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Salmon is one of the most popular types of fish in the world, largely consumed all around the planet. Below we highlight some of the intriguing numbers behind this wonderful fish.
18 million years ago, the first salmons made their appearance (even though some fossils may date as far back as 22 million years ago). There is evidence of their consumption by native American tribes 9000 years ago.
20 grams of proteins per 100 grams of fresh salmon. Salmon is a complete food from a nutritional point of view, with its 13 grams of fat, 363 milligrams of potassium, 59 milligrams of sodium and 27 milligrams of magnesium.
7 main varieties of salmon find their way onto our dining tables. The Atlantic Salmon has an average length of 1.2 meters, but may even reach 1.50 meters and a weight of 45 Kg. This is also the maximum size of a Chinook Salmon, even though its average length is 0.7 meters, but its weight can exceed 60 Kg. Then we have the Chum Salmon (average length 0.58 metres and an approximate weight of 15 Kg), the Coho Salmon (0.70 metres, 15 Kg), Masu Salmon (0.6 metres, 10 Kg), Pink Salmon (0.5 metres, 6.5 Kg) and the well-known Sockeye Salmon (0.58 metres, 7.5 Kg).
1600 kilometers are covered by a Sockeye salmon when it reaches maturity and has to make its journey from a freshwater habitat to the sea. However, some shoals (called kokanee) of this widespread and high-quality salmon remain in freshwater environments. The most difficult journey is made by the Sockeyes living in the Redfish Lake of Idaho: they have to face a journey of more than 1400 kilometers, starting from an altitude of 2000 meters.
11 of the 20 most important companies engaged in salmon fishing are located in Norway which is the world’s number one exporter of this fish (followed by Chile with 6 companies). In 2017, the year in which the latest data is available data, Norway caught as many as 370,346 tons of salmon. This is an astounding figure if we consider that the total fish production of this Nordic country, comprising all the fish varieties caught, stands at around 2.4 million tons per annum.
1.2 million tons of Pink Salmon are caught every year, followed by 0.6 million tons of Chum Salmon and 0.2 million tons of Sockeye. These are the three most widely fished salmon varieties in the world, followed at a considerable distance (0.1 million tons) by Coho Salmon. These figures do not include fish farming activities in which Atlantic Salmon takes the lion’s share: with a yearly production of around 2.4 million tons.
4 million tons of salmon will be consumed worldwide in 2023. This forecast for the salmon industry highlights the fact that the consumption of this fish is growing at a constant and significant rate. It has gone from around 3.32 million tons in 2018, to an estimated 3.45 million tons of 2019, with target figures of 3.58 for 2020, 3.71 for 2021 and 3.85 for 2022.
600 grams of salmon are enough to prepare an excellent fillet in butter sauce recipe for 4 people. You will also need some extra virgin olive oil, 300 grams of fish stock, 50 grams of clarified butter, lemon, salt, pepper, and garlic. Take the fillet of salmon and cut it into 4 slices before seasoning with salt and pepper. Then pan-fry in garlic-aromatized oil. When the salmon pieces are cooked, set them aside and keep them hot. Reduce the fish stock over a high flame, adding the butter and stirring continuously. Serve the salmon slices with the creamy sauce and sprinkled with a few drops of lemon at the last minute.
Are you looking for any further recipe with salmon? Take a look at our recipe section!
You can find a lot of yummy ideas, such as the salmon croquettes recipe, beetroot cured salmon recipe or mini rice sushi burgers with smoked salmon recipe.
Are you used to cook salmon in the oven? Take a look at Michelin star chefs doing it!
