March 10, 2021

At Pride of Bristol Bay, all of our wild Bristol Bay sockeye salmon, both fillets and portions, are sold with the skin-on. There are a few reasons for this, but the most important one for new customers to understand is that wild salmon skin is delicious! There is a flavor-filled layer of fat between the flesh of the fillet and the skin, which you’ll notice as the dark tan color under the bright red fillet. You’ll want to eat that part for sure. It is delicious and where all the good Omega-3s are stored. We recommend this technique from Alaska chef Kaylah Thomas for achieving yummy, crispy salmon skin. 

Second, when shopping for sockeye salmon online or in-store that all fish of quality is sold with the skin on. This is an important quality measure that helps you, the buyer, know that you are

1. buying the appropriate species - it is easiest to identify fish by its skin markings - and 
2. the skin tells you a lot about how the fish was handled and what quality it is in - bright skin with in-tact scales is great! 

Unfortunately, years ago, the seafood industry lost some credibility when there were reports of fish being sold as other species in order for large industry corporations to cut corners and save a buck. This is why we stress the importance of traceability and buying directly from the fisherman. At Pride of Bristol Bay, we sell exclusively wild sockeye salmon from Bristol Bay, caught by ourselves and our fishing partners who we can trust. This is the final reason for why we sell our fish skin-on. It shows how seriously we take both traceability and quality. 

Did you know that one scale from a salmon fillet can tell a fisheries biologist how old the fish is and where it came from? That’s the type of understanding we want our customers to have of their product.