302211 Fri Jun 16 18:16:24 -0700 2006 55 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1690382 I love the idea of canned salmon as a better alternative to tuna for salads. But every time I've bought it (multiple brands) it comes skin-on with large bones in (the spine I believe). By the time I finish cleaning it, it has lost volume and sort of grosses me out - not a good prelude to a meal. Is there a brand of canned salmon out there that avoids these issues, or is it inevitably the shabby leftover from the better parts of the catch that are sold for filets? And to further complicate matters, a few days ago I saw Rachel Ray open a can of it and dump the whole thing, skin and all, into a recipe. So is the problem merely that I am being too prissy? How do you hounds feel about canned salmon? Would love your imput. Fri Jun 16 18:16:24 -0700 2006 0 Ngal 1 1690385 Ngal, Unlike many of the items served at the Olive Garden, everything in a can of Salmon is edible. (Bones are the cartilidge; (non-Salmon) cartilidge prepared several ways is served at some very high end Sushi houses.) Sushi restaurants also serve the skin as Salmon rolls. So look upon that $2.89 can of Salmon as an amazing Sushi bargain, sip some Saki and cook away! Fri Jun 16 18:47:29 -0700 2006 1690382 0 Leper 1 1690386 While canned salmon has its fans, I'm not one since "going fresh"...however, there's merit to leaving skin 'n' bones inside. Cooked in the can, the bones soften up and are an excellent calcium supplement...chewable, too. The skin, while slimy and metallic, offers a color contrast and your cat won't reject it. Fri Jun 16 18:47:37 -0700 2006 1690382 0 Mike R. 1 1690389 I like canned salmon, too, but hate the skin, so I slide the skin off, but leave the bones in. They're very soft, so you don't have to worry about choking on them, and they're good for you (calcium). If you're mixing the salmon up with other ingredients for a salad or patties, the bones are going to get mushed up in there anyway and you'll never be aware of them. Fri Jun 16 19:13:44 -0700 2006 1690382 0 Deenso 1 1690391 Rubenstein's red sockeye canned salmon is the best. It does have skin, which I dipose of and bones, which are soft and mash up easily (and are full of calcium). So good for salads and sandwiches. After all the hype about how healthy salmon is I am sick of eating broiled salmon but the canned stuff is so good as an alternative to tuna - can;t get sick of it. Fri Jun 16 19:50:32 -0700 2006 1690382 0 Emilief 1 1690394 This is bordering on being moderated to Home Cooking, but, when I make salmon loaf, I put the skin and bones in the blender with the other recipe liquids (milk, eggs). The skin doesn't do much for the color of the finished product, but, the nutrients are too good to pass up. Fri Jun 16 19:57:29 -0700 2006 1690382 0 John Seberg 1 1690398 No you are NOT being too prissy. Don't get the big cans of salmon that look like soup cans, but get the little cans that look like tuna - it is skinless and boneless and lovely. I hate the stuff with skin and bones, who cares if it is healthy if it tastes yucky. The absolute best canned salmon is Bumble Bee prime filet canned salmon. It tastes close to fresh. It is the last can in the link below. The can looks similar to the skinless and boneless pink salmon, but not the same. Other skinless, boneless pink salmon is close to tuna in texture. The little bagged salmon is fine, but it is too pricy for me. The red salmon always has bones in it. Link: http://www.bumblebee.com/products_fam.jsp?famid=2 Fri Jun 16 20:14:11 -0700 2006 1690382 0 rworange 2 1690447 Concur about the Bumble Bee salmon, esp. the prime filet variety ... even goes great with sweet relish. :-) Sat Jun 17 17:16:30 -0700 2006 1690398 0 ipse dixit 1 1690409 You need to look for skinless, boneless salmon. It can be in either in a can or pouch. It is a product that is produced by some canneries. This is not brand/label specific. Fri Jun 16 21:11:34 -0700 2006 1690382 