# Steelhead vs Salmon??



## smokeusum

I hear there's not much difference in taste, etc? I picked up the Steelhead. My only other choice was a very pale, grainy looking Farmed Raised Atlantic Salmon. It wasn't pretty. The Steelhead was beautiful; deep, rich color and very consistent "fleshy" texture... Thoughts?


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## smoking b

They are very similar but if I can find it for a reasonable price I get sockeye salmon. It's some really good eatin!


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## smokeusum

Smoking B said:


> They are very similar but if I can find it for a reasonable price I get sockeye salmon. It's some really good eatin!  :biggrin:



I agree, B!!! Hope the Steelhead meets my expectations!!! The salmon the had looked scary!!!


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## mike johnson

steel head or salmon is like Prime rib or T bone. They are all great just depends on the mood at the moment.


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## smokeusum

SmokedSteelhead.jpg



__ smokeusum
__ Feb 10, 2013






Hugely pleased with the outcome!!! The Steelhead was a perfect choice of the Atlantic Salmon!


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## big dee

Mike Johnson said:


> steel head or salmon is like Prime rib or T bone. They are all great just depends on the mood at the moment.


X2

The steelhead looks great.


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## smoking b

smokeusum said:


> SmokedSteelhead.jpg
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> __ smokeusum
> __ Feb 10, 2013
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> Hugely pleased with the outcome!!! The Steelhead was a perfect choice of the Atlantic Salmon!


Man that looks good!  
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





   I wanna thaw out some now 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





   Is it gone already?


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## smokeusum

I'm trying like hell to not devour it!! As a crowning glory, while it was still fresh out of the smoker I lightly brushed a bit of light agave over it, OMG! Score!!! I could sit here and it all of it without thinking twice!


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## dirtsailor2003

Great looking Steelhead!!!


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## smokeusum

Thank you, DS! I ate half of one already just picking at it!! Wrapped them up and threw them in the fridge--I like to take it to work for lunch, it's nice and light and I don't feel like I need at nap afterwards!! And smoking them really helps them last the week (or till their gone, usually by Tuesday!)


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## ldrus

Looks fantastic!


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## jp61

Never ate Steelhead myself but, that looks real good!

I know if you ever hook into one, you better hang on because you're going for a ride...... they're like a runaway freight train.


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## roller

Steelhead are a Rainbow Trout that have gone to sea...to me they are pretty close to the taste of a Silver...yours looks just great...really nice job !


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## smokeusum

Roller said:


> Steelhead are a Rainbow Trout that have gone to sea...to me they are pretty close to the taste of a Silver...yours looks just great...really nice job !


I was super pleased with the taste! It smoked beautifully! I'd dare even a seasoned palate to distinguish the two!!!


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## smokin505

That's a beautiful fish... very nice color! I've looked at Steelheads at the store before and considered buying them, but the filets seem like they're quite a bit thinner than actual salmon.  This could very well be simply coincidence, though. How thick was that and how long did it take to smoke?  Ok, I can't look at any more of these pictures.  I'm going to go break into my fridge and devour the last of my salmon... :)


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## akhap

IMO after decades of serious field research ;) and many hundreds of pounds consumed... Steelhead is not very close to the better salmon, and better than the lesser salmon.  I would say it is most like ocean-caught pinks, good fish, but not great.

Many argue over whether king (Chinook) or red (sockeye) is the best and each has its supporters.

Silvers (coho) are good when fresh but must be handled carefully as they get mushy very fast.  Handled properly they are my second favorite salmon.

Pinks (humpies) and dogs (oceanbright is a newish marketing term) are really only good if caught in saltwater and eaten immediately...  Though I smoked some this past summer that were surprisingly good.

Without going into it, the politics of commercial steelhead harvesting should be looked into carefully before buying it if you are inclined toward those types of arguments.  I will not intentionally ever kill another.  And I killed a monster brown bear on Kodiak last spring, and a caribou this past October, so I am hardly a bleeding heart.


