How many kinds of salmon are there in Alaska and which is best eating?
There are five species of wild Alaska salmon. “Best” is a matter of opinion. The best salmon is wild salmon. Farm-raised fish spend an inordinate amount of time in the same water. They have poor muscle tone, and poor color. Each species of Pacific salmon has two names. In decending order of “quality” (and this is generally reflected by the cost at the meat counter or fish market): Red/Sockeye is the best quality, richest in omega-3 oils; King/Chinook is next and a very very close second, in a tie I think, with Silver/Coho. The bottom of the food chain are the Pink/Humpy, and the Dog/Chum salmon. These last two are excellent eating when fresh; though they do not have the rich oils and flavor of the others. The dog salmon are plentiful and commonly used as dog food (hence the name) when smoked and dried in the villages of rural Alaska.
