Raw Material Guru: Things You Should Know Before Buying “Salmon”

“Salmon” is one of the most popular imported ingredients in Thailand. With a taste that suits Thai people, every restaurant must have salmon as a main ingredient in the menu. Therefore, selecting quality salmon is an important matter that restaurant operators should not overlook. The better the ingredients are and the more they meet the needs of creating different menus, the more value will be added to the menu in your restaurant. Today, we will get to know “Salmon”, one of these excellent ingredients. There are 3 factors that make the quality of salmon different.

Get to know 3 popular salmon species In fact, there are almost 10 species of salmon around the world, but there are 3 species that are popularly imported into Thailand:

1.Atlantic Salmon This type of salmon is often found in the Atlantic Ocean, especially in Norway, which is the world's number 1 salmon producer. Most of the time, this type of salmon is popularly used as a topping for sushi or sashimi because it has firm meat, few bones, and just the right amount of fat. 2.Salmon Trout One of the salmon family, it usually lives in rivers flowing into the Pacific Ocean in Asia, North America, and the Atlantic Ocean, which is the origin of salmon trout. The color of the fish's flesh is brighter orange than other species and has a fairly fatty meat. 3.Coho A species that grows in the North Pacific Ocean, Japan and the Atlantic Ocean, it is nicknamed Silver Salmon because of its silvery skin. It is farmed in Chile and is popularly sold fresh and frozen.

Fat interspersed in fish meat that provides more than just deliciousness One of the special characteristics of salmon is the fat that is embedded in the fish meat, which we see as white stripes alternating with the orange flesh, making the salmon meat soft, juicy, and not tough like other types of fish. The amount of fat in salmon meat varies depending on the species and habitat. Salmon that lives in nature has less fat and firmer meat than salmon that is raised on farms. For example, salmon imported from the Atlantic Ocean, which is mostly raised on natural farms, has a lot of fat in the fish meat because it can swim less than in 100% natural sources. The fat in salmon meat is good fat and is high in Omega 3. However, the deliciousness of salmon meat depends on individual preferences. Those who like the oiliness of the fish meat should choose salmon with a lot of white stripes in the fish meat. Or if you like firm fish meat, you will notice that the fish meat will be orange throughout with almost no white stripes.

Understanding the color of salmon We are often familiar with salmon meat having an orange color, but in fact, the color of salmon meat can range from a dark red to almost white. This different shade depends on the breed and age of the salmon, which are important factors that affect the color of the fish. The orange color of salmon meat is because it contains antioxidants such as Astaxanthin (

Astaxanthin ) is found in the natural foods of salmon, shrimp, and other shellfish.

Measurement of orange color in salmon meat And because consumers prefer to eat salmon with orange meat, there is a standard measurement of the color of the fish meat using SalmoFan, a tool used to compare the color of salmon meat. The standard shade of the fish meat will be different, depending on the species, age, and condition of the product, both fresh and frozen salmon. For example, the color of Atlantic salmon meat should have a color value of 23-27, depending on the size of the fish. If the fish is large, the color of the fish meat will be darker.

The import source must be up to standard. Norway is actually the world's number one salmon producer and also places importance on seafood safety. There are strict regulations for salmon farming. The Norwegian Food Safety Authority (NFSA) inspects the quality and has strict quality standards in every production process. Salmon are farmed in cold, pure seawater. In other words, farmers must farm only 2.5% of the total cage area with the remaining 97.5% being seawater to give the salmon enough space to swim. Thailand is ranked second after Japan in importing salmon from Norway. Salmon are transported to Thailand almost every day and take only 48 hours by plane from the farm in Oslo, Norway, resulting in fresh salmon from the source. One of the top importers of fresh salmon in Thailand is Makro.