0 SteveU 1 1690419 Vital Choice canned salmon is way beyond anything you can get in the supermarket. It is so good many people eat it out of the can. And it is lab tested to ensure it is safe to eat. I've provided a link to their website below. Link: http://www.vitalchoice.com Sat Jun 17 00:48:47 -0700 2006 1690382 0 Faith Lubitz 2 3690045 Second this. I eat it out of the can at least a few times a week for lunch and it's wonderful! Thu May 15 09:54:50 -0700 2008 1690419 12268 mollyomormon 2 4374604 Faith is right on. Vital Choice has a wide variety of sustainably caught wild north Pacific salmon, and they even identify what type of salmon it is. They have a sample package which I ordered, and we decided that the skinless, boneless salmon was the way to go. Pure beautiful goodness. Pricey, yes, but absolutely the pure, real thing. Fri Jan 30 19:48:28 -0800 2009 1690419 105625 EWSflash 1 1690427 I've never used canned salmon for salad, but love salmon loaf and salmon cakes. I was delighted to discover Trader Joe's canned "Wild Alaskan Pink Salmon" @ 2.19 a can. Sat Jun 17 08:14:59 -0700 2006 1690382 0 Pat Hammond 1 1690432 My favorite canned wild salmon comes from a small cannery in Santa Cruz, CA. You can buy a number of varieties of Dave's Gourmet Salmon, Albacore or other Tuna via mail order or at some Whole Foods stores. Here's a link for more info. I highly recommend this product!! Link: http://davesalbacore.com/index.html Image: http://davesalbacore.com/catalog/images/with-salt-salmon-4226.jpg Sat Jun 17 11:47:17 -0700 2006 1690382 0 Nancy Berry 1 1690438 Only you can decide what level of prissiness is appropriate for you. I have been fond of canned red salmon since I was a kid. My mom, who relied on shortcuts infrequently, when pressed for time would sometimes pan-fry some potatoes and onions and open a can of red salmon and a can of baked beans. I always loved that meal and still fix it for myself sometimes. I eat everything from the salmon can just as it comes from the can. Yum! Honey Boy Fancy Alaska Sockeye Red Salmon is what I have used since forever. Jim Sat Jun 17 13:03:19 -0700 2006 1690382 0 Jim Washburn 1 1690478 DEMING'S is a good quality brand of supermarket salmon. Sun Jun 18 11:13:44 -0700 2006 1690382 0 mark grossman 1 1690532 If you're being too prissy, I'm right there with you. The softness of the bones really grosses me out. I try to pick them all out. I can tell immediately if I've missed one by the chalky, slight resistance to my teeth. Thanks for posting your question - I'm glad to find out that there is no-bone canned salmon out there. Mon Jun 19 01:35:28 -0700 2006 1690382 0 chowmeow 1 1690536 Since you ask, I love the bones. Always have. When I was a kid my mom would pick them out and give them to me. The skin is another matter. I usually try to buy skinless, but if I can't, I just take it out. Mon Jun 19 05:03:38 -0700 2006 1690382 0 Cagey 1 1690561 I worked canning salmon in Alaska and I must say, I don't care for it. At least at the place I worked, there is no difference in the quality of the salmon frozen, shipped fresh or canned. It all came off the same boats. It's packed into the can fresh and then cooked in the can. I think the stuff we made was sold to the Army. I would chose Red salmon over pink if you have the chance. Pinks were cheaper fish and often lower quality than the reds we saw. If its any consolation, apparently tuna is much, much worse. It's all caught in places like Indonesia way way offshore and the fish are falling apart by the time they get them back to the dock and the cannery. Mon Jun 19 13:56:08 -0700 2006 1690382 0 cheapskate 2 1690653 uh, thanks, I think, for the info....good to know. Wed Jun 21 00:43:31 -0700 2006 1690561 0 toodie jane 1 1690583 Not only do I love those bones (always have, always will) and don't really mind the skin, but I always get the cheapest canned salmon I can find, mostly at the 99¢ Only store. I do slide off whatever skin I can, just for appearance's