Cranky Consumer: Ordering Wild Salmon Online

Recently Ed’s Kasilof Seafoods was mentioned in an article for the Wall Street Journal, below is an excerpt of that article:

“Kasilof’s fish was our favorite on the grill”.

Home & Family — Cranky Consumer: Ordering Wild Salmon Online —- By Jane Hodges

The Wall Street Journal via Dow Jones

WILD SALMON IS SAID to taste a lot better than the farmed variety and also to

contain fewer contaminants such as mercury. But the wild vs. farmed distinction

is moot if wild salmon isn’t available at your local fish market.

Fish lovers, though, now have a growing option: They can have a fish company

send frozen-packed wild salmon overnight straight to their doorstep — and

dinner plate.

We went online to order Alaskan king salmon and find out if it was worth the

time and money. We knew that overnight delivery of fish wouldn’t come cheap, and

that we were taking our chances by buying fish sight unseen. A single variety of

fish can vary in color, texture and taste, depending on where the fish is from

and which processing company handled it.

We found four companies willing to send us salmon in one- or two-pound orders,

but only after scrolling extensively through Web sites promoting free or

inexpensive shipping for larger orders (say, five pounds and up). We noticed

some variation in the fish’s prices ($13.60 to $27.95 a pound) among the

companies as well. Those prices can vary, too, depending on the time of year you

order fish: One site that was charging $18.95 a pound in December charged $27.95

a pound for the same variety of fish in early fall.

Most sites charge a flat or basic rate for nonfrozen items (such as smoked or

canned fish), and a second type of pricing or charge for perishable foods sent

overnight or via two-day shipping methods. The whole process boils down to how

soon you want your fish and how much you are willing to pay for it to arrive

when you want it.

Our orders came swaddled in dry ice or ice packs within Styrofoam or cardboard

boxes, some of which were lined with Alaskan newspapers. Generally, the fish was

still frozen all the way through. All orders were accompanied by catalogs and

other extras such as a recipe book, a refrigerator magnet, dog treats and a

tasty spice rub.

The real test was on the palate. We prepared salmon two ways: oven-baked with

lemon and herbs, and grilled on the barbecue. The salmon varied in color and fat

content as well as bone content, although this last factor is predictable

because most fillets contain bones.

Ed’s Kasilof Seafoods provided us with the thickest cut and a fish

that was paler (nearly white) and milder-tasting than we expect from salmon.

Though it was unusual, Kasilof’s fish was our favorite on the grill.