Salmon for the table

[salmonfisher]

So last year i decided to make my own roe bags again, so i went out an caught a relatively small female full of eggs, bled it, brought it home and cured the eggs, that part went relatively well. Then i felt really bad about throwing away a perfectly good fish so i filleted it up and to my surprise the flesh was white, it wasn't the colour of the salmon we buy at the store, although i did like the flavour as it wasn't as strong as the store bought salmon i would still like to have the colour so it feels like im eating salmon LOL Does anyone know why that is or if that's even normal?

Thanks for the help

 

[instapump416]

That's interesting.

 

[Shmogley]

turns white when that necrosis starts setting in. a wild fresh fish will be almost red, the farmed crap is orangish.. starts to turn white when they are at the end of their cycle. at least thats how i understand it..

probably still fine to eat but i wouldnt personally make a habit out of it

edit: after some reading it could also be that that certain fish might have a diet low in carotenoids. and even some fresh form the lake fish can have it. interesting

 

[BASSMASTER19]

interesting shmogley, i wonder if that happens to other fish species?

 

[IrishLadOntario]

As I understand it, salmon flesh is pink due to the marine krill and shrimp they consume. Farmed salmon is fed with fish pellets loaded with compounds to 'dye' the flesh pink. Great Lake salmon have a very different diet than marine salmon and therefore do not take on any pink color.

I dont think it is anything to do with necrosis, great lake steelhead have white flesh too and they do not necrotise like pacific salmon. It is mostly to do with the marine diet.

I am looking to eat a salmon soon so i hope it tastes good.

 

[Knuguy]

As I understand it, salmon flesh is pink due to the marine krill and shrimp they consume. Farmed salmon is fed with fish pellets loaded with compounds to 'dye' the flesh pink. Great Lake salmon have a very different diet than marine salmon and therefore do not take on any pink color.

I dont think it is anything to do with necrosis, great lake steelhead have white flesh too and they do not necrotise like pacific salmon. It is mostly to do with the marine diet.

I am looking to eat a salmon soon so i hope it tastes good.

No, no, no!

Chinook salmon flesh is pink when they enter the rivers. So is the flesh of rainbows. Salmon turn white in the rivers. Bows and specks will also turn white when they are not well fed. Sometimes you can see this in specks caught thru the ice in late winter.

 

[IrishLadOntario]

No, no, no!

Chinook salmon flesh is pink when they enter the rivers. So is the flesh of rainbows. Salmon turn white in the rivers. Bows and specks will also turn white when they are not well fed. Sometimes you can see this in specks caught thru the ice in late winter.

In that case then, is it better to eat a salmon with pink flesh and stay away from any that have turned white?

 

[Knuguy]

It's certainly more tasty!

 

[chinooky]

Even in the pacific you will catch a white fleshed Chinook once in a while, which are even better tasting than the orange-red Chinooks. The explanation I got was all about diet, that the white ones were fish-eaters and the red ones ate plenty of shrimp.

 

[chinooky]

Double post

 

[salmonfisher]

Ok, so I guess white flesh isn't bad but its just different? I heard about wild ocean salmon gaining the pink color from all the shrimp they eat and I guess lake Ontario lacks shrimp LOL. For me I don't see a big difference in the taste the of the meat, I was once given a salmon caught off a charter on lake Ontario and even that only had a slight hint of pink, nothing like the glow in the dark orange from the store-bought stuff.

 

[free reign]

salmons white > haha i dont bite > lol

 

[salmonfisher]

I don't get it LOL doesn't ">" mean "greater than"?

 

[fishermandan420]

Wont catch me eating lake o salmon. Have a look at the consumption guidelines. 0 meals a month (do not eat) recomended

 

[salmonfisher]

I don't understand why lake O is said to be so dirty and dangerous, its one of the clearest lakes ive seen, maybe its the mercury levels but I don't buy into that and im only consuming one per year LOL and that's just for the roe...

 

[fishermandan420]

http://www.ontario.ca/environment-and-energy/fish-consumption-report?id=43357917

 

[[email protected]]

If I read that table correctly Rock Bass is on the menu lol

 

[fishing89]

All of the salmon and steelhead I ever caught and brought home from lake O tribs have ALWAYS been white meat. I caught some chrome fresh steelies pretty much at the mouth of rivers very early on in the runs and all have been white meat with a tiny bit of "red" hint.

That being said, all tasted like crap lol. Nothing compared to ocean run salmon. Fresh water fish unfortunately do not have and will not have the same taste. Not to say that it's always bad (walleye, perch and pike are fantastic) but when it comes to salmon and trout...stick to ocean run.

People exaggerate how "dirty" lake ontario is. It's really not that bad, and the fish you eat from there are probably better for you than farm raised neon orange salmon. The only store salmon I buy is wild caught or organic, and it still has the same amount of mercury in it just like any other living fish. The health ministry releases a safety eating report for all rivers, creeks and lakes in Ontario for all fish. Most young/medium sized fish coming from lake O are very safe to eat and meet the maximum monthly consumption limit.


Check out the consumption map here, its' really cool. could spend HOURS on this thing...plus you can see what species live in what trib and what size they grow might surprise you

http://www.ontario.ca/environment-and-energy/eating-ontario-sport-fish

 

[Shmogley]

interesting shmogley, i wonder if that happens to other fish species?

im sure it does for example laketrout can range from bright pinkish to almost white. and they dont exactly have the whole dying when they go to spawn thing happening
diet is probably the most reasonable explanation.

and yea fishing89, i can agree that the glowing orange farmed fish is trash. ive eaten both wild red and the orange crap side by side once and there is no comparison.
especially when you eat it raw and can really notice the flavours. its miles apart

 

[BASSMASTER19]

i honestly think lake O fish are safer than ocean caught fish, i mean we have 2 nuclear factories spewing radiation into the ocean, traces of uranium has been found in tuna near the west coast and the uranium has come from the fukushima plant in japan, I'm sure its getting worse. you probably shouldn't eat too much fish from anywhere but, don't think 1 bite of a lake ontario fish will kill you within seconds like some people make it appear