Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => General Discussion => Topic started by: BirdNester on August 20, 2004, 06:58:21 PM
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This is how I understand the ranking for Salmon in relation to the finest meal.
First, Sockeye.
Second, Coho.
Third, Chinook. (red then white)
Fourth, Pink.
Fifth, Chum.
Does everyone agree?
And what is so bad with Chum that people say they won't take them home? Are they really that bad, or are they just not as good as the others? It can't be the worst fish out there, or is it? I eat fish and chips, they use Cod, is Chum better than Cod? Also, the people that take them home say they only smoke them.
Educate me.
RobertO
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Chum is very tastey as fish-n-chips :D
Even on the bbq.
There are alot of people who choose to malign the chum, i did for 1 season till I tried it and really liked it. Use beer batter(English style).
Dont give in too the elitist mass's they are good.
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Personally I think this perception comes from morons catching and bonking boots and eating them.
Boots? Are you saying you like and eat chum?
RobertO
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My preferance... but for smoking I'd say ho's then chum, followed by chinook and sockeye...just not a pink fan.
First, Sockeye.
Second, Coho.
Third, Chinook. (red then white)
Fourth, Chum
Fifth, Pink
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Chum is white meat, and for some ethnic groups the white meat is better than the red. I've had chum chinese style, steamed then served with a soy sauce, peanut oil, and salt/seasoning mixture boiled and poured on top. YUMMMM! I find this recipe doesn't go well with the red meat fish as well as it does for white. Also, if you go through the articles on the FWR home page there's a link to a recipe for chum so it tastes like LOBSTER!! Gotta try that out this season ;D
White meat chinook is ranked #1 by many sushi chefs, even over the prized sockeye. I think its just the early fraser whites however. Tried some this year. Comparable to TORO! The boots I hear of that swim up to the vedder on the other hand... ??? Never fished for those, not a fan of "bruisers". I like the lil scrappers/jumpers ;)
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Nothing wrong with any of them providing they are in excellent shape. As gmanfxp has stated alot has to do with perception of people catching and eating boots. Pinks and chums are a blast to catch on flies.
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Yeah, cultural differences like that are neat. I am friends with alot of Vietnamese and they'll take the head of the fish before the body. Kinda works out perfect, one fish feeds many people, nothing left over.
RobertO
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Fish head soup ?
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Fish head soup ?
Yup.
Which leads to my next question... Am I allowed to give the heads of my Sockeye to them? I was under the impression that you have to keep the heads until you consume the fish.
RobertO
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Nice clean whites taste great smoked ;D
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Fish head soup ?
Yup.
Which leads to my next question... Am I allowed to give the heads of my Sockeye to them? I was under the impression that you have to keep the heads until you consume the fish.
RobertO
Once you bring the fish home, you can do whatever you like with the head. Give it to your cat, plant it under your rose bush, give it to your neighours. Choice is up to you.
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Fish head soup ?
Yup.
Which leads to my next question... Am I allowed to give the heads of my Sockeye to them? I was under the impression that you have to keep the heads until you consume the fish.
RobertO
Once you bring the fish home, you can do whatever you like with the head. Give it to your cat, plant it under your rose bush, give it to your neighours. Choice is up to you.
hehehehe Atilla The Hun (cat) loves them fishy heads.........my buddy on the other hand, was pissed at me for a week when he opened his toolbox and there was a stinky fishhead that somehow (i really don't know how ;D ) ended up in there.............................. :D
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Last weekend I had an ocean fresh coho and chinook both done the same way on the BBQ. I would definitely say chinook was better than coho. The meat was more tasty and juicy on chinook than coho. Both fish were caught the same day on the west coast VI.
This ranking depends on how you prepare the fish and where you catch them. Chinooks have more fat in the flesh - better for baking, BBQ. Sockeye are more firm and better for lox, smoking.
As for white/red chinooks. Ocean fresh whites are more priced than reds. The Vedder whites are not very good for baking/BBQ as they are too close to spawning.
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I think a fish's table worthiness is decided solely on how for gone it is and how long it has been turned. As a fish spends more and more time in the river, it depletes more and more from its flesh leaving a less desiravle food product.
Pinks and the vedder whites, I find turn very fast. I find chums turn color qite fast but hold their meat quality longer than the other species. A clean chum is great...high oil content, hence a great smoker/BBQ fish. I take a chum over a vedder white any day!
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funny, My sister's family has traded us in the past...halibut fillets for salmon heads. too hilarious, but both sides think they are getting the better deal. Her hubby is chinese, they think it totally gourmet.
my ranking: socks, coho, red springs...after that, I refuse to eat, but mind you, i am the world's pickiest eater.
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whites for fisnchips and chum for the smoker.pinks fun to catch and release :o
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funny, My sister's family has traded us in the past...halibut fillets for salmon heads. .
I got few hatchery coho heads in the freezer, does you sister want a trade ?
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Comparing different fish is like comparing an apple and an orange. ;D I like them all....
Last night, Nina and I made this fantastic dinner with the red spring jack that we were given. I'll be posting the recipe soon...
We are still working on the only red spring that we took home this year. Fantastic steaks indeed.
Never really had sockeye. :o Already have enough fish to eat usually, so I've never bothered to actually go and buy socks.
