Steelhead vs Salmon??

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smokeusum

Smoking Fanatic
Original poster
Jan 13, 2013
571
26
Charlotte, NC
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?
 
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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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!
 
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!)
 
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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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 !
 
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!!!
 
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... :)
 
 
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.
 
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. 
 
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...
 
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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