Wild salmon at Costco - anyone know what time of year it's available?

[violet42]

I've been thinking of getting a Costco membership for various reasons, one of them being that I had heard they had great prices on wild salmon. I went to the Costco in Marina Del Rey and alas, no wild salmon to be found. I called and asked the workers there and no one could seem to tell me when they carry it. Does anyone know, and has anyone had luck buying wild salmon at this branch?

Thanks!

[violet42]

Thanks for the feedback everyone! I called again and they said it is now out of season and will be coming back in April. I'm not usually a huge fan of frozen fish, but I bought some wild Alaskan sockeye from Trader Joe's (@ 10.99/lb) - I'll let you know how it works out!

[happybaker]

The frozen coho at Trader Joe's has been better quality than much fresh salmon I've tried - so don't' rule frozen out : )

[Hillbilly Moonshiner]

I prefer frozen over fresh from Costco as well. How it's thawed matters too. I soak the vacuum-packed filets in cold water, removing when mostly frozen if I'm cutting slices or cubes, partially frozen if I'm marinating, etc.

[RMJ43]

I get fresh wild salmon at the MDR location. If I remember correctly, it was available through the end of September. It was definitely available all through the summer.

[iOnLa]

Copper River Sockeye was available at CostCo all through May/June and seems to have been in stock at most branches.
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/786852
they still had Coho at Ralphs in July/Aug. and it wasn't a pretty picture.

[Jack Flash]

I've never been to the MDR Costco. The last time I was at the Burbank location (mid-September), they still had fresh, wild Alaska salmon. Some fresh, wild Alaska salmon is still available at supermarkets (at least it was as of last week at Whole Foods and HOWS in Pasadena). We're right at the end of the season, though.

[carter]

Yes, the season is over, as Gelsons quit having it available about 3-4 weeks ago, and I have not seen it at Whole Foods in about the same time period, meaning in either of the 2 Sherman Oaks stores or in Tarzana.

[carter]

update of my own post - Gelsons, @ $21.99 per pound, now has wild caught salmon, at least in the sherman oaks location.

While hardly Costco pricing, if you want it, well....

Check Atlantic farmed salmon, because much of it is actually from Canada's Atlantic, and thus has to adhere to higher standards than its American counterparts.

[mc michael]

I believe I have regularly seen frozen wild salmon filets (6 in a box) at Costco in Alhambra.

[Hillbilly Moonshiner]

The Costco in Marina Del Rey almost always has 3 lb packs of frozen Wild Alaskan Sockeye (in vacuum-packed ~6 oz portions) for ~$30, and it's good quality, but its location in the freezer section does change, and it isn't always with the rest of the frozen fish. I bought some fresh Coho there twice this summer for ~$8/lb, and it was so-so both times.

[BSW6490]

Have not seen fresh salmon at Costco for a while. However, the responsibly farmed salmon at Whole Foods (Beverly Hills) is really good, very reasonable and avoids the nasty things that makes one want to otherwise avoid farmed fish. I think it has more flavor than the Costco wild.

[wienermobile]

Wild salmon season officially opens in April/May, and runs through June/July, with a peak in June.

[pikawicca]

Wild Pacific salmon season is much longer than that, sometimes, as last year, running into November.