King Of The Offseason

Wild King Salmon season is now closed for the next few months and seafood customers who are conscientious of what they eat are scrambling to find a suitable salmon alternative.  If you have picked up a newspaper or scoped the online press in the last few months, you couldn't have missed reading about the farmed 'Frankenfish' that will soon be "invading" a seafood market near you.  'Frankenfish' is the inciting moniker given to the salmon created by AquaBounty that can grow faster and reach market size sooner than traditional salmon.  These fish acquire these traits by undergoing a genetic modification in which three different species are cross-bred in order to create a new species.  Without getting into the debate, I comment only to point out that the news has put many customers on edge.  Knowing and understanding what we are eating is an important priority for many.  Right or wrong, many guests are now hesitant to purchase farmed salmon due to the possibility of a boogeyman that goes by the initials GMO that could be lurking behind their salmon's label.

Insert solution here: meet the Ora King Salmon.  Ora King is a brand, actually a bloodline, of king salmon that is farmed in the Marlborough Sounds of New Zealand.  In this sanctuary, fish that have been selectively bred and are fully traceable grow with ample room to live.  The stocking densities are extremely low, allowing the salmon to develop in a more natural way.  The diet consists of a mix containing only 10% fish meal, which is sourced from sustainable pelagic fisheries and is approved by the World Wildlife Fund for its use in aquaculture feed.  Did I mention that these fish have received a "Best Choice" rating from the renowned Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch?  Not too bad.

So Ora King Salmon is good for the environment, but what does it taste like?  Well, it has been compared to Wagyu beef by the company's CEO and many chefs who have tried it have expounded profusely on the merits of its exquisite, natural flavor and perfect texture.  It only makes sense, seeing that the fish have literally been bred and selected for this excellence.  Ora's innovative selective breeding program employs traditional husbandry techniques in an extreme effort to produce the best possible product for all discerning chefs.  The result is a delicious, environmentally friendly selection that gives us all an option when choosing what to eat during the offseason.