Chinook fish: useful properties, where it lives, delicious recipes

The salmon family has many varieties of red fish, and chinook is one of these beautiful representatives. It is able to gain a lot of weight, in addition, it can be distinguished from similar representatives of salmon species of fish by external signs.

Moreover, its meat is distinguished by its special usefulness and pronounced taste data. Thanks to these characteristics, the meat of this fish is considered an excellent source for the preparation of all kinds of healthy and quite tasty restaurant dishes.

Chinook, as one of the brightest representatives of the salmon family

The chinook fish has a number of other names associated with its importance. So, the Americans call the Chinook salmon “the king of salmon”, and the Japanese gave it a no less vivid name – the “prince of salmon”. Based on these names, it is not difficult to guess how valuable this fish is. In addition, the name indicates that this fish is cunning, smart, swift and strong.

Chinook Habitat

According to scientific definitions, chinook salmon belongs to the freshwater species of the salmon family. Despite this, the fish spends the bulk of its life outside the boundaries of fresh water and at a considerable distance from the places where it was born. This is due to a certain life cycle, which is characterized by almost all representatives of salmon.

Chinook is found in the interval between the western border of the Pacific coast of the United States and the north of the Japanese Islands, as well as in Kamchatka and the Kuril Islands.

In the fresh waters of the reservoirs of British Columbia, Washington, on the territory of the Russian Federation, in the basins of the Anadyr and Amur rivers, there is a freshwater population of Chinook salmon.

In our time, artificial breeding of salmon species of fish is increasingly practiced, and chinook salmon is no exception. Chinook salmon are bred on artificially built farms located on the Great Lakes in the USA and New Zealand waters. This approach is dictated by the modern conditions of human life, when the number of fish caught is constantly increasing, due to which its number is decreasing.

Chinook fish: description

If we compare chinook salmon with other species of the salmon family, then chinook salmon can be distinguished by significant weight. The average fish individuals are characterized by a weight of 6 to 17 kg, although some anglers managed to catch a specimen weighing up to 30 kg. The record weight of this fish is fixed at around 60 kg. The average length of the fish is from 85 to 115 cm, but sometimes there are individuals with a length of 1,5 to 2 meters.

Large stripes located between the head and its body are considered external distinguishing features. The color of the fish largely depends on the places where it lives and can be either light gray or greenish-silver or olive. The abdominal region of the fish and its sides have a silvery tint. On the sides, above the lateral line and on the surface of the back, dorsal and caudal fins are small dark dots. When it’s time to spawn, the chinook changes its color: there is a bright brown tint in the body area, and the head area darkens. As a rule, most species of fish of this family, before the spawning period, radically change their appearance.

Chinook salmon can also be distinguished from other species of this family by spots, not large in size, which are visible on the back, tail and fins of the fish. In addition, there are no X-shaped spots and pink stripes characteristic of salmon fish along the body on the body of the Chinook salmon fish.

Period of life and reproduction

The life cycle of chinook salmon is divided into several stages:

• Born in a freshwater river.
• Lived in this place for two years.
• Moving to the sea and living there until 3-5 years of age.
• Return to the places where she was born to continue her lineage.

Males of certain species of this family, growing in length from 10 to 50 cm, may not leave their places, while reaching sexual maturity. They participate in the spawning process along with other males. Chinook spawns in small rivers, moving to permanent spawning grounds, while overcoming up to 4 thousand kilometers. The process of fish spawning can be carried out for quite a long time: in normal natural conditions – from June to August, and in the conditions of northern latitudes – from autumn to winter.

While in the river, the fish eats:

1. All kinds of larvae.
2. Insects.
3. Not a big fish.
4. Not big crustaceans.

When she moves to the seas, her diet is:

• Crustaceans.
• Cephalopods.
• Small fish.
• Plankton.
• The wing

Composition of chinook meat

Chinook fish meat is characterized as especially valuable, due to the presence in it of all the necessary nutrients that ensure the normal functioning of the human body, as well as the possibility of preparing various dishes, thanks to its excellent taste. Chinook fish meat is rich in vitamins B1 and B2, as well as vitamins C, PP, K, E. In addition to vitamins, meat contains a whole bunch of useful trace elements such as zinc, selenium, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, molybdenum , sodium, nickel, chromium, fluorine, etc.

Chinook meat contains up to 20 g of protein per 100 g of product. Meat also contains fatty acids choline and Omega-3, which are not reproduced by the human body. This applies to docosahexanoic (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic (EPA) acids, the function of which is to strengthen cell membranes, which contributes to the proper implementation of metabolic processes in the human body. Fish meat, including its caviar, is characterized by a high digestibility rate, which makes it possible to assimilate all useful components as efficiently as possible. Thanks to these properties, fish occupies a special place in the human diet.

Chinook caviar is characterized by the presence of a bitter aftertaste, and individual eggs reach a size of up to 6-7 mm. At one time, the fish can lay up to 14 thousand eggs.

