Is salmon in the family Salmonidae a saltwater fish? A detailed look at its diet, why it can be eaten raw, and its price per jin

Salmon is also called samon fish, salmon trout, northern trout, chum salmon, humpback salmon, dog salmon, and magao fish, and is one of the more commonly used fish ingredients in Western cuisine. So is it a saltwater fish? What does it eat? Why can it be eaten raw? How much does it cost per jin? According to the Guangzhou seafood market, the price of salmon is affected by many factors such as variety, market, and quality. Usually, whole salmon retails for about 35-40 yuan per jin, and the wholesale price is about 30-35 yuan per jin. After skinning and deboning and making it into sashimi, the price rises considerably, usually about 50-60 yuan per jin, while in supermarkets salmon sashimi is about 120-140 yuan per jin, and some supermarkets even sell it for about 180 yuan per jin. However, at present the normal price of authentic salmon sashimi is about 100 yuan per jin, and lower-priced salmon may be frozen rather than fresh-chilled salmon, or may be salmon from another place of origin passed off as the real thing.

Is salmon a saltwater fish?

In the consumer markets of different countries, salmon covers different species. Norwegian salmon is mainly Atlantic salmon, Finnish salmon is mainly farmed large-size red-fleshed rainbow trout, and American salmon is mainly Alaska salmon. Chum salmon generally refers to fish of the genus Oncorhynchus in the family Salmonidae, order Salmoniformes, and there are many species, such as the chum salmon and humpback salmon produced in Northeast China.

Salmon is an anadromous migratory fish. After living in rivers and streams for 1-5 years, it then enters the sea to live for 2-4 years. The spawning period is from August to January of the following year. During the anadromous spawning migration, they leap over small waterfalls and small dams, and after a long journey and great hardship they can reach the spawning grounds, and they do not feed at all.

Every year, roughly between July and October, thousands upon thousands of salmon go to the Adams River section in the upper reaches of the Fraser River in Canada to reproduce.

What does salmon eat?

1. Juvenile salmon feed on the carcasses of adult fish.

2. Adult salmon feed on small fish at the estuary (such as sardines), mollusks (clams), shrimp and crabs, and so on.

3. Farmed salmon are fed special salmon pellet feed.

Why can salmon be eaten raw?

1. Salmon meat is smooth, oily, and fresh and sweet.

2. Salmon is rich in antioxidant substances, which change when exposed to high temperatures. Only by eating it raw can the astaxanthin in salmon be kept intact.

But when eating salmon raw, pay attention to:

1. Be sure to buy and eat raw salmon at a sales point or restaurant with guaranteed hygiene, and make sure the fish slices are placed on ice packs so they can be kept in a certain low-temperature environment. As far as possible, pair mustard, ginger juice, and other seasonings that have a certain sterilizing and cold-dispelling effect with the salmon, which is both delicious and more reassuring.

2. If you do not quite accept eating it raw, or cannot fully guarantee that the salmon is very fresh, you can choose the method of eating it cooked, but you should control the temperature and cooking time, and it is best to eat it medium-rare.