Formerly called chum, keta salmon has undergone something of a rebranding in recent years to shed its reputation as an inferior-tasting variety of salmon. It does have a milder taste compared to king or sockeye salmon, but its firm flesh holds up well to many grilling and baking recipes. If your recipe calls for strong seasoning, if you’re trying to satisfy someone who doesn’t like stronger-tasting salmon, or if you’re looking for an affordable choice of wild Alaskan salmon that you can eat on a regular basis, then cooking keta salmon may be the perfect choice. Think of its orange-pink flesh as a blank canvass for your seafood and culinary experiments.
That said, keta roe (eggs) is one area where this salmon has always had a high-end reputation. Salmon caviar is often made from keta’s large, juicy eggs. Order frozen keta roe and you can make your own delectable treat with a homemade brine and caviar recipe.
Grilled or Baked Keta Salmon
Keta salmon can be baked, broiled, grilled, pan-seared, poached, or smoked. Despite lower fat content, keta salmon fillets consistently produce a nice, flaky texture with minimal cooking experience. A larger but slimmer variety of salmon, it’s often best to order keta salmon in pre-cut portions or else be prepared to cut your own portions. Alternatively, if you’ve got the space on the grill and you’re trying to impress your family or your guests, you can also cook and serve whole keta salmon fillets as part of a buffet-style food spread.
More Serving and Storage Tips
Wild Alaskan salmon sure sounds fancy, but keep in mind that keta salmon doesn’t have to carry the entire meal. The low-fat content and clean taste of this wild salmon make it a natural selection to pair with a second meat such as sausage or pancetta. Catering or hosting an event? Grilled and lightly shredded keta salmon can be a great optional add-on for pastas, salads, and breakfast when serving groups that have a mix of both vegetarians and meat-eaters.
Flash freezing is the gold standard for preserving the fresh taste of wild-caught keta salmon, but it doesn’t last forever. While frozen can be safe to eat almost indefinitely, the quality of the salmon’s fat and oil content may begin to deteriorate after about six to nine months. A longer frozen shelf-life is another hidden benefit of keta salmon’s low-fat content. The quality of fattier king salmon may begin to deteriorate in the freezer within as little as three months.
Keta Salmon Cooking Recipes
Here are some of our favorite recipes to make with keta salmon.
- One great way to make sure you can taste the salmon without depending on the keta flavor alone is to make as part of this Northwest Salmon Chowder.
- Like we said, keta fillets are a great choice for grilling. One of our favorite ways to add some kick to our keta salmon is with this recipe for Grilled Salmon with Prosciutto and Mustard.
- Maybe spicy isn’t your thing. Keta salmon also does really well with sweeter recipes such as this Brown Sugar BBQ-Glazed Salmon or this Orange Honey-Baked Salmon recipe.
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