The percentage of fat in meat is very small and is only 11-13,5%, which is somewhat less in comparison with the meat of other types of fish of the salmon family. The meat is characterized by a rich red color with a raspberry tint. Its meat tastes like salmon meat. With proper and competent cooking, chinook meat can turn out to be much tastier than salmon meat.

The energy value of chinook fish meat is estimated at 146 kcal per 100 grams of product. These indicators may vary within a small range, depending on its habitat, age, gender, time of fishing, etc.

The benefits and harms of chinook fish

By eating chinook fish, you can achieve the following results:

• Prevent destructive and atrophic processes occurring in the central nervous system associated with age-related factors.
• Reduce the risk of developing sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
• Have a positive effect on the functioning of the cardiovascular system.
• Improve the processes of blood circulation in the body.
• Strengthen bone tissue, reduce the likelihood of blood clots, as well as osteoporosis.
• Ensure the normal functioning of the organs of vision, optimize the activity of the nervous system with the generation of new nerve cells, ensure the high-quality removal of harmful substances from the body, nourishing the cells with full-fledged active substances.
• Maintain the tone of the vascular system, thanks to the secretion of biologically active components in the body, which help protect the body from various pathologies of complex origin.

Contraindications for the use of chinook meat should include the possibility of adverse reactions during pregnancy. Despite this, such reactions are very rare (1 out of 250 cases), which cannot be attributed to the severity of this indicator. In addition, the consumption of chinook meat is limited to people suffering from chronic gastrointestinal problems.

Where and how to catch chinook salmon

According to experts, the most valuable fish is considered when it has not yet begun to rise along the river to spawning grounds. But here there is a danger of its uncontrolled catch, which can lead to a significant decrease in the population of this tasty and healthy fish.

Most fishermen note that the chinook is a rather cunning and cautious fish. They claim that the fish chooses places to stay that are difficult to reach from the point of view of fishing.

Fish grown artificially contains more harmful substances, so it is not recommended to catch it in such places. In such cases, preference should be given to individuals caught in natural conditions.

Chinook meat in cooking

The meat of this fish is not only healthy, due to the presence of vitamins and useful elements in it, but also tasty, which allows you to cook healthy dishes of various categories from it. Exceptionally appreciated are dishes made from lightly salted chinook salmon. As a rule, the meat is salted according to a special recipe, after which it is suitable for delicious cold appetizers, as well as for making salads. In addition to this cooking option, chinook meat can be marinated, smoked, grilled, etc. In America, Chinook meat is cooked on heated coals or bricks, which is considered a delicacy. There are lovers of dried fish, especially balyk (fillet) of this fish. When chinook meat is cooked with a high salt content, it is subsequently soaked and boiled, after which it is consumed as a snack.

How to cook chinook meat deliciously

The most delicious chinook meat dish is lightly salted chinook salmon. So that the fish does not have time to lose some of its nutritional and beneficial properties, it is subjected to shock freezing. After the fish is caught, it is cut up and frozen in a special way directly on the fishing vessel, in refrigerators.

Chinook salmon fried with green peas and buckwheat

Stages of preparation:

• First of all, you should get rid of the scales and cut the carcass along the ridge, removing all the insides.
• The resulting fish fillet is cut into separate pieces of not large sizes, salted and poured with the juice of half a lemon, and sprinkled with seasonings, such as suneli hops (others are possible).
• At the next stage, the fish is marinated in the refrigerator while the buckwheat is cooked.
• Buckwheat is cooked in a pan, by frying in vegetable oil with chopped onions. First of all, the onion is fried until a golden hue is obtained, after which buckwheat is added to it. All this is poured with water, in a ratio of 1: 3 and cooked over medium heat until tender.
• Pickled chinook is taken out of the refrigerator and fried in a pan on both sides, with the addition of a small amount of vegetable oil.
• Ready-made buckwheat, fried fish and green pickled peas are poured onto a plate for decoration (and not only).

Short Tips

• You should not consume a large amount of chinook caviar per day (more than 5 teaspoons) due to the high content of sodium in it. The fact is that it binds fluid in the human body and, as a result, leads to stagnant processes and disruption of metabolic processes.
• Particular attention should be paid to the use of chinook meat or its caviar for pregnant women, as well as mothers who are breastfeeding. The presence of harmful substances, especially mercury, can affect the normal development of the fetus.
• Given the fact that this fish, over the period of its life, is capable of accumulating some of the harmful substances, and especially mercury, when buying it, it is better to give preference to specimens of medium and small sizes.

Conclusion

Seafood, including salmon fish, are considered valuable dietary products, and the presence of nutrients makes them indispensable when you want to lose weight. Low calorie content and the presence of a sufficient amount of protein, which is easily absorbed by the body, indicates that seafood must be present in the diet of every person without fail.