Category: Dining

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The Enduring Popularity of Copper River Wild Salmon

salmon sushi

We love Copper River wild salmon—that comes as no surprise. We are not alone! U.S. diners consistently eat more salmon each year than any other fish. And it’s not only Americans, salmon is popular worldwide. How has this culinary gem retained its popularity over the years?

Healthy

One reason people choose salmon is because it’s good for us. We’ve talked before about the health benefits of Copper River wild salmon. Diners are choosing healthier options and salmon, with its low fat, high protein, and abundance of Omega 3 fatty acids, fits the bill.

Eco-Friendly

Now more than ever, we’re aware of the fragility of Earth’s ecosystems. Copper River wild salmon is sustainably harvested; ensuring that no more is taken than the river can bear. The Copper River basin provides sustenance for animals, native peoples, and diners worldwide without disrupting the area’s natural balance.

Flavorful

As much as we want to eat sustainably sourced, nutritious food, the main reason salmon remains popular is because it tastes great. Copper River wild salmon varies in taste from the light, delicate flavor of Coho salmon to the rich flavor and firm texture of King salmon. Sockeye salmon, the third variety found in the Copper River, falls somewhere in between, with a deep red color and robust flavor.

Salmon is earthier, heartier, and meatier in texture and flavor than white fish. Many of you who don’t like other fish love the taste of salmon.

Versatile

Copper River wild salmon is arguably the most versatile seafood in the world. It can be served raw in sashimi or grilled as a steak. It can be smoked and served with breakfast or baked as a dinner entrée.

Chefs all over the world use our salmon in their most inventive dishes and their long-running favorites. Its distinctive taste complements myriad other flavors, pairing beautifully with everything from a light cucumber salad to hearty roasted potatoes.

Copper River wild salmon is popular for a lot of great reasons: nutrition, sustainability, and versatility. But in the end, it comes down to flavor. It’s simply the best salmon in the world, available year-round.

Source: NFI

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Is Copper River Wild Salmon a Sustainable Food Source?

bear catching wild salmon

Deliciously Eco-Friendly

We are all invested in preserving, maintaining, and healing our environment. The foods we choose to include in our diets have a huge impact on our ecological footprint. So where does Copper River wild salmon fit into sustainable eating?

Large-scale farming of cows, pigs, chickens, and other animal protein livestock requires large tracts of land and copious amounts of water. Land mammals raised on factory farms also produce high levels of greenhouse gases, including methane and nitrous oxide. Using current farming practices around the world, raising livestock on land is extraordinarily harmful to the environment.

Many organizations, including the United Nations and the World Economic Forum, recommend reducing the amount of red meat and dairy we eat as one of the top ways individuals can help slow climate change.

Sustainable Salmon

Copper River wild salmon has all the benefits of other dietary animal protein without the environmental impact. It’s also healthy, far healthier than red meat.

What makes Copper River wild salmon an excellent sustainable food choice? Responsible harvesting limits the number of fish taken from the river each year. Teams of marine biologists set the limits for the three species of Copper River salmon based on updated analyses of the conditions on the river.

Copper River salmon stay in their natural environment, contributing to healthy ecosystems in the rivers and oceans where they feed and breed. Harvesting has a very low environmental impact, with anglers using traditional fishing methods.

Wild salmon harvesting is tightly controlled to maintain the fish population, the health of the river system, and the needs of the native Alaskans. Alaskan rivers also support local wildlife like the hungry bear in our picture. As climate change warms Alaska’s waters and alters the river ecosystems, the allowable catch is adjusted accordingly.

Salmon farms also play a role in providing high-quality, protein-rich food for a hungry world. Farmed salmon is not as environmentally sustainable, healthy, or flavorful as Copper River wild salmon, but it is more abundant. The salmon you see at the grocery store is probably farmed.

Salmon farms negatively impact the surrounding marine ecosystem and many suffer from the overcrowding, antibiotic use, and other pitfalls of factory farming. It is potentially significantly more sustainable than land-based livestock, but there are issues yet to be completely resolved.

Copper River wild salmon is in a class of its own. It’s a healthy, sustainable, eco-friendly delicacy favored by fine dining establishments worldwide.

Sources: NIH, UN, WEC  

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Is Copper River Salmon Healthy?

fresh raw salmon

We all know that Copper River Coho, Sockeye, and King salmon are delicious. But how do they fit into a healthy diet? The great news is that you can have your salmon and eat it, too. Wild Copper River salmon is packed with nutrition.

Protein

All three varieties of Copper River salmon are rich in protein. A four ounce serving of King salmon has about 30 grams of protein. Sockeye has about 31 grams per serving. Coho has a whopping 36.5 grams of protein per four ounce serving.

In comparison, a four ounce filet mignon contains 30 grams of protein. Salmon is an excellent, non-red meat source of high-quality dietary protein.

Fat and Calories

A four ounce serving of King salmon has about 263 calories and 15 grams of fat. Sockeye comes in at 250 calories and 12.5 grams of fat, and Coho, the leanest of Copper River’s wild salmon, has just 160 calories and 4.5 grams of fat.

Let’s compare this again to our 4-ounce filet mignon, which contains 227 calories and 15 grams of fat.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Because Copper River salmon are wild, they need plenty of energy to brave the cold water and their journey to the river. They carry that energy as omega-3 fatty acids. These powerhouse polyunsaturated fats play a vital role in how our bodies function.

Omega-3 fatty acids are part of our cell structure and give us energy, but they also protect us from illness. Omega-3s help us:

  • Keep our hearts healthy by lowering cholesterol and blood pressure, improving blood flow, and reducing the risk of blood clots, heart attack, and stroke
  • Reduce inflammation
  • Bolster brain health and mood
  • Protect and maintain joint health

Scientists continue to study omega-3s, researching more possible health benefits from these nutritional heavyweights.

So how much omega-3 fatty acid is in salmon? 4 ounces of Copper River King has 1,942 milligrams, Sockeye has 1,371 mg, and Coho has 1,257 mg. Our filet mignon is not a source of these healthy fats.

Other Nutrients and Their Benefits

Wild Copper River salmon isn’t just a great source of protein and omega-3s. King, Sockeye, and Coho salmon are also excellent sources of Vitamin D, potassium, antioxidants, and calcium.

Combined with the mighty benefits of omega-3s, these nutrients further support healthy hearts, reduced inflammation and fluid retention, promote strong bones, and reduce the risk of some cancers.

Wonder how this stacks up against our filet mignon? Beef is not a good source of the vitamins and minerals found in wild salmon. It does, however, provide more iron, zinc, and vitamins B-6 and B-12.

Wild Copper River Salmon vs. Farmed Salmon Health Benefits

Farmed salmon does not have the same health benefits as wild Copper River salmon. Farmed fish have a very different diet than their wild cousins. This and the conditions on fish farms change the nutritional profile of the fish.

Farmed salmon has more fat, less calcium, less iron, and lower levels of some omega-3s. It is also more likely to contain contaminants including PCBs (up to 16 times higher) and dioxin.  

Like other livestock, antibiotics are sometimes introduced to fight infection and disease in crowded fish farms.

Bottom Line

Wild Copper River salmon is packed with nutrition that benefits your heart, brain, joints, and more. It’s an excellent, delicious addition to a healthy diet. Caught in the first salmon run of each season, Copper River salmon is available year round thanks to flash freezing.

Resources: Healthline, WebMD