"Ora" King salmon
 

I keep coming across this on restaurant menus, supposedly it's "what Waygu is to beef Ora is to salmon/fish". Bred to be fattier than most salmon.

Has anyone had it and is it really good? Disclaimer: although I live in Oregon I do NOT like Pacific salmon...too dense...I really like the softer texture of Atlantic salmon.

I find it a nice salmon and yes, it is a bit fattier than normal salmon but the difference is nowhere near the sort of difference you get between say black Angus and wagyu. I think it’s worth it but it wouldn’t pay over about a 20% price premium.

This sort of reminds me of the Copper River salmon craze of a few years back. The king salmon wild caught in the Copper River in Alaska are slightly higher in fat content. Chefs discovered this, which lead to incredible price markups. (Along with intense marketing by the Alaska fishing community). The result? Salmon going for well over $60 per lb.

In a similar vein, someone thought….hey, why can’t we do this with farmed fish? Thus, genetically modified salmon from the Pacific Northwest, higher in fat content, were taken to New Zealand, grown on farms, then marketed aggressively. In a smart move, they market based on 2 factors. Taste and Health.

The taste part is more subjective. If you prefer a more silky (for lack of a better word), salmon…this may be your fish. If you plan on eating it raw…this may be your fish.

As for the health benefit, fish oil is naturally a good source of Omega -3. Thus, a fattier fish, lends itself to more oil production.This fat layer is found just under the skin, and is released when cooked. (Sorry Corky!!!).

Now, to answer your question. Would I purchase or order it? No. I’m a self described fish snob. What I don’t catch and consume, I order from specific trusted sources. For salmon, I use one specific site in Alaska. Generally Copper River king salmon is just not worth the investment, unless it is on sale. (And beware of places that advertise crazy low pricing on “Copper River” salmon. These salmon are not true CR salmon, but generally caught in tributary rivers and streams).

From a taste and health perspective, I’m just as happy with any wild caught king salmon from Alaska. Unless you are going to order a simple grilled preparation, most places douse fish in elaborate sauces and crazy seasoning. It masks the true fish taste (IMHO).

Sorry for the long winded response!

Good replies above.
I ordered Ora for the first time a few weeks ago (through Goldbelly), and prefer it to any wild Alaskan salmon I have had, and significantly prefer it to any general supermarket farmed salmon. It is worth the premium from time to time.

Thanks all, very helpful responses. I'll just have to try for myself. And being in Oregon we're very familiar with the Copper River hysteria. Actually the best salmon I ever got in a restaurant was Faroe Island, and I have no idea if it's "supposed" to be good or bad but it's the texture I like.

Faroe Island salmon is a very good farmed Atlantic salmon. That, along with salmon from Scotland are my favorite salmon of that variety.
When you try the Ora, please come back and let us know your impression.

I will. Trip is not for a couple of months, and who knows if it will still be on the menu. But I'll also keep an eye out for salmon from Scotland.

I asked my son who lives in Eugene. He says he never orders salmon in restaurants so hasn’t noticed it. Will he find it at Fisherman's Market?

The restaurant is not in Eugene, it's when we'll be on a trip. I reallllly don't like Fisherman's Market, been there a few times (not for many years) and it always just seemed skeevy and dirty, sorry. If he wants to buy nice fish Newman's is the place.

I'm just the opposite. For cooked salmon, I really only like Sockeye or Coho. I won't eat cooked Atlantic salmon. Sushi/Sashimi is a completely different ballgame and I don't mind the softer fattier species.

Not sure how this reflects on me, but I've learned more about Salmon from your one post than I have during my entire life! Had no idea, and I really should be a little more discerning with my future Salmon choices.

RE: Sockeye

Not sure if it's just me, but I kind of like that crab after taste. I've read that it's because they eat crab? How does a fish with no teeth eat crab?

what?? Salmon don't have teeth? :confused:

Ah, that's my assumption? LOL Aside from a necessary culinary appreciation, I could easily be wrong since my knowledge of animals is, to put it mildly, quite limited.

Thanks for the compliment! Couple of things. Salmon do have teeth. They are small and incisor like. As such, there is no crab in their diet.
They do consume plenty of shrimp, which would explain the after taste.

Wait a minute, on the Saratoga thread, you said you LOVED animals!!

I do recall having some fish somewhere that did feed on crab and did have a crab taste, and it was not salmon. It was in Florida. Before I go look it up, I want to say COBA or something like that?

Aha, I was sooo close. Cobia.