Types of Salmon: A Practical Species Guide

Last reviewed on 7 May 2026

"Salmon" is not one fish. It is a small group of related species, each with its own colour, texture, fat content and personality at the stove. The label at the supermarket may say only "salmon fillet", but two pieces of fish sold under that label can behave very differently when you cook them. This guide walks through the species you are likely to meet, what each is good for, and how to choose between them for a given recipe.

For freshness indicators (smell, colour, firmness), the homepage selection guidance covers what to check at the counter. This page is about which species to pick in the first place.

Atlantic vs Pacific: the basic split

Almost all commercial salmon falls into two broad groups. Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) is one species — almost always farm-raised — and accounts for the majority of fresh fillets in supermarkets across Europe and much of North America. Pacific salmon covers five species native to the North Pacific (sockeye, king, coho, pink and chum), most of which are wild-caught, mainly from Alaska and the Pacific Northwest.

The practical implications: Atlantic is consistent year-round, milder, fattier, and softer-textured. Pacific species are more seasonal, more flavourful, leaner on average, and firmer. A good general rule is that farmed Atlantic forgives slight overcooking better, while wild Pacific punishes it more.

The species, one by one

Atlantic salmon (farm-raised)

Pale to medium orange-pink, with prominent white fat lines. Mild, buttery flavour with a soft texture. Cooks quickly and stays moist. The default for weeknight fillets, beginner cooks, and recipes where the salmon is a backdrop for a sauce or glaze rather than the star — for example, lemon-garlic baked salmon or maple-glazed salmon. Affordable and reliably stocked.

Sockeye (red salmon)

The deep, almost neon orange-red is sockeye's signature, and it stays vivid even after cooking. Lean, firm, and intensely flavoured — the most "salmony" of the species. Easy to overcook because of the lower fat content, so it rewards careful timing and a thermometer. Outstanding for grilling, where its colour and firmness hold up to high heat: see the grilled salmon category. Often sold canned and is the wild canned salmon to look for.

King (Chinook)

The largest and the fattiest of the Pacific species. Pale orange to deep red-orange depending on diet; rich, almost beef-like in mouthfeel. Difficult to ruin because of the fat content — forgiving on the grill, in the smoker, or under a broiler with a glaze. Also the most expensive and the least available; you are most likely to see it in season at a fishmonger. A good choice for special occasions, a luxurious miso glaze, or a slow bake where richness is the point.

Coho (silver salmon)

Sits between sockeye and king. Medium-orange, moderately fatty, milder flavour than sockeye but more character than farmed Atlantic. A good all-rounder when you can find it: works for pan-searing, baking, and grilling. Often a smart compromise when you want wild-caught quality without sockeye's intensity or king's price.

Pink (humpback)

The smallest, leanest, and palest of the Pacific salmon. Pale pink flesh, mild flavour, soft texture. Almost always sold canned, smoked or as cured strips rather than as fresh fillets. Excellent for canned-salmon recipes like patties, pasta and salads, where the gentler flavour is an asset rather than a limitation.

Chum (keta)

Pale pink to light orange, lean, mild, with a firmer bite than pink. Often sold smoked or as a budget alternative for poke bowls and stir-fries. Less common in fresh form. The roe (ikura) is a major reason chum is fished commercially.

Steelhead (sea-run rainbow trout)

Strictly speaking a trout, not a salmon, but treated as one in cooking and at the counter. Looks and tastes much like a milder Atlantic, with similar fat content and a slightly more delicate texture. Good substitute when farmed Atlantic is the call but you want something fractionally more flavourful. Use the same temperatures and timings as for Atlantic.

Wild vs farm-raised, in plain terms

"Wild" and "farmed" describe how the fish was raised, not which species it is. Sockeye, coho, king, pink and chum are essentially all wild. Atlantic is essentially all farmed. The differences worth knowing:

• Fat content: Farmed Atlantic typically has more total fat than wild Pacific species. That makes it more forgiving and gives a softer mouthfeel; wild fish has a meatier bite.
• Flavour intensity: Wild salmon tends to taste more strongly of itself, partly because of varied diet. Farmed Atlantic is milder and more consistent.
• Colour: Wild fish gets its colour from a varied diet of crustaceans. Farmed colour is achieved by adding a feed-grade pigment (astaxanthin); the resulting hue is more uniform and very stable in cooking.
• Sustainability: Both can be sustainably produced. Look for the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) blue label for wild and the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) green label for farmed; both indicate certified well-managed operations.
• Seasonality: Wild Pacific runs are concentrated in spring and summer. Outside those months, "fresh" wild salmon is generally previously frozen — which is fine, and often better quality than poorly handled "fresh".

Choosing for the recipe, not the brand

Match the species to what the recipe asks of it.

• For mild, sauce-led recipes — lemon butter, herb crust, pesto pasta — use farmed Atlantic or steelhead. The salmon should be a clean canvas. See the baked and healthy categories.
• For high-heat grilling and smoky rubs — Cajun, teriyaki, kabobs — wild sockeye or coho hold their structure under heat. Browse grilled salmon recipes.
• For glazes and broils — miso, maple, sesame-ginger — king or coho's higher fat content keeps the centre moist while the surface caramelises. See miso salmon.
• For salads, patties and pantry meals — fried rice, pasta, lunch bowls — canned pink or sockeye is purpose-built. See canned salmon and leftover salmon.
• For raw applications — sushi bowls, tartare — only buy fish explicitly labelled for raw consumption, regardless of species. See the salmon sushi bowl recipe for a cooked-fish alternative.

A short shopping checklist

1. Read the country-of-origin and "wild" or "farmed" line. They tell you more than the species name alone.
2. Look at the colour. Vivid red is sockeye; pale orange with white striations is Atlantic; very pale pink is pink salmon.
3. Press gently. The flesh should spring back. Soft, mushy fish — wild or farmed — is past its prime.
4. Smell, briefly. A clean, sea-cucumber-like smell is good; a strong fishy or ammonia note means walk away.
5. Match price to species. If "wild king" is cheaper than the farmed Atlantic next to it, ask. The label may not be telling the whole story.

Once you know which species are which, the choice between them is mostly about what you are cooking and how rich you want the result to be. For temperature targets that work across all of them, see how to cook salmon to the right doneness.