What Does Raw Salmon Taste Like? And Can You Eat it Raw?

Many of us may have tasted salmon and enjoyed its textures and flavors, resulting in further experimentations with this particular fish in a variety of recipes. Salmon is globally recognized as a healthy type of fish, providing a wide range of health benefits to those who like to consume it. But what does fresh raw salmon taste like? If you’re wondering whether you can eat raw salmon, then keep reading!

Table of Contents

• What Type of Fish is Salmon?
• What Does Raw Salmon Taste Like?
• What is the Texture of Raw Salmon Like?
• Is it Safe to Eat Raw Salmon?
• Raw Salmon vs Cooked Salmon
• Different Types of Salmon
  • Pink Salmon
  • Chum Salmon
  • Coho Salmon
  • Sockeye Salmon
  • King Salmon
• Types of Packaged Salmon
  • Canned Salmon
  • Smoked Salmon
  • Pre-Packaged Salmon
• Raw Salmon
• FAQs

What Type of Fish is Salmon?

Salmon is a species of fish from the pacific ocean. They hatch in freshwater, spend their childhood in the ocean, and then circle back to the streams they were born to return to.

Salmon is amongst the most appreciated fish enjoyed around the globe. Seemingly famous for its mild smell and buttery flavor, which sets it apart from other varieties of fish. Many people who tend to dislike the taste of fish tend to make exceptions for salmon.

What Does Raw Salmon Taste Like?

Many prefer the acquired taste of raw salmon, though, like tuna, salmon can be eaten both cooked and raw. Fresh raw salmon has a slightly fishy and buttery taste, which is why many prefer its flavor when it’s consumed raw.

Raw salmon tastes like it’s melting on your tongue, and the typical flavors of the fish will depend on where the salmon had thrived. If you’re dealing with raw wild salmon, then you’ll experience rich and wonderful flavors exploding upon your tongue. Whereas farmed salmon packs a milder flavor.

One way to tell if you’re dealing with bad raw salmon is if it has a slimy texture. If your raw salmon is chewy, it’ll most likely taste bland as well, following up with a stringy texture and tasteless flavor.

What is the Texture of Raw Salmon Like?

Many have had the liberty of enjoying the pleasant, creamy, and buttery texture that simply melts in your mouth. The reason behind their softness is that their muscles are pretty relaxed, without having to work out as much as in-land creatures tend to.

Aided by their organs, these fish mainly remain afloat with little to no muscle use whatsoever, resulting in the softest, most tender flesh you’ve ever tasted when eaten raw.

Is it Safe to Eat Raw Salmon?

It’s safe to consume raw salmon only if they had been frozen appropriately and well preserved. Generally, consuming any type of raw fish, meat, and poultry can result in the potential risk of parasites, viruses, and bacterial diseases.

Raw salmon should be frozen at -31°F and thawed for the thriving bacteria to die before preparation. Many choose to buy pre-sliced salmon from the supermarket, where they are stored in extremely cold temperatures.

Raw salmon is typically found in sushi; providing that it is fresh and handled correctly, you’ll find that it is actually as delicious as eating other types of seafood in sushi!

Raw Salmon vs Cooked Salmon

The difference between raw salmon and cooked salmon is a result of minutes providing a clear distinction between the flavors. Raw and cooked salmon remains smooth and buttery in texture, keeping its nutritional value even when it has been seared over high temperatures.

It is worth mentioning, however, that cooking the fish lowers the chances of bacterial diseases that are caused by the consumption of infected creatures.

Different Types of Salmon

The taste of salmon varies depending on what type it is. Each type of salmon carries a distinctive and unique taste. Here are some examples of the common species of Pacific Salmon:

• Pink Salmon
• Chum Salmon
• Coho Salmon
• Sockeye Salmon
• King Salmon

Pink Salmon

Pink salmon is one of the smallest and most common types of salmon found in the Pacific. They are also called humpback salmon because of the prominent hump on their back. Out of the five common Pacific species, it happens to pack the mildest flavors with the lightest colored flesh.

Chum Salmon

For those who steer clear of fish and its overpowering taste, chum salmon is the one to go for. Once it has grown large enough, this farm-cultivated salmon is released into either fresh or saltwater as an effective solution to protecting wildlife.

Coho Salmon

Coho salmon, or silver salmon, is recognized for its silver skin. It’s famous for its distinctive fatty taste, which tastes especially great when grilled and drizzled with lemon juice, served with a side of grilled asparagus.

Sockeye Salmon

Sockeye or kokanee salmon is bright red and happens to be one of the fattiest types of salmon, with a pleasantly dense texture, providing a flavourful mouthful.

King Salmon

The most expensive of the Pacific salmon species is the king salmon or chinook salmon, and for good reason. It is quite hefty in size, reaching up to 4ft in length; it is super rich and fatty in flavor with very high-fat content.

Types of Packaged Salmon

Salmon can be purchased from many supermarkets, whether they’re frozen, pre-cooked, or canned, there’s always a way to enjoy the rich and creamy textured salmon, and the best part is, raw or cooked, salmon is always accommodating to anyone’s preference.

Canned Salmon

Canned salmon manages to capture and retain the tender texture and fatty taste you’d have when eating fresh salmon, so you won’t miss out on the health benefits of loaded protein and beneficial nutrients once you’ve opened the can of flaky fish.

Buying canned salmon is quite convenient because it has been cooked and can be eaten almost instantly, whilst fresh salmon requires some careful preparation before eating.

Smoked Salmon

The taste of smoked salmon can vary depending on the saline solution used during the cooking process. Most smoked salmon incorporate soy sauce as a key ingredient in their saline solution. The salmon is marinated in the solution for a day before it is smoked.

There are two types of smoking methods, hot and cold. Hot smoked salmon is smoked at very high temperatures and harbors a flavor akin to baked salmon, with a distinct smoky flavor.

However, cold smoked salmon is cooked or smoked at very low temperatures, providing a texture similar to undercooked salmon.

Pre-Packaged Salmon

Pre-packaged salmon is commonly encased in preservatives, so it may taste and smell very different from fresh salmon. You can eat salmon that has been pre-packaged as long as it tastes fresh and delicious, without that distinct and off-putting fishy smell.

Raw Salmon

Raw salmon isn’t unpleasant, rather, it melts in your mouth wonderfully. Many fear that the smell of raw salmon is off-putting however, raw salmon emanates a pleasant scent that is both welcoming and completely delicious. So don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty!

FAQs