Carol W
2012-12-09 18:05:45
Bristol Bay sockeye are the #1 major competition to our coho in the market place.
Once and Future
2012-12-10 00:53:52
In my humble opinion, troll-caught coho are the best bargain in seafood. I'd like to see somebody market that notion. Of course it's very possible the too-modest price the fisherman gets paid doesn't get passed on to the consumer.
Salty
2012-12-10 03:26:31
Coho, particularly nice big troll caught coho, are a wonderful value.
But, to me, the best value in salmon is white, troll caught, feeder kings. They would be my best value at twice the price we get paid or have to pay in the market. I appreciate the difference in the fat content of various Chinook stocks and am sure Yukon and Copper River kings are wonderful. But, we are talking river fish caught in gillnets. There is no comparison in sweetness between the same salmon caught in the ocean while it is feeding and when it has stopped feeding, its oils going into sexual colors and features. There is none of the distinct flavor that the kings get when they are feasting on different kinds of feed. The special spring sweetness of krill fed feeders, the tang of a king feeding on capelin, or the richness of a fall fish in a squid hole.
Then there is that special flavor of a white, which are genetically fatter than the red ones (probably associated with having the ability to turn carotene into white flesh that most salmon do not have) that is both sweeter, lighter, and richer than its red cousin. Ask almost any Alaska troller which salmon he is taking to his child's wedding feast, and he will say, "the white one". I have actually sold some whites for weddings and graduations back when I was direct marketing.
Second on my list for Alaska Salmon value would be ocean brite, troll caught chums. These fish, which eat small delicate jellyfish, have the lightest flavor of all the salmon. A way I often explain the different salmon flavors is that coho is like a fine chablis, the brite chum is like a dry riesling, pinks are like a sweet rose, and sockeye are like a dark merlot. (It is impossible for me to compare king salmon to wine, I have never been able to afford wine that fine.) And we get paid about a dollar less a pound for chums than we do for coho which means they are cheaper also to the consumer. The challenge is that most chums are net caught after they have darkened up, they are not the same as brite troll caught chums.
I will post a few pictures to illustrate what I am talking about.
SilverT
2012-12-10 04:30:37
Salty,
I loved the comparison of salmon to wine. Two years ago we purchased salmon & halibut from SPC for a retail business. I thought it was all sold. The other night my wife asked me about a big box of fish in the bottom of our personal freezer. It turned out to be a box of vacuum sealed, 6-8 oz. coho portions purchased in 2010. They looked as good as the day I bought them after over 2 years. There were no air bubbles, no freezer burn and still bright orange. I could understand the same apearance if they were stored in the commercial freezer, but I was shocked to find it in great shape in our personal freezer, which runs a bit warmer. We have been enjoying it all month long and I have to say I couldn't detect any difference in the taste from when it was first purchased. SPC produces amazing product.
Regarding the difference between troll-caught vs. gillnet-caught, regardless of the handling, there is a real taste difference in the fish once their bodies begin to change for the purpose of spawning. Most nets seem to be deployed near or in the rivers and we just don't enjoy the flavor of those fish as much. Not that I have much against netting as a harvest method - it looks like fun.
Lane
Kelper
2012-12-17 01:40:18
Agreed. Somebody please learn how to market the cohos. For the last month my family has been eating june sport caught cohos. Very good, and I eat a bunch of king too. Problem is that not many know how to cook the smaller cohos without drying them out.
Salty
2012-12-17 05:22:29
Really good observations. Keeping the moistness in fish is one of the challenges. Easy to do with salmon if you keep your eye on it, use low heat, or saute with vermouth. The nice thing about the smaller salmon, small coho in particular, is that the thin filets make heating quickly through the fish without drying out the edges easier.
Salty
2012-12-18 01:42:49
I checked the site out and know the family. In fact spent some time at the last Young Fisherman's Summit with one of them.
I just left them a note. For those of you checking out this beautiful site, and I recommend it, experienced trollers who produce high quality salmon do not fling them aboard over the stern, over the gear, over the cockpit, into the landing bin.
In the Chinook and coho fisheries we conk them on the head in the water, gaff, and gently slip them over the rail into the landing checker. Doesn't make for as beautiful a picture, but eliminates the bruising of the fish flesh and is much easier on our bodies.
In the chum and pink fisheries we slip them aboard into the landing tubs or bins, stick (bleed) and dehook without gaffing in many cases, but the fish are still handled gently.
For those of you who have been following this site, you know that I have made several posts decrying this relatively rare sling gaffing over the cockpit practice by some trollers. It hurts quality and is unsafe for the other person in the cockpit with you.