Always fascinated by salmon sushi's second class status. Salmon sushi to me is so much more flavorful than tuna. I thought maybe I just wasn't getting great tuna at sushi restaurants in the US, but I found the results to be the same in Tokyo.
I used to think I hated tuna sashimi. Oftentimes it ranged from slightly metallic to that stereotypically overly fishy flavor, and had zero mouthfeel except for what I could describe as a watery gel.
Then I tried a piece of highly marbled tuna. It was like a buttery slice of steak—a meaty flavor that filled my mouth. Every piece of similarly marbled tuna has tasted just as good.
Generally, salmon sashimi has some good fatty marbling as well, so I think that also contributes to its good flavor. Cheap tuna cuts have virtually zero fat and so there’s no flavor to be had.
In singapore I avoided buying salmon due to it being 100% farmed salmon. Instead I paid extra for New Zealand King salmon which is partially farmed, better tasting, healthier.
NZer here. I believe the salmon we export is 100% farmed.
The advantages of buying from NZ is that our quality controls are mostly reliable, and our water tends to be pretty clean, and we have reasonably good environmental controls. We mostly farm Chinook/King salmon.
As a sweeping generalisation, NZers are mostly honest, and we tend not to hustle to the point of deception. The cheapest brand of sliced translucent cold smoked Salmon is NZD10 (USD7) for 180g (0.4lb) at the supermarket. Note that NZ prices for most supermarket food is very expensive compared with the US, except sometimes are primary products can be cheaper.
Salmon is bloody expensive in Singapore.
https://songfish.com.sg/product/salmon-fillet-skin-on-fresh/
https://songfish.com.sg/product/new-zealand-king-salmon/
200g of NZ King Salmon is ~$15 (16.51 NZD)
While 400g of Norway Salmon is ~$18 (19.81 NZD)
When we were introducing my daughter to solids, the only meats she would eat was Chicken and Salmon. I only bought NZ King Salmon.
There are several different species of salmon, and the heuristics are dependent on the species. I eat a lot of salmon (I live in Seattle where fresh high-quality salmon is abundant) but largely restrict myself to northern Alaskan King and Sockeye. Those two species of the fish are both premium examples at opposite ends of the character spectrum.
As sashimi, a fresh salmon from a top-quality fishery is quite good. It is often difficult to find top-quality salmon at sushi joints in many parts of the world. Whether or not random salmon or random tuna is better depends on where you are, often as a function of how close you are to high quality fisheries.
Here’s hoping we find ways to restore their populations. It’s gotten to the point that I practically feel guilty eating them, knowing the fishery is practically imploding.
Might be worth trying out if you haven't.
More info here:
I prefer sake to akami and chutoro; it is hard to beat otoro.
I can see how sake is a gateway fish! But the implication seems to be that instead of eating salmon, for the real deal we should be eating bluefin. That seems dumb; both salmon and bluefin are pretty boring, they all occupy sort of the same place in Japanese cooking as sesame chicken does in American Chinese food. Everything else is better!
I've found salmon and tuna can approach the level that might be passable in Japan but everything else (swordfish, mackerel, crab, clam etc etc) are whole leagues better in Japan than outside.
I currently live in Singapore where the sushi is actually pretty good but definitely not as good as Japan.
Sake: domestic fish, is never sold as sashimi
Salmon: imported fish
I dont know if its a folk wisdom but the following article claims that when they hear the word sake they think of that old native salmon.
Sort of like when you might call any old man 'Gramps' but when you hear 'Gramps' you think of your own grandfather?
https://tokyoflyfishing.com/fish/chum-salmon-sake-or-shiroza...
For me, a nice raw tuna can be absolutely amazing.
Something about the flavour and texture just pops in my mouth with delight.
Tastebuds be weird, heh.
On the other hand, cheap salmon is reliably good for the same reasons the expensive toro is.