What Are the Types of Salmon and Which One Should You Buy?

Pictured Recipe: Honey-Garlic Salmon

People love salmon. This is evidenced by the U.S. National Fisheries Institute's annual Top 10 list where salmon took the number two spot, second only to shrimp.

This is great news since the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend we eat at least two servings of fish a week. Salmon is loaded with heart-healthy, brain-boosting omega-3 fats. And there are so many different types of salmon and ways to serve it that it would be hard to get bored with this fish.

But we know as a savvy shopper, you've got questions about salmon—like what is the best type to buy, wild or farmed. To help you out, we answer seven common questions so you can buy the best salmon for you and your family.

Wild or Farmed?

The first choice you need to make is whether to buy wild salmon or farmed Atlantic salmon. It's interesting to note that all Alaska salmon is wild-caught. And Atlantic salmon from the United States. will be farm-raised since fishing wild Atlantic salmon is prohibited in the U.S., per the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Environmental groups, like the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch, have created buying guides to help you make informed decisions when buying seafood, including salmon. Simply use their search engine and drop-down menus to help you choose the cleanest, safest and most sustainable options. To help get you started, we did an initial search. They recommend choosing the following:

• U.S. wild-caught: All, except for "Chinook salmon caught in the Puget Sound Chinook fishery and coho salmon caught in the Columbia River above the Bonneville Dam."
• Imported wild-caught: Chinook and coho salmon from Canada, except for those caught from British Columbia's South Coast.
• Farmed: Varieties from New Zealand; Atlantic salmon farmed in Maine, Faroe Islands, Norway (Production Areas 1, 12 or 13), Scotland's Orkney Islands, Nova Scotia and Chile (Region XII Magallanes); Chinook salmon farmed in British Columbia.

Since there is no seafood labeling system in place at fish markets, fish counters of grocery stores, and restaurants that serve fresh seafood, you may need to ask the vendor some questions to find out the fish's origin. These may include:

• What country is the fish from?
• Is the fish wild-caught or farm-raised?
• If it is farmed, was it grown in an open net pen or a closed system?
• If it is wild, do you know how it was caught?

According to Sea Choice, open net pen systems are considered high-risk because they allow for the free exchange of waste, parasites, chemicals and disease. A better, low-risk option would be to choose salmon raised in a closed system, which includes raceways and re-circulation systems.

Should You Buy Organic Salmon?

While the USDA does not currently certify fish and seafood as organic, they do conduct research and put systems in place to ensure our seafood supply is safe and sustainable. If you see an "organic" label on salmon, you can assume that the fish was farmed and fed organic feed. Just keep in mind, though, that there is no regulation for the organic label on seafood, so it may or may not be accurate.

Pictured Recipe: Walnut-Rosemary Crusted Salmon

Is Fresh Salmon Better than Frozen? What About Canned or Packaged?

You can order fresh salmon by mail order or find it in your markets year-round, depending on where you live. Most fish—especially wild-caught—is flash-frozen when caught to preserve its freshness and allow for shipping. If you buy frozen salmon it will be good indefinitely in its frozen state, says the USDA. However, over time its flavor and texture will diminish the longer it's kept in your freezer. Ideally, try to use frozen salmon within 8 months of purchasing it. Canned wild salmon is an excellent and economical choice. Look for BPA-free cans or pouches.

Does Salmon Carry PCBs or Other Toxins?

According to NOAA, the now-banned polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were a common industrial chemical until the 1970s. Unfortunately, PCBs can still be found in soil, water and air—and this can affect salmon. For example, a 2020 Norwegian study published in Foods noted that wild salmon carry a higher content of PCBs than farmed salmon.

PCBs are a type of Persistent Organic Pollutant (POP). Sources of POP include pesticides and industrial chemicals. The higher concentrations of PCB and other POP present in wild varieties could be due to the pollutants in the ocean and the fishmeal. Salmon in the wild consume smaller fish, such as mackerel, which may also carry the pollutants.

The same Norwegian study noted that wild Atlantic salmon have higher levels of mercury than farmed but are still well below the European standards of the maximum allowed in food. And as previously noted, fishing wild Atlantic salmon is prohibited in the U.S. so this type of salmon of U.S. origin will be farmed anyway.

Nevertheless, salmon is generally a low-mercury fish and is recommended to be consumed as part of your weekly fish consumption of two to three servings—which is about 4 ounces per serving. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a guide on choosing low-mercury fish and seafood for your reference.

Pictured Recipe: Lemon-Garlic Pasta with Salmon

Do All Types of Salmon Taste the Same?

There's a wide range of price, color and taste among the salmon species we commonly eat. Depending on your budget, what's available and the recipe you have in mind, you may wish to choose a specific type of salmon.

Chinook: The largest—and often most expensive—the king or chinook is prized for its high-fat content and buttery texture.

Sockeye: An oilier fish with deep red flesh, sockeye salmon has a stronger flavor and stands up well to grilling.

Coho: Coho is milder and often lighter in color.

Pink and Chum: These smaller salmon are most often used for canned or smoked salmon. They're also good budget choices.

Atlantic: According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Atlantic species make up 90% of the farmed salmon market. It has a rich and fatty taste.

Pictured Recipe: Miso-Maple Salmon

Why Do Some Salmon Have a Deeper Orange Color than Others?

Have you ever wondered where salmon gets its gorgeous orangey-pink color from? You can thank carotenoids, the same pigments that make carrots orange. Those magical antioxidants combat the damaging effects of free radicals.

The carotenoid in salmon is a particularly potent type known as astaxanthin. According to a 2022 Molecular Medicine Reports review article, astaxanthin possesses antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and may help kill tumorous cancer cells. The compound may be particularly helpful for warding off neurological diseases, such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, but the authors conclude more human studies are needed.

Astaxanthin is produced by phytoplankton, tiny plants that use it to shield themselves from ultraviolet radiation. Shrimp, krill and other tiny crustaceans then eat the phytoplankton and accumulate astaxanthin in their bodies—which is what makes them pink—and then salmon eat them and store the astaxanthin in their skin and muscles. Hence, their orange-pink color.

Sockeye, coho and king salmon have the deepest orange color, whereas pink and chum salmon are the lightest. Since farmed Atlantic salmon don't eat the same food as wild salmon, they're given astaxanthin or another pigment called canthaxanthin to deepen their flesh color.

Are Fattier Fish Healthier?

In the case of salmon, the fattier the better, for both taste and health! Salmon is a fantastic source of DHA, the omega-3 fatty acid essential for brain health and development.

Generally speaking, farmed salmon has higher levels of fat than wild varieties. According to the USDA, farmed salmon has 11 grams of fat for 3 ounces cooked, while wild salmon has 7 grams for the same serving size. Fish with more fat may be easier to cook and retain moisture better, but all types of salmon are nutritious choices.

The Bottom Line

It is highly recommended that you get at least two servings of seafood a week—including salmon. Whether you choose farmed or wild salmon is a personal preference. Different salmon species offer varying flavors and may have varied availability depending on season and location. Do your homework and choose the most sustainable options you can find that still offer a flavor and texture profile you'll enjoy.