THE WILD ONES FESTIVAL

Get Hooked ™

Salty’s celebrates The Wild One Salmon Festival May – October! Our chefs are eager to share what they have created to celebrate the meat of this high coveted fish. As demand for salmon rapidly rises around our world, we will only see its availability continue to fall in the northwest. That’s why Salty’s wants to share with you a true celebration of Salmon. Get in to your local Salty’s to get your salmon fill.

Get to know King (Chinook) Salmon and Copper River Sockeye Salmon.  Both come with their own unique flavors and stand-out characteristics.  Sockeye are blue-green above the lateral line and have no spots on their back or tail. They reach a maximum weight of up to 16 lbs but average commercial weight is 6 – 8 lbs. They have large scales and a narrow Caudel Pedunckle, the part of a fish’s body to which the tail fin is attached. During spawn, the head is green, but the entire body becomes red both above and below the lateral line.

Flavor Distinctions: Sockeye Salmon is a fabulously full-flavored fish with a high fat content which contributes to its rich flavor. It has a firm-texture with medium sized flakes and flesh which ranges in color from orange to deep red. Compared to Chinook (King) Salmon, Sockeye has a denser, meatier texture and a more intense flavor, while King has a more succulent, tender texture with larger flakes.  King (Chinook) Salmon is the largest of the salmon species with maximum weights reaching over 50 lb with average commercial weights ranging between 11 – 20 lbs. King Salmon have many black round spots along their back and sides above the lateral line. The tail has a moderate fork shape with small black spots on both the upper and lower portion of the tail. They have black gums (hence the nickname “Blackmouth Salmon”), small eyes, and the Caudal Peduncle is narrow in relation to the rest of their body.

Flavor Distinctions: King (Chinook) Salmon is a succulent full-flavored high fat content fish which has large, soft-textured flakes, and the flesh can range from almost white to pink to deep red. The color of the flesh has no bearing upon its flavor. Compared to Sockeye, Chinook has a higher fat content and therefore a more luxurious texture, and its flavor is a little less “wild” or robust. It is like the difference between a filet mignon and a new york steak…both are equally good, it’s a matter of personal preference as to which you enjoy more.