The “Snake River Farms” of seafood?

caliking

Bummer about the texture, but good to see that they are willing to do the right thing, whether they know you are an “influencer” or not.

Maybe quality would be better when salmon is in season?

mahenryak

FWIW

Buyer Beware...

If you are ordering wild salmon this time of year from Alaska then you are almost assuredly getting last year's catch--as you've already reasoned. This is not a problem if you are ordering canned salmon, but clearly that's not what you are after. The most sought after run, Copper River Reds, do not start until the end of this month, and really not until mid-May. These fish command top dollar, though.

(It sounds like @travisstrick may already have the best solution for you, but just a bit of info from up north.)

Edit:

If I were ordering a gift pack to someone down south (lower 48) I would probably go through New Sagaya (unless they wanted canned salmon). They are expensive, frankly, more than I'd care to pay in most cases, but they have a reputation for offering a consistent high quality product. Again, you have to make sure you're ordering things that are in season, though. https://www.facebook.com/NewSagaya/

Mickey

https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/comment/2419483#Comment_2419483

getting ready to ask where? Thanks

fishlessman

aldis has wild alaska salmon, it could still be in the chinese processing plant though

Mickey

Have not been to Quality Seafood on Airport in 7 or 8 years. Used to use it and was good till Central Market took the lead for Austin.

The Cen-Tex Smoker

https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/comment/2421302#Comment_2421302

Yeah- I knew we were way out of season but was looking for good wild caught frozen. I've been getting really good king locally and at restaurants but it's $30+lb right now. I will definitely load up from someone when the copper rivers and kings run this year.

mahenryak

^Roger that^ I used to have the luxury of simply walking over the bank a hundred yards from our house and tending a 10-fathom subsistence net when I lived out in Bristol Bay, but those days are gone. At one point, I had a 23 cu ft freezer full of reds and kings, vacuum sealed fillets, if you can believe that. I ended up giving quite a bit away during the winter, though, because the quality would slip. I learned my lesson and later moved to a combination of fillets and freezing in the round, but I digress. The big boys flash freeze their product so it lasts longer, but there is still a degradation over time, obviously.

The Cen-Tex Smoker

The cod was in much better shape. That was a nice piece of fish. No pics (pretty simple cook tonight)

mahenryak

Good to hear. This actually makes sense. Cod is primarily harvested in the fall and winter. I think it holds up better in the freezer, too, but that's just my opinion. I'm a big fan of cod and actually prefer it to halibut in the form of fish and chips. The added bonus is it's priced quite a bit lower, too, but that's not why it is my favorite. When it comes to grilling, however, sometimes I do crave a good halibut steak--so long as it is fresh.

The Cen-Tex Smoker

https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/comment/2421580#Comment_2421580

I'm looking for some kind of cool sous vide fish n chips cook for the cod I have left. This cod would make great fish n chips.

fishlessman

https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/comment/2421614#Comment_2421614

been doing the fry differently with haddock and cod lately. flour/eggwash/panko just the flat presentation side and fry in 2 tblsp avacado oil/1 tblsp butter. flip when browned and into a 300 degree oven til 140 inside. sorta fried but baked. supermarket nearby has some giant cod loins this week that ive been looking at.

alaskanassasin

Yep, we would clean out the freezer every couple of years when I was a kid and take the old freezer burned salmon to a local dog musher.

Legume

https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/comment/2421614#Comment_2421614

I would SV battered, in oil at 325-350 degrees without a bag.

mahenryak

https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/comment/2421617#Comment_2421617

Yes, this.

mahenryak

Unfortunately, I have not done much by way of SV with cod. We typically just deep fry in oil when doing fish and chips. One reason I like cod is it seems to be a bit more oily and thus forgiving (not to mention more flavorful, IMHO). By this I mean that you don't risk drying them out as much when deep frying as, say, you might with halibut--especially if the halibut is not fresh, or very recently frozen. Anyway, this is just my experience/opinion.

The Cen-Tex Smoker

Just saw Costco had Copper River salmon and halibut today so I loaded up. The salmon blew away the stuff I got from the guys in this thread. It was $12.99lb. The halibut looks amazing. Will grill a piece up this week. $17.99lb. I bought 10lbs total between the 2. Will go back and load up on more before it’s gone. Spent the last hour portioning it out and bagging it up to freeze. Most of that waiting on my crappy food saver to cool down. 

Also HEB has some sweet looking wild caught king salmon in the case as well. Love this time of year. If you like fish and have a Costco membership, I highly recommend the Copper River Salmon. Some of the best salmon I’ve ever had. We used to buy it quite a bit at the shop but it’s been years since I’ve had it. It’s always $20-$30lb here when it comes out. I can tell the halibut is great too just by look and smell but I haven’t tried it yet. It’s usually $30 here so $17.99 is a steal for me 

The Cen-Tex Smoker

Couple of salmon pics while I wait for the food saver to cool down (again). It’s good for 4-5 bags then needs a break. Have 25 bags that have to be sealed twice. Going to be a long evening. Might be time for an upgrade. 

littlerascal56

I buy a lot of salmon at my Kroger/Dillons for $8.99/lb.  Sockeye is usually $10.99/lb. Grill it all on cedar planks with soy/garlic/orange preserves, and everyone rants over it.  Easy peasy on the XL with pecan wood.