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Atlantic salmon is also called eastern salmon. Like Pacific salmon, they
are anadromous, born in fresh water, migrate to salt water to grow and mature,
and return to fresh water to spawn. Atlantic salmon and salmon trout (a
similar species) will repeat this cycle more than once, while Pacific salmon
will spawn only once and then die. When in the sea, Atlantic salmon are silvery with a darker back. Their upper body, head, and fins are marked with small black crosses and spots. They have a small head and a small, fleshy adipose fin between their dorsal fin and tail. Atlantic salmon inhabit coastal water on both sides of the North Atlantic. At one time they occurred along our coast from Labrador to New York. However, manmade obstructions and pollution hindered their spawning success, and overfishing further reduced their numbers. Today, Atlantic salmon are farmed or pen-raised in Maine, Canada, Norway, Iceland, Scotland, Ireland, the Shetlands, and Chile. According to Seafood Business magazine, "There is a difference between farmed and wild Atlantic salmon meat. In the wild, meat is orange-red to dark pink. The meat of farmed product is grayish, so ingredients such as shrimp and krill are added to feed to give the meat a richer, more marketable color." Chef Jerome M. Grochocki from the Christiana Hilton, Newark, Delaware, feels Atlantic salmon, wild or farm-raised is a good eating fish. It is also a great fish to work with. You can be very versatile with the salmon. Poaching is one way to cook the salmon. You can use fish stock, wine, or plain water, but Chef Grochocki recommends a court bouillon. In poaching, it is important to remember that the court bouillon (or poaching liquid) is brought to a boil before adding the fish. This is to seal in the flavor that would be otherwise lost. Once the salmon is submerged in the court bouillon, you do not want the liquid to come to a boil again. This may cause the fish to flake apart. The salmon must be completely submerged to cook evenly. The salmon can be accompanied by many sauces, such as champagne, dill, saffron, and hollandaise, just to name a few. |