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## capntrip

Looks good.....I have smoked it before when the store hasn't had any nice looking salmon and it tastes mighty fine


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## ddwain

Here in the Eastern Great Lakes, we catch both Steelhead and Salmon, mostly Chinook, but some Coho from Lake Ontario.  I grew up on the West Coast and none of what we have here compares to any true sea run salmonoid type fish I grew up catching and eating.  They do however compare very closely to the farm raised salmon, very, very fatty and lacking in taste.  I think very little of them actually cooked, but off a smoker, they all can be made to taste great from my experience.  I get few complaints anyway.  Still, sea run fish have such a rich diet their taste has no rival in any Great Lake or farmers tank.


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## akhap

ddwain said:


> Here in the Eastern Great Lakes, we catch both Steelhead and Salmon, mostly Chinook, but some Coho from Lake Ontario.  I grew up on the West Coast and none of what we have here compares to any true sea run salmonoid type fish I grew up catching and eating.  They do however compare very closely to the farm raised salmon, very, very fatty and lacking in taste.  I think very little of them actually cooked, but off a smoker, they all can be made to taste great from my experience.  I get few complaints anyway.  Still, sea run fish have such a rich diet their taste has no rival in any Great Lake or farmers tank.



Yup, I agree with almost everything you said... But those of us on the ocean do not actually believe your fish are steelhead... the real argument is whether they are "steelbows" or "rainheads"... :icon_biggrin:

Lots of rainbow trout throughout their natural range run out of lakes into rivers to spawn... Technical term would be "potadromous" as opposed to steelhead which are "anadromous" (or eels which run to saltwater to spawn; "catadromous")...  As there are many potadromous rainbows suggesting one other run should suddenly be called steelhead is probably not really defensible from a purely scientific basis...


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## ddwain

I believe I put the Great Lakes fish in a category not worthy of a sea run fish.  I did call them Steelhead, though they don't go to the sea where a true Steelhead earns it's name.  Still, the original breeding stock, many, many generations ago were taken from returning Steelhead trout so you can't really call them Rainbow trout anymore either.  Nor can you assign your own name, but if so just go with Silver Bullet, as that's a good one the locals use.


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## akhap

ddwain said:


> I believe I put the Great Lakes fish in a category not worthy of a sea run fish.  I did call them Steelhead, though they don't go to the sea where a true Steelhead earns it's name.  Still, the original breeding stock, many, many generations ago were taken from returning Steelhead trout so you can't really call them Rainbow trout anymore either.  Nor can you assign your own name, but if so just go with Silver Bullet, as that's a good one the locals use.



Note too many years ago the Genus of rainbows and steelhead was changed from "Salmo" to "Onchorhynchos" which was based on genetic research.  O. is the same Genus as the other Pacific salmon, so the common term "trout" really does not apply either...  But in both cases, new name and old, steelhead and rainbow remain both the same Genus and species.  So they are the same fish...

Taking it a step farther, sockeye salmon have natural runs that are landlocked, yet still run up or down rivers to spawn.  The three types of sockeye either run up a river to spawn in a lake (around and in springs) or to spawn below the lake, or above the lake.  In each type the hatching salmon must go to, or stay in, the lake to survive.  There have been examples where the wrong type was stocked and it took them quite a while to figure out why the new runs failed.

Same thing happened with "steelhead" introductions in many places.  I would not be betting a lot of money on the purity of the Great Lakes potadromous rainbow genetics.  :icon_wink:

Now, realize that landlocked sockeyes have been planted lots of places and in many cases they used searun sockeye for brood stock.  Once they were landlocked they stopped calling them sockeye and started calling them kokanee.  

Rainheads and steelbows may share steelhead genetics, but so does farmed albino rainbow and you don't see anyone confusing them! :icon_wink:

Sorry for the sidetrack!
art


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## ddwain

Science aside cuz mostly who cares!  They stocked the Silver Bullets out here for the same reason they're now building Casino's....to keep the local's entertained and their dollars from being spent vacationing in your neck of the woods.   It's all good fun and tasty too when done right, at least on the fish I mean.  Coincidentally, my Mom just called from Montana to let me know she's sending me a care package that includes some canned Sockeye from Alaska.  Can't wait!


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## akhap

I am with you... Just running some stuff out to stimulate conversation.  :icon_wink:


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## mneeley490

Coincidentally, I saw some steelhead on sale in my local Fred Meyer store last night, $3.99 lb., whole.  I assume it was farm raised. Almost bit, but my cart was already pretty full.

Haven't been fishing in many years, but from what I remember, steelhead will put up a tougher fight than most salmon, too.


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