Smoked salmon. When buying smoked salmon look at the white markings which cross the red flesh in wavy parallel lines. These should not be too wide as, if the fish is too oily, the flavour won't be at its best.
"Rainbow salmon." Rainbow trout. Most usually farmed in Europe.
Chinook salmon, also known as Quinnat salmon, is the largest of the Pacific salmon, with the most intense flavour. The flesh has large flakes and high oil content. Coho is smaller and has paler flesh. Sockeye, also known as king salmon, has a four year life-cycle which contributes to the meatiness of its flesh, which is dense and velvety and turns deep red before spawning. It is considered good for tinning purposes. Pink is leaner and milder in flavour and is the favoured salmon in the United States.
Small red mullet. A high quality fish of a different family from the other (grey) mullets, and which has a far better flavour and lean, firm flesh. Its liver is highly prized. Do not confuse it with gurnard, which has a slightly paler colour. This fish may vary from pinkish-reddish crimson to rosy pink in colour, with a paler underbelly and two long barbels on the chin. This variety is not quite so prized as Mullus surmuletus, which is slightly bigger and has yellowish stripes on its sides.
Coho, or silver salmon, are found in both sides of the North Pacific ocean, from Hokkaidō, Japan and eastern Russian, around the Bering Sea to mainland Alaska, and south all the way to Monterey Bay, California. Coho salmon have also been introduced in all the Great Lakes, as well as many other landlocked reservoirs throughout the United States. Ocean caught coho is regarded as excellent table fare. It has a moderate to high amount of fat, which is considered essential when judging taste. Only Spring Chinook and Sockeye salmon have higher levels of fats in their meat. They are swift and make good game.