sake, but the only other thing I discard is the water. I usually snitch a bite or two from the can while I'm making whatever is on the agenda, too - usually salmon salad for sandwiches or snacking, sometimes cold jelled loaf, sometimes fried cakes. Love that stuff, and so does Mrs. O. I'm surprised that Rachel Ray would do that; generates a bit of grudging respect... Mon Jun 19 15:39:58 -0700 2006 1690382 0 Will Owen 1 1690604 I think Bumble Bee or one of the popular tuna companies makes a salmon without bones. I know cause I was disappointed when I opened it and didn't find the bones. I think the bones are a good source of calcium. Mon Jun 19 21:42:21 -0700 2006 1690382 0 shugga 1 2648872 I buy the Pillar Rock 3.5 oz pouch of sockeye salmon. I use it instead of tuna and its very convenient to bring to work. Mon Jun 11 09:37:54 -0700 2007 1690382 100611 bq88436 1 2650346 Here in Toronto, Clover Leaf brand pink salmon (wild Pacific) at 2.99 CDN for a 418 gram tin, is just fine for casseroles, salads, and such. Mon Jun 11 16:08:24 -0700 2007 1690382 42449 mrbozo 1 2654592 bumble bee prime fillet, in the gold can...the best, no bones or skin Tue Jun 12 19:37:56 -0700 2007 1690382 68998 kleinfortlee 1 2654658 I'm going to commit heresy and confess that I like canned salmon about as much as fresh. I grew up in pre-frozen foods/pre-fast refrigerated shipping inland Texas when fresh fish--if you didn't catch it yourself--was hard to come by. So it was usually canned tuna & salmon or no fish at all. Some people tend to dislike things they ate a lot of as a child; not me. I still love 'em all. Mama had a fine touch for seasoning and for foods that complimented each other, and her very simple meals, even during WWII rationing, were always nutritious and appetizing. She made salmon croquettes with an egg/cracker crumbs/scallions most every week and smashed/mixed in the skin and bones so that they were unnoticeable. It's never entered my mind that anyone would remove them. I love a cold lunch of a small can of chilled salmon topped with Hellman's Mayo & sprinkled with chives or scallions, a big pile of Cabot's excellent cottage cheese, a sliced back porch tomato. And I swear I could eat a whole cold salmon loaf all by myself. (And I've come close to doing just that on several occasions. I'll never forgive myself for not getting the recipe for one I ate ( about 90% of) at a cocktail party years ago. Does anyone have an outstanding salmon loaf recipe?) . Tue Jun 12 20:09:57 -0700 2007 1690382 93465 PhoebeB 2 2654706 PhoebeB you bring back memories of my childhood in Texas when my mother would cook salmon (pronounced sal-mon) patties every week. However, she did not smash the bones and I always hated the crunchy vertebrae! I haven't had canned salmon since I was able to buy my own. Tue Jun 12 20:24:22 -0700 2007 2654658 89496 ddavis 3 3977538 my mom says sal-mon, too! (she grew up in fla. panhandle). makes salmon patties with canned pink salmon, crackers, egg, (crushes the bones). i'd eat them right off the paper towel -- hot out of the cast iron skillet! Fri Aug 22 04:37:41 -0700 2008 2654706 105717 alkapal 1 2654697 Try Costco brand I just bought some because people said there were very little bones and skin Tue Jun 12 20:21:59 -0700 2007 1690382 62097 paprkutr 1 2654740 I am with you, Ngal. Canned salmon with bones and skin skeeve me. However, I love the salmon that comes in a pouch - no bones or skin (Chicken of the Sea). The recipe for Salmon Cakes with Lemon Herb Sauce on their site is also very good. Tue Jun 12 20:38:41 -0700 2007 1690382 12513 Divamac 1 3487731 No one in my family would even think about removing the bones and skin from canned salmon. The high heat sterilization process softens them to the point where they can be easily mashed and blended into salmon salads, casseroles, and other delicious meals. There is no waste in canned salmon -- the liquid, skin, and bones are all edible and supply important nutrients such as calcium