Types of Salmon – An Ultimate Guide

Are you confused about the different types of salmon?  Do you need help finding salmon recipes?  This Types of Salmon Ultimate Guide is here to help!

This post is not sponsored by any brand, but does contain links to brands Champagne Tastes has worked with in the past.  

Different Types of Salmon

Wild or Farmed salmon.  Sustainably sourced salmon.  Fresh salmon.  Canned salmon.  Frozen salmon…  As you browse through the different types of salmon, does your brow furrow in confusion?  Do you know what you’re looking at?  Do you shrug your shoulders, and grab whatever your hand lands on first?  I am here to help!

This ultimate guide to the various different types of salmon is here to help you know what you’re buying, what it should taste like, where to find it, and then– of course– give you recipe ideas!

Wild or Farmed Salmon?  What is the Best Salmon?

First of all– before you buy salmon, you should learn what exactly you’re buying.  Should you buy wild or farmed salmon?  Are both okay?

There are six types of salmon that you might find in an American supermarket or fish market.  One is from the Atlantic and is always farmed, and the rest are Pacific salmon and are generally wild.  Here’s a breakdown of each type of salmon:

• Farmed Atlantic Salmon
  • Flavor Profile:  Fatty, Pairs well with citrus
  • Pros: Easy to Find, Inexpensive
  • Cons: Color is added chemically through feed (wild salmon gets its signature color from the food it eats).  Farmed salmon isn’t always farmed well, and the fish are sometimes fed antibiotics to keep them healthy in dirty conditions.
  • Is it Sustainable?: Maybe.  Look for a “Best Aquaculture Practices” (BAP) label
  • Fresh or Frozen: Either! Look for “Fresh Never Frozen” labels if you prefer fresh, so that you can make sure it hasn’t been previously frozen and then later thawed at the seafood counter.
  • Watch for: Avoid being tricked by salmon labels that mark the salmon “Norwegian“– this is just Atlantic salmon.
• Wild Pacific Sockeye Salmon
  • Flavor Profile:  Gamey, Strong “wild” flavor, Pairs well with citrus and fattier ingredients like nuts
  • Pros: Easy to find, High-quality fish, Naturally brilliant-red flesh, Some consider “the best salmon”
  • Cons: Can be expensive
  • Is it Sustainable?:  Very likely.  Sockeye are abundant.  Look for traceability information on the packaging to tell you where the salmon is from, or a “Marine Stewardship Council” label.
  • Fresh or Frozen: Probably frozen, especially if you don’t live on the West Coast.  Many fishing companies are flash-freezing their fish right after they’re caught, so frozen fish will likely be MUCH fresher than fish that’s transported across the country while still fresh.
  • Watch for: My favorite sockeye salmon comes directly from Bristol Bay, Alaska.
• Wild Pacific Pink Salmon
  • Flavor Profile:  Mild, Pairs well with citrus or mustard
  • Pros: Easy to Find, Inexpensive
  • Cons: Less oily and decadent than other salmon species
  • Is it Sustainable?: Very likely.  Pink salmon are abundant.  Look for traceability information on the packaging to tell you where the salmon is from, or a “Marine Stewardship Council” label.
  • Fresh or Frozen (or Canned!): Probably canned, but also look for frozen fillets.  These inexpensive fillets are a fabulous and affordable sustainable salmon option, but might be harder to find than sockeye or Atlantic salmon.

• Wild Pacific King Salmon (or Chinook Salmon)
  • Flavor Profile: Extremely rich and fatty, Pairs well with citrus, stone fruit, and tart fruit like pineapple
  • Pros: High-quality fish, Extremely rich and decadent, Often considered the “best salmon”
  • Cons: Expensive, Can be very hard to find
  • Is it Sustainable?: Very likely.  Look for traceability information on the packaging to tell you where the salmon is from, or a “Marine Stewardship Council” label.
  • Fresh or Frozen:  Very likely frozen, especially if you don’t live on the West Coast.
  • Watch for: Recently, some well-farmed king salmon has been showing up on the market.  (Most notably from Regal Marlborough King Salmon in New Zealand.)  If you find farmed King salmon, look for a “Best Aquaculture Practices” (BAP) label.
• Wild Pacific Coho Salmon (or Silver Salmon)
  • Flavor Profile: Mild, Pairs well with citrus or mustard
  • Pros: High-quality fish, Excellent raw or smoked
  • Cons: Less oily and decadent than other salmon species, Can be very hard to find
  • Is it Sustainable?: Very likely.  Look for traceability information on the packaging to tell you where the salmon is from, or a “Marine Stewardship Council” label.
  • Fresh or Frozen:  Very likely frozen, especially if you don’t live on the West Coast.
• Wild Pacific Chum Salmon (or Keta Salmon / Dog Salmon)
  • Flavor Profile: Mild, Very versatile
  • Pros: High-quality fish
  • Cons: Less oily and decadent than other salmon species, Can be very hard to find
  • Is it Sustainable?: Very likely.  Look for traceability information on the packaging to tell you where the salmon is from, or a “Marine Stewardship Council” label.
  • Fresh or Frozen:  Very likely frozen, especially if you don’t live on the West Coast.

Types of Salmon: Recipes for Salmon Fillets + Sides

Quick Tip: Use a fish fillet knife to cut a larger side of salmon into fillets yourself!

Once you’ve picked out your salmon– whether it’s Atlantic, sockeye, or any of the other varieties, it’s time to get cookin’!  Salmon is very versatile– you can grill it, sear it, poach it, roast it, slow-roast it, and the list goes on!  Below are a few more recipe ideas to help you get started.

These recipes use salmon fillets or salmon sides.  Use any variety you like, but keep in mind that fattier salmon, like Atlantic and King, will taste best with a contrasting flavor (like citrus).

Note: If the recipe recommends a specific type of salmon, it will be noted in brackets before the recipe title.

What is Lox?  Is Lox a Type of Salmon?

Do you want some smoked salmon for your morning bagel?  What is lox anyway?  Do you know what to look for? 

Here are the labels you should understand BEFORE you buy!

• • Lox: Technically, lox is salmon cured in salt, is NOT smoked, and should be from the fatty salmon belly.  It has a silky texture, and will be sold frozen or chilled.
  • Nova Lox / Cold-smoked Salmon: Nova lox is salt-cured like regular lox, and then cold-smoked.  It’s smoky, but has not been exposed to heat.  It has a silky texture, and will be sold frozen or chilled.
  • Gravlax: This salmon is salt-cured with spices and herbs, such as juniper berries and horseradish.  It has a silky texture, and will be sold frozen or chilled.
  • Hot-Smoked Salmon: This salmon is cooked, usually slowly in a smoker.  The texture is very different from lox, and more like a slow-cooked meat.  This salmon is often shelf-stable.

Recipes Using Lox or Smoked Salmon

What are Salmon Roe (Salmon Caviar)?

Salmon roe are unfertilized salmon eggs, are considered a highly sustainably sourced choice, and are a fabulous alternative to other types of caviar.  (You may have eaten them on sushi.)  You can buy it canned or frozen.

Want to try it?  Try these recipes from Sprinkles and Sprouts and Just One Cookbook.

↓ Salmon Cheat Sheet ↓

Want more SEAFOOD SHOPPING GUIDES?  Check these out:

• Canned Fish: An Ultimate Guide
• Types of Shrimp: An Ultimate Guide

Want even more information on different types of salmon?  Check out these resources:

NOAA – Aquaculture in the United States

MSC – Salmon Sustainability