Is Copper River Really the Best Fish?
This is a good question, and one that has been debated extensively.
Personally, I love that everyone is so passionate about how great their local fish is and all the fond memories associated. If you have a fish that you love to catch and eat, I will be the last person to try to talk you out of it. Flavor and experience are complex reactions to an entire scenario. Just like food tastes better when you're hungry...everyone knows the fish you catch yourself and grill over an open fire, bbq or smoke tates the best!
Salmon are very complex. There are five species (king, sockeye, coho, pink, and chum). Each species has a distinct size, color and flavor profile. However, even within a species, the salmon that spawn to different rivers are different. Salmon return to their birth river to spawn and die, so salmon from different rivers vary in size, run timing, fat content, color and genetics.
When it comes to comparing or grading fish, there are many different factors, but just like beef, it often comes down to fat content. Fat in fish comes in the form of omega 3 fatty acids, which are both tasty and beneficial for health (which means the most delicious fish are also the healthiest). The five species of salmon all have different ranges of fat content, but salmon from the Copper River (king, sockeye and coho) are known to have the highest fat content for those particular species of any other commercial run, which is why they are often said to be the best.
However, in my opinion it goes beyond fat content, and there are actually three reasons Copper River salmon are so special.
