Salmon is a great way to get your daily dose of omega-3s and is also rich in protein. And while you can buy fresh salmon at the grocery store, frozen fish can be much cheaper when on sale. Frozen salmon may have been previously cooked or raw, so it’s important to read labels carefully when purchasing. If you’re unsure how to prepare frozen salmon, try these easy recipes: Cajun Salmon with Rice Pilaf and Spinach Salad with Poached Egg; Fish Tacos with Grilled Pineapple Salsa; or Broiled Salmon Fillets over Crisp Asparagus and Roasted Sweet Potatoes.
Here are the best-frozen salmon available on the market today.
Editor’s Pick-Frozen Salmon
Best Frozen Salmon Reviews In 2023
1. 365 by Whole Foods Market
Standards for farm-raised finfish and shrimp at Whole Foods Market. These standards cover shrimp and fish like salmon, Trout, Tilapia, char, catfish, and other farmed finfish species. We require the following. No use of antibiotics added growth hormones or poultry and mammalian products in the feed. No genetically modified or cloned seafood.
Minimizing the impacts of fish farming on the environment by protecting sensitive habitats such as mangrove forests and wetlands, monitoring water quality to prevent pollution, and sourcing feed ingredients responsibly. No added preservatives, such as sodium bisulfate, tri-polyphosphate (STP), or sodium metabisulfite. Traceability from farm to store. Third-party audits.
Awesomeness on Every Aisle
Whole grains, fair trade coffee, organic milk, frozen veggies, and so much more all flexing with our unmatched Whole Foods Market Quality Standards.
There’s an Organic for That
We’ve got organics and non-GMO products at prices that won’t burn a hole in your favorite pants. They’ll turn into boogie-on-aisle-six pants.
2. PrimeWaters Coho Salmon Bagged Portions
Freshly harvested and flown into the U.S., our Coho Salmon is grown in the glacial waters of Chilean Patagonia with no antibiotics or preservatives. Each order includes a QR code tracing your order back to the sea farm where your fish came from, ensuring that your seafood is responsibly sourced.
Sustainably Raised In Constantly
PrimeWaters Coho Salmon Bagged Portions are sustainably raised in constantly moving water and are traceable for quality and consistency. Our salmon have no added preservatives and provide an excellent source of Vitamin D, protein, and Omega 3’s. These portions vary between 6-8oz each, perfect for a quick meal on the go or as a quick snack during the day.
Addition To Your Next Meal
PrimeWaters Coho Salmon Bagged Portions are the perfect addition to your next meal. With Heart-Check certification from the American Heart Association, each 5 oz. Serving is packed with 28g of protein, 1500 mg Omega-3s, and Vitamin D. Enjoy the heart health benefits of this frozen Coho salmon today!
3. Hardwood Cold Smoked Norwegian Salmon from Blue Circle Foods
Blue Circle Foods’ hardwood cold smoked Norwegian salmon comes from the pristine Arctic waters of Norway. Using the most humane techniques for raising and harvesting our fish, including clean feed, large, natural water pens, and chemical-free treatments, we produce one of the healthiest salmons on the market. We use a slow-drying method that produces a crystal clear product with the right amount of smokey sweetness.
Atlantic Salmon Is Lightly
Responsibly raised in pristine Arctic waters, our cold smoked Atlantic salmon is lightly seasoned with salt and pepper and gently cured under carefully controlled humidity and temperature conditions. It’s then slowly cold-smoked at 80° F over a fire of locally sourced beechwood to create a delicate flavor that is melt-in-your-mouth delicious.
Transparent and Traceable
Hardwood Cold Smoked Norwegian Salmon from Blue Circle Foods is the most sustainable salmon on the market. With audited traceability, raw material vetting, and sustainability credentials, our premium Hardwood Cold Smoked Salmon is available only at selected retailers and comes with a 100% Quality Guarantee to seal its freshness and flavor.
