Products | Fresh and Frozen | Coho Salmon

Coho Salmon

(Oncorhynchus kisutch)

Physical characteristics: In ocean-caught fish, skin color is bright silver with a blue back. Tail fin has spots on the upper half. Lower jaw has white gums. In more mature fish that are entering fresh water to spawn, the skin color takes on a pink (blush), then later on a deeper red ("redskin") appearance. Fish entering fresh water also develop hooked snouts as they mature. Weight range is 2-25#, but most commercially caught fish is in the 2-14# range on a dressed headless basis.

Seasonality: Late June through the end of September.

Major catch areas: Alaska, Canada, Washington, Oregon, California, Russia.

Harvest method: Troll, seine, and gill-net.

Product forms:

• Fresh: Dressed head-on (troll fish) and headless (seine and gill-net caught), fillets, steaks and market-cut steaks.
• Frozen: Dressed headless and dressed head-on, graded 2/4#, 4/6#, 6/9# and 9#/+ by quality grade of brite, blush and redskin.
• Value-added: IQF and vacuum-packed steaks in 2 ounce increments from 4-10 ounce, IQF and vacuum-packed fillet portions in 2 ounce increments from 4-10 ounce. Portions can be produced either bone-in or boneless and either skin-on or skinless. Additionally, product is often sold as sides (meaning skin-on and rib-bones/pinbones-in), and whole fillets (skin-on/boneless).

Flavor/texture profile: Flesh is pink to red in color. Coho has the softest meat consistency of the salmon species. Meat has moderate oil content, falling into the mid-range of the five salmon species.

Notes: Coho salmon has traditionally been used by smokers and distributors in both Europe and Japan, but the increase in availability in farm-raised salmon has cost the coho salmon significant market share in these two countries over the past five years. As a result, availability for domestic fresh and frozen programs has increased in recent years. Meat color varies greatly depending on catch area, with Prince William Sound producing the poorest meat color and the arctic regions producing the best meat color. Coho salmon are also referred to as silver salmon.