and phosphorus. The oily skin is high in Omega 3 fatty acids. As a kid, my mother would remove the bones and drop them in the tin and I would grab them and eat them. Now she has osteoporosis, and found out that you should eat the salmon bones from tinned salmon for increased calcium intake. She doesn't take them out any more. It's never to late to learn new things about our food. But life long habits and dislikes are hard to break for some people. Everything in a tin of canned salmon can be eaten, including the juice. Wed Mar 12 22:32:18 -0700 2008 1690382 174342 Catoni52 2 4374619 There's so much calcium in canned fish with bones, I wish I liked them, but I can't. Like sweet iced tea, i'ts been spit out before I realize I've done it. With the Beach Cliff fish steaks with hot chiles, I do pick out the spinal cords, but eat the other bones, because they're actually soft, not even discernible from the lovely meat. I guess that's my criterion- how soft are the bones? Fri Jan 30 19:59:44 -0800 2009 3487731 105625 EWSflash 1 3689677 Ngal you'd be surprised how many cultures leave virtually no part of an animal or plant left to waste when it comes to dinnertime. Brasil and China come to mind. Compared to them, they sure do make us Yankees look like prisses. Nonetheless, there are canned salmon varieties made just for you. Me, I like the skin and bones - it does a body good. I also eat shrimp unpeeled with the tails on, it gives them greater texture and again, the calcium can't be beat. Thu May 15 08:32:54 -0700 2008 1690382 151243 yemoss 2 3690547 Prissiness is a luxury not afforded to the majority of the world's inhabitants. Ironic, as picky eating tends to make for a less nutritious meal. My advice, prepare the salmon in ways which allow you to mash the salmon up whole, it's what canned salmon is best for anyway in my opinion. Thu May 15 11:45:56 -0700 2008 3689677 73898 bsheitman 1 3690722 many brands are now in foil pouches with no bones or skin.i just happened to have had that for lunch today.they stay in the pantry just as the cans. Thu May 15 12:18:26 -0700 2008 1690382 173151 davmar77 2 3691948 Salmon in retort pouches is nothing more than doing someting with nothing. You take the cheapest and poorest quality "Pinks" from Alaska and you ship them to Philipines or Thailand where manual labor is cheap and you make a a $0.07 piece of fish sell for $3.00+ in the US....but then again if the market is willing to pay...why not? Thu May 15 18:01:24 -0700 2008 3690722 19117 Pollo 1 3692460 Funny, but canned salmon is the only type of canned fish I can't stand. Tuna? Excellent for salads or sandwiches. Crab? Sure - stuff avocados with it. Oysters? Give me crackers, and let me have at 'em! Sardines - so many choices - mustard, tomato, spicy - I like them all. But canned salmon? Just doesn't do it for me (and I love salmon sashimi, grilled salmon, salmon teriyaki, etc.). I just don't like it in a can. Thu May 15 21:47:50 -0700 2008 1690382 48210 KevinB 2 3692581 IMHO it's a complete waste of salmon to put it in a can. Best salmon is either hot or cold smoked, jerky, indian candy or raw if the quality permits. Thu May 15 23:15:35 -0700 2008 3692460 19117 Pollo 1 3701743 My wife makes very good salmon pies out of it. Mon May 19 11:47:49 -0700 2008 1690382 18981 Jimmy Buffet 1 3701840 For those voting for Bumble Bee Prime Filet steaks, my question is: Where does this salmon come from? In fact, only their canned Red and Medium Red salmon indicate Alaskan salmon. From a conservation standpoint if the other products are farmed Atlantic salmon that is as horrible environment-wise as eating canned tuna. Mon May 19 12:04:27 -0700 2008 1690382 20522 gourmanda 2 3702097 Read my reply few post above... Mon May 19 12:58:40 -0700 2008 3701840 19117 Pollo 3 3702375 The post about shipping inferior salmon to be packaged in Asia? What I'm wondering is, some of the B.B. packages say Alaskan Salmon, the others don't. So where are they getting it? Mon May 