4. Ocean’s Finest Seafood – Atlantic Salmon – Skinless Natural Premium Fillets
Feel good about what you eat with quality gourmet Atlantic Salmon seafood, straight from Patagonia’s pristine glacial ocean waters. Fished with the highest level of environmental management-conservation and preservation of the local ecosystem. This beautiful, deliciously moist, flaky Atlantic Salmon is perfect on the grill, in the oven, or by the pan.
Artificial Coloring Or Preservatives
The highest quality sustainable gourmet salmon is straight from Patagonia’s pristine glacial ocean waters. Our fillets have a natural orange color with no artificial coloring or preservatives, and they are freshly frozen to lock in all their freshness and juices. Ocean’s Finest Premium Salmon is hand cut, with an appetizing appearance and a soft texture that makes it perfect for the grill, oven baking, broiling, or sautéing.
Atlantic Salmon Perfect
A beautiful, delicious, moist, and flaky Atlantic Salmon perfect for grilling, baking, or pan searing. Prepared with all-natural ingredients, this incredible salmon is a true delicacy. It has all of the convenience and comfort of home with the five-star restaurant quality taste and experience.
5. 3 Frozen Sockeye Salmon Fillets
These fillets are great for grilling. They have a delicious, clear flavor packed with protein and nutrients. These are genuine Alaska sockeye salmon, run through a humane processing method that is environmentally friendly and produces the best quality product possible.
Pacific Salmon Are Caught
Fresh frozen sockeye salmon fillets from Alaska in individually vacuum sealed bags. Pure, wholesome sockeye with a delicate, rich flavor unmatched in the fish world. These Pacific salmon are caught, processed, and flash frozen on the fishing boat right at the dockside (that means no long truck rides or high temperatures). So good you’ll want to eat it cold. Great for any meal, but especially good grilled or poached!
Provides At Least The Daily requirements
3 Frozen Sockeye Salmon Fillets. Alaskan sockeye salmon is known as the “true red” sockeye because of its gorgeous fire engine color, and the delicately sweet taste is a favorite of those who love genuine wild Alaskan salmon. A single serving of Alaska salmon provides at least the daily requirement of heart-healthy Omega-3 fatty acids plus half the recommended amount of vitamin D. Wild Alaska salmon contains higher levels of these important nutrients than any other fish. Many experts consider Alaska salmon to be nature’s ultimate muscle food.
6. Fresh Frozen Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon by Northwest Wild Foods
This Wild Sockeye Salmon is harvested near the Alaskan Peninsula and is flash-frozen immediately to lock in freshness, flavor, and nutrition. It’s delicious or makes it into a salmon dinner with some wild rice, steamed broccoli and a touch of lemon juice.
Amazing Fish From Alaska
Some of the finest wild sockeye salmon we have ever seen this season. Our Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon is wild caught deep in the icy waters of Alaska. We fly this amazing fish from Alaska the same day they’re caught to portion and freeze them. We have 3rd generation fishermen who hand select only the finest fish for us, providing our customers with the finest wild-caught sockeye salmon around. Our 6oz portions are delivered frozen to your door. Enjoy!
Family-owned Company
Northwest Wild Foods is a small, family-owned company in Burlington, Washington, dedicated to bringing you the rare and natural wild flavors of our region and beyond. Since 1988 we have worked hard to provide our valued customers with the best wild and organic products the great Northwest offers.
What To Consider When Choosing The Best Frozen Salmon
Farmed
If you choose wild salmon (all Alaskan salmon are wild-caught), you must choose between that and farmed salmon (in the United States, it is illegal to catch wild Atlantic salmon). I prefer wild salmon most of the time. Most farmed salmon is on the “red” or “avoid” list of environmental groups like Seafood Watch and the Environmental Defense Fund. Farms often use crowded pens as a result. Salmon are often infected with lice, treated with antibiotics, and susceptible to spreading disease to wild fish (one reason Alaska bans salmon farms). A pound of salmon can be raised with three pounds of wild fish (and fishmeal).
