It is quite clear from my books and the info on the site that the only kind of salmon acceptable is wild and not farmed.... not easy to find here (even in London) and when you can it's horrendously expensive.

Can anyone explain why this is the case - what exactly is wrong with any other kind of salmon?

thanks in advance.

use the search feature....window top right

enough has been mentioned on farm raised practices

Quoted from eva b.

It is quite clear from my books and the info on the site that the only kind of salmon acceptable is wild and not farmed.... not easy to find here (even in London) and when you can it's horrendously expensive.

Can anyone explain why this is the case - what exactly is wrong with any other kind of salmon?

thanks in advance.

The argument against farmed salmon explained here:

http://www.sustainablewaters.com/whats-wrong-with-farmed-salmon/

You might want to choose canned salmon if you can't find fresh wild.  But also be aware of
the issues with canned foods in general.

http://www.naturalnews.com/021761.html

Some cans will say BPA free.

I personally see it as being very similar to the grass fed vs grain-fed beef question.

Ideally, we'd all eat the healthiest food possible, and that includes getting all of our animal protein from animals that lived normal, healthy lives and ate a traditional, species-appropriate diet. It would also be fresh and produced locally. I remember a scene in The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe where they were eating fish "that had been in the pan half a minute before and in the stream half an hour before." (I may have that quote slightly wrong; I'm doing this from memory.) I can also assume that Narnian streams weren't polluted and that this fish was the most wholesome kind that exists.

I've never had fish that fresh,and I've certainly never had the opportunity to dine in Narnia (except in the figurative sense.) I need to make due with what's locally available in my food stores, and also what's within my budget. It usually means canned fish, and it always means factory-farmed beef. The alternative would be to eat more vegetarian foods and buy tiny amounts of "top of the line" meats, and I can't function that way. I definitely fare better eating enough animal protein than I do eating "not enough animal protein." This is true even without being able to consume "the best" meats and fishes that I wish I could feed my family.

Research the ups and downs of all the locally available fishes and meats. Given a choice between farmed "fresh" salmon or canned wild salmon, I'm not sure which would win out- a lot depends on the brand doing the canning and what materials they use in the cans. I personally eat a lot of canned sardines- they're lower on the food chain (and thus lower in mercury) than salmon, and I've never seen sardines for sale in anything but a can. If I could find them in glass jars, that would be even better.

It's not that farmed salmon is "bad." It's more that it's lacking in much of the "good stuff" that wild salmon contains. You may want to take fish oil supplements if you can't get high quality fishes in your diet.

Quoted from ruthiegirl

Given a choice between farmed "fresh" salmon or canned wild salmon, I'm not sure which would win out- a lot depends on the brand doing the canning and what materials they use in the cans.

It's not that farmed salmon is "bad." It's more that it's lacking in much of the "good stuff" that wild salmon contains. You may want to take fish oil supplements if you can't get high quality fishes in your diet.

I disagree and don't think it is a close call. I avoid farmed salmon the same as any avoid on my list. There are numerous reasons.

Especially when you factor in the price of canned wild-caught salmon being less than that of farm raised the majority of the time. One does have to find the right canners though - some of the canned salmon is junk.

There's a very high level of PCBs in farmed salmon.

http://www.ewg.org/reports/farmedpcbs

And here's some data about the risk of having high PCBs in your body.

http://www.foxriverwatch.com/human_health_pcb.html

This a great video about how to naturally cleanse the body from PCBs and heavy metals

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CRVG5liHAk&feature=player_embedded#!

I thought I read that some fish farmers had cleaned up their act and were doing a better job of it....like Australis?  I've also read that cash register receipts have bpa....oops wrong three letters.  

Quoted from Chloe

You might want to choose canned salmon if you can't find fresh wild.  But also be aware of the issues with canned foods in general.
Some cans will say BPA free.

Taking turmeric caps or using it as a spice help with the canned\frozen food problems. It is amazing how many foods it actually "energizes" the taste. Farmed fish that I have eaten in restaurants in the past have tasted awful to me. Even with the industrial strength spices they use to try to make it taste better.

Quoted from Spring

Taking turmeric caps or using it as a spice help with the canned\frozen food problems. It is amazing how many foods it actually "energizes" the taste. Farmed fish that I have eaten in restaurants in the past have tasted awful to me. Even with the industrial strength spices they use to try to make it taste better.

