Ever tried Taku River Salmon?

We are starting to see some Taku River Salmon available locally. Has anyone ever tried it? How does it compare to Copper River Salmon? I was told these are sourced from the Juneau, Alaska part of the river.

We are starting to see some Taku River Salmon available locally. Has anyone ever tried it? How does it compare to Copper River Salmon? I was told these are sourced from the Juneau, Alaska part of the river.

Dave, I just googled Taku River Salmon and now I want to order a couple 8oz smoked filet's. One would be maple flavor and the other would be the peppered. it sounds delicious, and the cost including shipping is just under $38. Here is one link to the smoked salmon. http://www.takuwild.com/product/index.html

[David M. Bueker]

Last year I spent a week in Wrangell St. Elias National Park. The Copper River is one of hte borders of the park. I spent a lot of time talking with park rangers and staff, and they were saying that the reason that Copper River Salmon is so popular/famous is that the Copper River is one of the first places the fish get to, so it's the first fish to come out of the state. Qualitatively it's no different from River X or River Y salmon.

We are getting a Taku Salmon flown in from Alaska tomorrow morning, I hear it is the best salmon on the planet right now, rivals Copper river and is lower priced. I will post pics. tomorrow and let you know what I think.

Last year I spent a week in Wrangell St. Elias National Park. The Copper River is one of hte borders of the park. I spent a lot of time talking with park rangers and staff, and they were saying that the reason that Copper River Salmon is so popular/famous is that the Copper River is one of the first places the fish get to, so it's the first fish to come out of the state. Qualitatively it's no different from River X or River Y salmon.

I certainly agree that Copper River salmon are not inherently different from those in any other fishery in Alaska, but there are differences to be seen in Alaskan salmon. There are three main species that get sold as wild-caught: Chinook (King), sockeye (red) and Coho (silver). Chinook season is the earliest, ending in mid-July, followed by Sockeye and Coho seasons. Most of the Copper River salmon I've seen marketed has been Sockeye, though the river itself is home to all three species (as are most of the rivers in Alaska). The Taku river salmon I've seen advertised on the Internet is "Taku River red" which would be Sockeye, too. Personally, I prefer Chinook to Sockeye and both of them to Coho, which I think is only marginally superior in flavor to chum and pink salmon. YMMV, of course.

Mark Lipton

We are getting a Taku Salmon flown in from Alaska tomorrow morning, I hear it is the best salmon on the planet right now, rivals Copper river and is lower priced. I will post pics. tomorrow and let you know what I think.

Chef, welcome to our little corner of the food (and wine) world. We look forward to hearing lots of good food information from you. I am sure we will learn some things from your posts.

[David M. Bueker]

I certainly agree that Copper River salmon are not inherently different from those in any other fishery in Alaska, but there are differences to be seen in Alaskan salmon.

Totally agree. I just find the whole "COPPER RIVER SALMON!!!" thing a little bit funny.

Of course even the air freighted stuff does not come close the the really fresh stuff I had a couple of times on trips up to Alaska where the boat came in, they cleaned the fish, cooked it & I ate it right then & there.

We received the Taku Salmon today and it was in pristine condition! It was a 30# King H&G Day Boat fish.
My concept was really simple, lightly grilled, seasoned with kosher salt and EVO, then we had some porcini mushrooms from Oregon so we roasted them with thyme and garlic. I was undecided as to a starch so I went with a creamy polenta and added the mushrooms to it. There were severe thunderstorms all day and night and it was a little chilly with the wind gusting off our lake, so I thought polenta would be perfect and then to balance the plate we added spring peas with pancetta, and a drizzle of Black Cherry Balsamic from Modena and some EVO from Sicily. Our wine pairing was easy as we know Pinot Noir can be used because the dish can stand up to the wine, being a heavier dish for an unseasonably , cold,dark, rainy spring day. Our selection was a 2004 Duckhorn" Golden Eye" Pinot from Anderson Valley. You can look at pictures on my blog @ http://onestarrchef.blogspot.com/ I will post pics, here as soon as I figure out how and where.
And on a final note, it is just my opinion on the subject of Copper vs. Taku my choice this year as of today is Taku hands down. Not only was it superior in flavor it was much less expensive per pound as we brought it in overnight for only $13.95 a pound that includes shipping.
Thanks and good eating.
Chef Rick

Not only was it superior in flavor it was much less expensive per pound as we brought it in overnight for only $13.95 a pound that includes shipping.
Thanks and good eating.
Chef Rick

Was your purchase trade only or can "chef wanna bees" purchase as well? Who would you recommend purchasing from?

Drew