharp knife, put the tip in next to the back bone, then trace along the ribs and free them from the meat. Do this on both sides, and remove the back bone and ribs. Then roll one "leg" of the steak around the other and use a piece of twine to tie the whole thing in a tight circle. This allows the wonderful belly meat (from those legs), which is very rich and tasty to cook at the same rate as the rest of the salmon. If you have a good fish-monger ask her to do this for you and watch while she does it, so you can do it for yourself the next time. In any case, it's easy enough to do even from a description as basic as mine.

Another is to leave the bones in the steak and simply grill it. The legs will become more well done than the rest of the fish -- but don't worry, they can take it. The belly is loaded with salmon fat, which not only tastes wonderful but is loaded with Omega 3 and is very good for you.

Try not to overcook salmon. Most people like it cooked between medium and medium-well. While a few prefer it between medium and medium-rare. While it's easy to tell when a fillet is cooked by looking, the only good way to test a steak is by touch. Press your fingers gently into the meat near the backbone, and when the salmon pushes back (on both sides) it's medium medium-rare. An extra minute on each side will take it to medium medium-well. This sounds a lot more uncertain than it is.

BDL

[bughut]

I was told the grey strip was the blood line - where the blood settles when the fish is killed. I dont like it and always remove it, though i know folk who dont mind it attall.