Is Salmon Naturally Grey Not Pink?

When looking at fresh fish we all want to choose the freshest, highest quality we can. When it comes to salmon one way a lot of people judge its freshness/quality is the ‘pinkness’ of the salmon. The general rule being the pinker or darker the fish the better it is.

With wild salmon this is the case. If you have ever had Wild Alaskan Salmon for example you will know it takes on a different, slightly darker pink colour to regular farmed salmon.
The bulk of what is in the supermarket both pre-packaged and on the fresh fish counter is farmed salmon. And would you believe farmed salmon isn’t naturally pink at all?

What colour is farmed salmon naturally?

Farmed salmon is naturally grey. I know it sounds crazy (and I little off-putting) but it’s true. The pink colour is added to the salmon to make it pink and therefore more appealing to customers.
The pink colour is added with a substance called astaxanthin. This substance is found naturally in other fish and seafood which is naturally pink such as prawns and trout. But the reality is it’s cheaper to produce this substance in a lab so the vast majority of farmed salmon is loaded up with artificial pink colouring.

What’s worse is that this process obviously costs time and money and therefore increases the price of the finished product for us as consumers. But the theory is grey salmon would be impossible to sell even at a lower price hence the added pink colouring.

Personally I would rather have the product naturally as it is, and get used to the idea of it being grey. But perhaps I am very much in the minority there! But certainly don’t judge your salmon’s quality on what shade of pink it is unless it is wild salmon.

Conclusion – Is Salmon Naturally Grey Not Pink?

If you can afford it wild salmon is your best choice as you know that no artificial colouring have been added. But farmed salmon is still fine. The many, many other health benefits salmon brings far outweigh a few artificial colouring in my view.

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