19 14:02:29 -0700 2008 3702097 20522 gourmanda 4 3702475 Bumble Bee Prime Filet steaks are packed in Asia using Alaskan Pinks.... Mon May 19 14:24:19 -0700 2008 3702375 19117 Pollo 5 3705325 Aha! Sorry if I was being thick-headed. Thanks for the clarification. Seems to be an awfully silly way of doing things though. Tue May 20 11:07:57 -0700 2008 3702475 20522 gourmanda 6 3707423 It's all labor costs....pouches are packed by hand....not much prime about "Prime Filet".... Wed May 21 00:41:24 -0700 2008 3705325 19117 Pollo 1 3702384 canned salmon, and the weekly salmon loaf that it produced for dinner every week during childhood, has ruined me on all salmon. I think canned salmon is pretty disgusting. Mon May 19 14:05:15 -0700 2008 1690382 26725 swsidejim 1 3703366 Prissy is not the word I would use, but to each his own. I'd daresay you have never cleaned a fish.... I grew up fighting over the salmon bones with my brothers before the rest of it went into salmon croquetes. I love fresh. but canned is OK. for use in some dishes. I wouldn't use it in a salad. Mon May 19 19:11:59 -0700 2008 1690382 137946 Scargod 2 3942982 Canned salmon makes wicked good fish cakes along w/ baked beans and fried eggs, the quintessential old time New England breakfast. Sat Aug 09 07:14:53 -0700 2008 3703366 93538 Passadumkeg 1 3940951 I just discovered that Double "Q" now has a 7.5 oz can of skinnless & Boneless wild alsakan salmon - I love it! You can pretty much eat right out of the can - Must try! Fri Aug 08 09:56:47 -0700 2008 1690382 216982 ccozzalio 1 3978215 I would be grossed out my skin and bones too. Fri Aug 22 09:11:35 -0700 2008 1690382 112406 Chew on That 1 4376062 canned salmon is extremely healthy. Everything in the can is edible. Mixed with mayo, romano or parm cheese and dash of lemon pepper seasoning......after it's mixed or heavily stirred you don't notice the skin or bones. YUM! Former USCGR 89-97 Sat Jan 31 14:50:13 -0800 2009 1690382 262148 littleflurry 1 4380975 My favorite source for canned salmon (and tuna too) is the Tuna Guys. This outfit creates a wonderful product using sashimi grade cuts. All the fish are line caught in the Pacific Northwest, hand packed, and cooked in the can so you don't lose any of the juices. The salmon is boneless and skinless. http://www.tunaguys.net/index.html Phoo-D http://www.phoo-d.com Mon Feb 02 13:02:01 -0800 2009 1690382 226727 Phoo_d 2 4381399 I like high grade canned salmon and eat it about twice per week but cannot find a brand that tastes like fresh salmon either sashimi or grilled that has that like the buttery melt in your mouth component. Does any brand of canned salmon taste like fresh buttery salmon or is it just lost in the canning? Mon Feb 02 14:51:54 -0800 2009 4380975 91258 forzagto 3 4383623 I think it is lost in the canning. You would have to stop the "cooking" process at just the right point to achieve it and I'm not sure that it would be shelf-stable. But man if someone figured out how to do that I'd be a huge fan! Tue Feb 03 09:49:19 -0800 2009 4381399 226727 Phoo_d 1 4385828 I am somewhat grossed out by cheap canned salmon, such as pink sockyee in the usual supermarket brands, but the best canned salmon I have ever had is from the Pike Place market. They sell several kinds of smoked salmon in a can, from King to Coho, and they are wonderful. The skin does not bother me on these, and they can be mixed with cream cheese to form fabulous dips. Price is over $7 per can, but worth it. You need to call them -- these are not on the web site. Tue Feb 03 22:08:50 -0800 2009 1690382 87837 RGC1982 2 4395193 Like RGC1982, I love the Alaskan canned smoked salmon, all you need is cream cheese. Or I can just eat it alone. Or with all the condiments; chopped hard boiled egg, red onion, capers, etc. I had some shipped home during my one and only trip to AK in 05, and there are several cans at my ex's house, which I am fortunately welcome to. Fri Feb 06 21:15:20 -0800 2009 4385828 12752 MsDiPesto