Back when salmon were running in rivers and seas on the East Coast, salmon dinners were a New England July Fourth tradition. Wild Atlantic salmon have been pretty much gone for about 75 years, but newly farmed coho from upstate New York are ready to sear or poach and serve traditionally with peas for the upcoming holiday. It’s one of three main Pacific salmon varieties, after king (a.k.a. Chinook) and sockeye. These fish are raised in the Finger Lakes region of New York by LocalCoho, in Auburn, N.Y., in an indoor facility established in 2017 using Recirculated Aquaculture Systems technology supported by private funding. The first fish were harvested in 2019 and now, with a $500,000 grant from New York State Development, they’re expanding from limited wholesale availability to retail. The brilliantly bright reddish-pink flesh of the fish, similar to arctic char, has a silky texture and a flavor that’s milder than sockeye or king.
LocalCoho, Yama Seafood, yamaseafood.com, whole fish ($16.95 per pound); Dorian’s Seafood Market, 1580 York Avenue (83rd Street), 212-535-2256, doriansseafood.com, $32 a pound (filleted).
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