In September and October I eat coho three or four times per week, beautiful fish either pan fried or grilled.
Last year I had a chance to use Steelhead King's smoker and smoked up some chum salmon, really good! Normally I would be deep frying chum salmon. The roe, good eating, and also good bait. ;D
Pink salmon, I only eat the ones I get around Richmond. Still ocean fresh, beautiful on the grill.
Salmon head, never wasted. They are made into miso soup normally. :)
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Sock, Coho, Spring, Never had chum and then pink. After the first three Pink does not have a chance, although I hear that they are great smoked.
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It's a good thing this thread only discusses salmon ranking. None of it can compare for excellence to rainbow. Sorry about that. ;D
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Hatchery Rainbow = last! BLEGH
Was probably during the "muddy" period, but now they're permanently on my CnR list! I have only kept 1!!
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sox,coho,red/white spring,chum and then pinks(only does - i don't like the humpies at all).
i think texture of meat has a lot to do with taste preference (some flakes and are moist, but others are more chewy and dry) - all depends on how it's cooked.
my father made fish n chips with the whites last year and it was very tasty. at first, i thought it was some kind of cod until he told me it was a white spring. i was quite impressed and satisfied with the meal.
my wife caught a fraser chum last year and was it ever clean (almost thought it was a white spring - could faintly see the purple bars on its sides). That was the only time i kept a chum and it was very tasteful. The ones on the vedder i usually release, so i don't know the comparison of tastes. would it taste the same?
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I smoke 3 chums from the vedder last year, they were all great. As I indicated in a previous post, I think chums color up quickly but the degredation of their flesh quality is much slower hence a fish with 2-3 light bars and that is silvery, is still very edible in my books.
I think I prefer reds over coho for the BBQ too...its the higher fat content that makes them soo dam tasty!
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My ratings would be:
Sockeye (something about the neon red/orange meat that looks great)
Coho
Spring
Pink
Chum
Atlantic Salmon (farmed)
I like both Chum and Humpies smoked and tried them grilled. Chum may have a bad rep because in salmon-rich Alaska, they feed chums to the dogs as dog food. That's why they are nicknamed Dog salmon, along with their teeth they develop. Humpie meat is known to go bad quickly and does not freeze well. Their meat goes soft and mushy faster than other species, even in the freezer.
Salmon head, never wasted. They are made into miso soup normally. :)
My wife makes this often, uses the bones too for flavor. Says its a Hokkaido recipe where salmon is still plentiful there. Adds potato to this too.
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Big smiley red spring, over 15 lbs, early in the season, #1!
Sockeye #2, Coho #2 etc.
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The fat content in a fish depends on the how far inland the fish has to travel to it's natal stream. I find that a Cap coho taste very different than to one caught in the Vedder.
As well, how you care for your catch makes a big difference. I see some club their socks with huge rocks which would bruise the upper portion of flesh. I normally bleed all my catch first before dispatching it. Sounds cruel but the fish will tend to be in better condition and makes for a better meal.
My fav is
- Fraser Red Spring
- Sockeye
- Coho
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I normally bleed all my catch first before dispatching it. Sounds cruel but the fish will tend to be in better condition and makes for a better meal.
I heard about that technique. It makes sense taste-wise since the fish's heart will still be beating so it will pump all the blood out. Will have to try it next time.
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I'd have to rank Sockeye and Coho tied for first followed by red spring, chum and then pink. Chum is a great tasting fish baked or BBQ. Pinks I find are to soft and mushy and are only good if eaten the day they are caught. If you try smoking a frozen pink you'll end up with a pile of mush, or near to it.
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If you don't like to eat fish, I have this experience once. After coming back from a fishing trip with a couple of young local Canadian fishers who prefered a hamburger over fish, I invited them to dine in a Chinese seafood restaurant. I asked the chef to cook a small piece of spring filet (donated by one of the guys) as salmon nuggets deep-fried and pepper- salted. They gingerly tried their first piece, then proceeded to clean up the whole plate in 100-meter dash fashion, and regretted they did not bring a bigger filet. ;D ;D ;D How you cook your fish will decide how good it is.
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Sockeye
Red Spring
Coho
Chum
Pink
White Spring
Chum in good condition are a fine fish. Bleed them like a Spring when catch them and the table quality is suprising.
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I agree with Fishin Freak, pinks are mushy once frozen. Makes you wonder why Save On Foods always have them for sale for $4.00
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hmmm
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sockeye
spring
coho
pink
chum
Will not eat farmed :P
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Well having been a cook for 5 years I am a bit biased because I like to do more than burn my food over an open fire :)
1) Ivory Spring...baked with fresh ginger/garlic ...white wine sauce....OMG.
2) red spring
3) coho
4) sockeye
5) chum
6) pink
Going to need that Spring recipe come Vedder "Spring" time :)
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And remember DS float and 16inch leader MAX.....
No betties or 22 ft leaders. ;)
LOL....In water that's only about 10 ft deep, it would seem a bit silly ;)
I'm looking forward to hearing the end of the "The Great Debate" for another year.
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Ditto DS, It's time for Fishing Posts!
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Ivory Salmon ?
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FA, those Ivory salmon are Whitey's that were given a fancy name by eastcoast restauranteurs who wanted to market the cheaper Whitey. Ivory salmon fetch very high prices back east, still a whitey though.