Ora King Salmon: A New Way of Premium, Sustainable, Salmon Farming
It’s a precarious position to be in: You want to buy salmon for dinner. You don’t want to spend $50 on fresh wild salmon, but you don’t want to eat the sad-looking eerily color-added Atlantic farmed salmon because we all know that stuff is freaky. We’ve seen the pictures: those farming facilities are just plain creepy. So what do you do? I am pleased to inform you that there is another way. Ora King Salmon is a New Zealand salmon that is sustainably farmed and raised with the strictest of strict standards.
Producing a product that is naturally flavorful with zero growth hormones, antibiotics, or synthetic ingredients, Ora King is an affordable, premium fish that is now available for the first time in Los Angeles, and throughout the United States. These salmon, appropriately named The Waygu of the Sea, live in a lap of luxury until they’re harvested. With a ratio of 98 percent water to two percent fish, the salmon are not being raised in pens where they’re living on top of one another, overeating and polluting themselves. Yuck.
They’re bred in pristine spring water then delicately transferred to the Marlborough Sounds, being hand-selected as the best of the best. Each is individually tracked from birth with a unique tracking number and digital chip. Every single fish is accounted for and is scrutinized throughout its lifespan to ensure it’s growing into maturity in a healthy way, according to precise regulations and standards. They are humanely (and slowly) acclimated from fresh water to sea water in a state-of-the-art procedure, wherein they’re slowly introduced to sea water over the course of eight to 12 hours. The system works so well that it induces zero stress on the animal, and it seamlessly transitions them to an ocean habitat.
Another unique technology that the Ora King folks are utilizing is underwater cameras. These are used to watch the fish, specifically to keep track of their feeding schedule. There is someone watching the salmon 24 hours a day, waiting for the fish to come to the surface to feed. When they come to the surface, a real person activates a device that releases a small amount of feed for that very salmon at the exact time they want to eat. The salmon are then satisfied and swim back down below the surface. This particular attention to detail struck me as genius. Not only does it eliminate overfeeding, but it also eradicates unnecessary pollution, which is commonly associated with salmon farms. It further encourages the salmon’s natural instincts as they are not raised to adhere to an inevitable frenzied feeding time.
As the name suggests, Ora King are King salmon, not Atlantic. This means many things, but most notably, it means that the salmon are significantly larger in size, richer in flavor, and have a higher fat content (think healthy omega-3 fatty acids.) These are traits that are almost completely absent in common Atlantic salmon we see in grocery stores. In the words of Ora King:
“The King salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) species makes up less than 0.5% of the global salmon population yet is regarded by many as the pinnacle salmon species internationally.”
These salmon are not typical farm-raised salmon. Their silvery skin is brighter, and the interior flesh is vibrant orange with noticeable fat marbling. The fat content is higher, making them more luscious to eat and more attractive to look at. A premium fish to eat raw, the salmon is so flavorful and fresh-tasting; it can easily stand up against the most premium sushi-grade salmon standards. Furthermore, the slightly higher fat content also makes them an ideal candidate for cooking because it keeps the meat moist and inhibits drying out when cooking.
With a larger belly section than typical salmon, the fillets are more generous, producing thicker, meatier cuts. Texturally, the flesh is supple, rich, and more flavorful. A natural umami savory, smoky taste comes through when eating it. It’s a far cry from the bland farmed salmon we’re all sadly familiar with.
Year round, the Ora King’s are available as whole fish, filleted, or smoked. Many restaurants around LA are now starting to carry and to incorporate the Ora King into their menus. Nobu, in West Hollywood, just added several preparations to their menu, including many raw ones. Other notable restaurants joyfully serving Ora King include Craft in Century City and the famed Spago.
The fatty Ora King salmon emulates the rich flavors of fatty tuna but with a silkier texture and unctuous mouthfeel. Paired with yuzu and soy, the sashimi plays beautifully in traditional Japanese’s preparations. Equally delicious are the seared versions paired either with sweet miso and Japanese vinaigrette or with fried spinach and garlic. The salmon is incredibly flavorful even when cooked.
For more information on where you can buy the salmon and which restaurants are preparing this delicious new product, see their website or contact a regional sales consultant. Also, stay up-to-date on twitter with @OraKingUSA.
I can tell you from experience, folks, this salmon is utterly delicious and unlike anything you’ve ever had before. Zero odor and so fresh, it’s staring you square in the eye, and remarkably, the scales are so tiny that they’re undetectable. There’s no scaling required before preparation. Seriously.
Phone: 888.865.9548
Email: info@orakingsalmon.com