Salmon Spawning and Cooking Tips

Fresh salmon is widely available year-round, as are canned and smoked varieties. If you are lucky, you will find my personal favorite Copper River salmon in your market. It is prized for its flavor, color, and firm, yet tender flesh.

Salmon Spawning

Salmon are anadromous, which means they migrate from saltwater to freshwater to lay their eggs. Freshwater salmon is salmon that became landlocked, and have less flavor than saltwater varieties. Likewise, although farm-raised salmon live in a saltwater habitat, they just don't have the degree of rich flavor as their wild counterparts. Salmon gets that beautiful pink color from astaxanthin, a pigment within the insects and crustaceans that the fish feed upon.

Salmon Cooking Tips

• Salmon's beautiful pink color dresses up any plate, no matter how simply or complicated it is prepared.

• Salmon is excellent for just about any cooking method, including baked, broiled, poached, sauteed, grilled, barbecued and smoked.

• Some varieties of smoked or dried salmon may need to be soaked to remove excess salt before using.

• Over-cooked salmon becomes dry and unpalatable. Cook only until it feels firm when pressed lightly with the back of a fork. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

• Leftover salmon is great in salads and cream sauces for pasta, so make double the amount you need for dinner and use it the next day as well.

• Salmon is high in Vitamin A, B-complex, and Omega-3 oils, making it a very nutritious choice.

More About Salmon

• Salmon Selection, Storage, and Freezing
• Worms in Salmon - FAQ
• Salmon Spawning and Cooking Tips
• Salmon History
• Salmon Lore and Legends
• Salmon Recipes
_{Salmon Photo © 2006 Peggy Trowbridge, licensed to About.com, Inc.}