Opinion on Aquastar Salmon

[scaperdude]

The packaging says “Wild Caught,” but for at least a year, I have been having my doubts. It just seems to me the taste quality has essentially evaporated, and then about 3 purchases ago my salmon didn’t come out pink, but was white… straight out of the package. I know there are species of salmon that can be this color, but it also seemed to have no taste, and just tasted so blaa, that I didn’t even finish it. My last purchase of this brand disturbed me again. This time it seems the thicker part of the filet was whitish inside… like the outside of the filet had been colored pink… like the storebought farmed Atlantic filets.

I have been buying Sockeye salmon at Costco, and fresh caught at one of the larger local Smith’s, and it is delicious, but this Aquastar stuff just doesn’t seem good to me over the last year or so. When I first bought it several years back, it seemed tasty. The package says “product of China.” I am just very suspicious that they are sneaking in farmed salmon now. Anyone else have an opinion on this salmon? The Aquastar website does indicate that they do deal in farmed seafood products like shrimp, but the only thing I really found about their salmon is on the quality page which says: " * Salmon (Chum): 130 calories; 22g protein; 2% daily recommended Vitamin A; 2% daily recommended Calcium; 4% daily recommended Iron."

[lfod14]

Really no way to know other than blatant giveaways, but as you said, given salmon do have varying colors, even that can be tricky. That said, nothing wrong with farmed salmon. Not sure if you’re one of the people who think farmed means warehouses full of salmon in aquariums (hopefully not) but just in the event of, they’re still very much in the ocean, and in very clean monitored parts of it, which is why many prefer that over wild caught since even Alaska’s oceans have problems now. They’re just different, ones not better/worse. Farmed doesn’t automatically equal super dyed or fed crap, that (can) happen, but that’s up to the farm / brand. Also remember, nutritional info on meat / fish it a round-ish guess. Every fish is different, all they can do is check so many and spread it out across the whole lot of them. One of the reasons nutritional labels are allowed the wiggle room that they are.