I agree Spring...Farmed salmon in restaurants taste awful to me too.

Quoted from Lloyd

I disagree and don't think it is a close call. I avoid farmed salmon the same as any avoid on my list. There are numerous reasons.

Especially when you factor in the price of canned wild-caught salmon being less than that of farm raised the majority of the time. One does have to find the right canners though - some of the canned salmon is junk.

I think you are right on here. There are numerous negative points on farmed Salmon as well as a loss of good points. With wild canned  there are minimum objections but also little loss of benefits. Not even close in my opinion.

Thing is you only have to find one good source and you are set. Worth the effort.

OK, it sounds like others have done the research and came to the conclusion that the farm-raised stuff isn't worth it.  I never buy fresh salmon because it's expensive compared to canned, and the only kind I can find that's kosher is farm-raised. The fresh salmon I can find that's wild-caught isn't certified kosher. So, I don't buy fresh salmon. I buy it in cans when I buy it at all (the yellowfin tuna is cheaper than the salmon and my kids like it better.)

Quoted from ruthiegirl

The fresh salmon I can find that's wild-caught isn't certified kosher. So, I don't buy fresh salmon. I buy it in cans when I buy it at all (the yellowfin tuna is cheaper than the salmon and my kids like it better.)

Sounds good to me. On the East coast commercial fresh Salmon is very rare and expensive even aside from the Kosher issue.

Where I live both Tuna and Sardines are much cheaper so I have them more often. There is a place that puts Salmon once in awhile so I do get some. Thing is I like the flavour and like to do up a dish to feature it.

I bought some frozen wild alaskan salmon - quite expensive but thought would be worth it but it was SO dry. Haven't bothered with it since. Suppose might be a dodgy batch but I remember frozen salmon in the past almost always being dry I think. I put oil in pan and try not to overcook... Shame...

Quoted from Debra

I bought some frozen wild alaskan salmon - quite expensive but thought would be worth it but it was SO dry. Haven't bothered with it since. Suppose might be a dodgy batch but I remember frozen salmon in the past almost always being dry I think. I put oil in pan and try not to overcook... Shame...

Wild salmon is dry....Maybe poaching it would have kept it moist.  Or baking it wrapped in parchment paper with some moist veggies.  

Here's a video on how to cook fish in parchment paper
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHl1AAAeKGM

Quoted from Debra

I bought some frozen wild alaskan salmon - quite expensive but thought would be worth it but it was SO dry.

If your type allows kombu seaweed, I've found one way to improve the texture of the frozen wild salmon is to wrap each fillet in a few strips of rehydrated kombu and lemon slices (sometimes it helps to use butcher's twine to tie the fillet and keep the kombu strips/lemon slices in place while cooking). Then, like Chloe mentioned, poaching is a good way to cook it.

This time of year I can buy organic salmon from Ireland, although it is farmed. The wild is not quite in season and what little is available has been about $30 per pound. Pamphlets on the sustainable practices used with the salmon from Ireland are available and it seemed acceptable. They must be doing something out of the ordinary since it is $19 per pound!

I don't eat if often but the flavor is exceptional.

Quoted from Debra

I bought some frozen wild alaskan salmon - quite expensive but thought would be worth it but it was SO dry. Haven't bothered with it since. Suppose might be a dodgy batch but I remember frozen salmon in the past almost always being dry I think. I put oil in pan and try not to overcook... Shame...

There are different types of wild alaskan salmon... King (Chinook), Red (Sockeye), Silver (Coho), Chum (Keta), Pink (Humpback). They are not all the same in taste and oil content.

Keta is often quite dry and that may be what you got. Sometime the package will only say what kind it is in the ingredients list, not on the main label.

Sockeye is the most red and oily. You might like it better. I get this whenever I can.

King is the largest but most likely to have higher levels of metals due to being so high up the food chain.

Pink are ok, the most plentiful, not as high in beneficial oils as Sockeye, but I eat this canned because I can get it easily.

Instead of just oiling the pan, try brushing the fish with olive oil taking care to seal the surface. I use a silicon pastry brush to get a very thin coat of oil and then sprinkle with dill and sea salt. Simple but moist and delicious!

Thanks for all your suggestions! Will have to give them a try  

Chloe, that video link, how delightful! Loved watching him cook and cooking vidoes in general, thanks.