Red called the fish of the salmon family. On the counter you can see a variety of names, which leads to confusion. In fact, salmon is not a fish, but the gastronomic name of the whole family. Trout and salmon only relate to it. And one and the other fish can be called salmon. But is there a difference between them?
In fact, it is very simple to distinguish them by external signs. It is important to be able to do this, since in the store often they give out one kind after another, and they do it by no means by chance.
Size matters?
What more! The larger the fish, the less seeds there are in it, more profit, less waste, more convenient to use in cooking. And then the primacy belongs to salmon. The weight of adult carcasses can be 7-10 kg. Usually oriented along the length. As soon as the fish reaches 1.5 meters, it is slaughtered. It is slices of this fish that can be observed in the windows of large stores. Huge pieces of red fish attract attention.
Unlike salmon, trout has a very modest size. Carcass weight rarely exceeds 3 kg.
Often you can buy even small fish up to 1-2 kg, length up to 30 cm, sometimes it is cooked whole, which is impossible to do with salmon. Large trout carcasses are used for steaks, but less often than salmon. An inexperienced buyer is recommended to rely not only on size, other signs should be studied.
By the way, under the name "trout" several species of fish are identified that have similar characteristics, but live in fresh and salty water bodies. It is believed that trout lives only in a clean environment. In dirty water this fish is not found. It is recommended to give it to children.
What does trout and salmon look like?
Externally, trout and salmon are also different, it's not about size. Each fish has a different form of carcasses. Salmon is more streamlined, smooth, horizontal slices in different areas do not differ much in size. Trout has extended sections.
What are the other differences:
- The scales of trout are smaller than those of salmon. This is largely due to the size of the fish.
- The salmon has a longer head, the front part of the skull (rostrum) protrudes more forward. In trout, it is less pronounced, it can slightly truncated form.
- Salmon has a relatively even silver color of scales on the whole carcass, only on the abdomen a slightly lighter shade.
- Trout is unevenly colored. The habitat also affects. Most often, the back has greenish tones, on the sides there are silver scales, sometimes white or light gray. This combination creates mild stripes.
Color and type of meat
Often fish is sold in stores, you can buy salted (slightly salted, slightly salted, slightly smoked) salmon. It is clear that a piece of fish 150-200 grams to determine the size of the carcass or the color of the scales is impossible. In this case, we look at the pulp itself or fish meat.
Key features and differences:
- Salmon always has white small veins. This is fat, which gives juiciness, tenderness to this species. Trout has no such veins.
- If salmon has fat evenly distributed throughout the carcass in the form of a light net, then trout has more fat on its abdomen. This is similar to many species of white river fish. Layers of lard in adults practically displace meat in the lower region. In shops you can find separately smoked belly, usually they are from trout.
- The salmon meat has a light pink color with an orange undertone.. This is the salmon shade. The name is often found in the field of fashion and beauty. By the way, it is the salmon shade that will be fashionable in 2019, according to the Pantone Color Institute.
- Trout meat is directly dependent on the fish habitat. If it is caught in fresh water, it has a light shade. Sea trout is more saturated, very similar to salmon when cut, but remember the veins, they are not in this meat.
These signs are more suitable for fresh salmon. If salmon and trout are frozen, then they have almost the same color, and veins can not be seen under the ice crust. That is why it is recommended to pamper yourself with only fresh delicacies. Frozen fish, fillets and steaks from it are much easier to fake, which is what dishonest sellers and producers do.
Important! Red fish should not have a color matching the name. Bright scarlet and orange shades in nature do not exist. Such an intense color of meat should alert. Most often, it is achieved by artificial dyeing, this is done by unscrupulous manufacturers in order to improve the presentation of the product.
How much does salmon cost?
Pricing depends on various factors, place of acquisition, country of residence, but salmon is usually much more expensive than trout. Trout river or freshwater is even cheaper; it is found in Norwegian rivers. The catch of local fishermen can be bought for a penny, which can not be said about salmon. Sea fish is valued more, contains other substances, although their taste is similar, as is the aroma.
By the way, salmon are no longer caught, this fish is listed in the Red Book. Everything that we see on the shelves is grown under artificial conditions (with the exception of poaching products). The world leader in production is Norway.
What is healthier and better: trout or salmon
You can write books about the benefits of red fish. But which salmon is better? Salmon is considered a true delicacy in all respects. River trout does not belong to it, it is poorer in the composition of valuable substances, contains less fat.
For comparison, there are 15 g in salmon and only 4.5 g per trout in trout. Calories are 220 kcal and 150 kcal, respectively.
So the conclusion is:
- salmon is more expensive, trout is cheaper;
- there are more essential fatty acids in salmon;
- fat-streaked salmon meat;
- trout is sea and freshwater, which affects the composition and color of meat;
- the trout is smaller, in the piece more seeds are obtained.
Despite the difference and benefits of salmon, both types of red fish are good for humans. The fresh product, which was not subjected to coloring, freezing, transported and stored in proper conditions, has even greater value. If it is possible to purchase high-quality trout, there are farms in our country, then it is better to give preference to it than imported salmon of dubious origin.