Organic salmon
As for salmon, the USDA does not have a standard for organic farming, and “organic” does not guarantee that the salmon is organic.
Packaged salmon
Salmon is available in your markets from June-September, or you can order it via mail. To preserve freshness and make shipping easier, most fish are flash-frozen when they are caught. Keeping salmon frozen and thawing it overnight in the refrigerator will extend its shelf life by up to four months. There is no better and more economical choice than canned wild salmon. Buy pouches and cans that do not contain BPA.
PCBs or other toxins
A wild Alaskan salmon lives in the open ocean, meaning its toxin levels are generally quite low. Salmon raised on farms or in the open sea may have higher levels depending on the oil and fish they are fed. A high PCB content makes farmed Atlantic salmon an “Eco-Worst” choice, according to the Environmental Defense Fund. Eat no more than 2 servings a month to avoid high PCB levels.
Types of salmon taste
The prices, colors, and tastes of the six species of salmon we commonly eat vary widely, so it depends on what you want to make, what you can afford, and what you like.
A chinook salmon is the largest (and often most expensive), with a buttery texture and substantial fat content. A sockeye salmon is oilier and redder, with a stronger flavor and excellent grilling characteristics.
Salmon more orange than others
We owe carrots their orange color to carotenoids. Those magical antioxidants destroy free radicals.
In salmon, the carotenoid astaxanthin is a powerful antioxidant that protects against heart disease, cancer, inflammation, eye diseases, aging, and numerous other illnesses. In phytoplankton, astaxanthin protects them against UV radiation.
Fattier fish healthier
Salmon is tasty and healthy, both at the same time! From phytoplankton, salmon provides DHA, an essential omega-3 fatty acid for brain development.
One serving of salmon provides 2,400 mg of omega-3 fatty acids, which is primarily found in salmon’s fat, mainly in its belly. These fat-storing, omega-3-containing fish, such as king trout and those with longer upstream journeys, tend to be larger.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you recommend a good frozen salmon to buy?
Our assessment of frozen options and consulting with the experts at The Environmental Defense Fund led us to determine that wild Alaskan sockeye salmon fillets are the most sustainable, good-quality frozen fish available in the frozen section. A well-managed Alaskan wild salmon fishery produces high-quality fish with little or no contamination.
Where can I buy the best salmon in a store?
A skinless & boneless wild Sockeye salmon product from Wild Planet. It is possible to buy canned salmon in several varieties. Despite pink being less expensive, sockeye is our first choice among these two varieties, which have an orange-red coloring.
How worth is it to purchase frozen salmon?
According to Pilat, fresh salmon in season usually costs 15 to 20 percent more than non-seasonal salmon. For certain types of fish, freezing extends their season. For instance, halibut or salmon can be purchased frozen in winter and fresh in summer when the fish is in season.
Can fresh salmon fillets be substituted for frozen ones?
Because it is frozen fresh off the boat and then shipped, frozen wild salmon is sometimes considered better than fresh salmon. Frozen salmon bypasses that step, preserving its quality, so it’s a better choice than fresh wild salmon as soon as it is harvested.
Sockeye salmon or Atlantic salmon?
Sockeye salmon is oilier and has a redder flesh. It is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, is high in protein, and lends itself well to grilling. It is an aquacultured species known as Atlantic salmon and the most commonly found fish on your market shelf.
Bottom Line
Salmon is popular seafood that’s full of omega-3 fatty acids. With so many options on the market, it can be hard to choose which frozen salmon you want to buy. We’ve done some research and found out what makes for the best-frozen salmon. The website Eat By Date has compiled reviews from chefs across the country who have weighed in on their favorite brands of canned or packaged fish products, including canned tuna, smoked trout, canned herring, cured anchovies, and more! Their list includes ratings like “I would use this product again” or “The flavor was pretty good.