Sockeye Salmon

We've been through a salmon craze at our home. From the moment I determined to learn about the five species of Pacific salmon and to try them out, we've been eating substantially more salmon than we ever have before, and virtually all of it has been wild salmon, instead of the fish-farmed Atlantic salmon we used to eat. 

Sockeye or red salmon, is one of the three most highly prized of the five salmon species. I'd read that canned salmon was primarily pink salmon, or chum salmon outside the U.S., but I found canned sockeye salmon at Trader Joe's and it is marvelous. I've purchased it several times now and it makes a great sandwich, mixed with some mayonnaise. 

Judy gave me some smoked sockeye pate which is salmon, salt, brown sugar, wood smoke, butter and other lesser ingredients. I was not particularly impressed with it. I wasn't fond of the taste. 

We got some bottled smoked sockeye in Alaska and it had decent taste, but was too stiff. A little went a very long ways. 

I got some Copper River cold smoked sockeye from Trader Joe's. Copper River sockeye is the creme de la creme of sockeye. Cold smoked is cured in a salt/sugar rub or brine, like lox, then cold smoked. I really like the softness of that preparation and the much less smokey taste. 

Judy gave me some smoked sockeye as part of my Christmas stocking. This particular salmon was still quite moist and tender and was great in salads and on sandwiches. 

We've also cooked sockeye salmon in our home several times. It has been fun learning more about it and trying it prepared in different ways.