Differences between keta and pink salmon caviar: which is better, healthier and tastier

Close relatives of chum and pink salmon with similar chemical composition belong to the genus of Pacific salmon. Fishing red fish provides consumers not only delicious dietary meat, but also valuable delicacy caviar, each species of which has its own admirers.

The main differences between fish

Salmon differ in size, mass and external features.

1. If maximum chum grows to one meter and weighs 16 kg, the length of pink salmon does not exceed 75 cm with a weight of 2.2 kg. The pale pink meat of the larger salmon loses its color during thermal treatment, while the pink salmon fillet is paler, but retains its color after cooking.
2. Externally the fish are similar in body structure, but chum salmon with larger scales do not have black spots scattered on the back and tail, and pink salmon has no teeth on the tongue.
3. There is also a noticeable difference between the species in spawning transformations. Chum salmon changes less pronounced. Pink, crimson and purple stripes form on the silvery sides. For pink salmon, the white belly becomes yellowish, and the head is almost black. Males grow a hump and their curved jaws with protruding teeth move forward.
4. The energy value of chum salmon is 127 kcal, while that of pink salmon is 140 kcal. The meat of the latter is fatter and more tender, but chum salmon is worth more and is more highly valued by consumers. The price depends on the volume of catch and transportation costs, and as it is known, the pink salmon has the largest share of salmon production in Russia.

How does the caviar of chum salmon differ from that of pink salmon?

The delicacy from different species of salmon differs in the size of eggs, color, taste, thickness of the shell.

1. Orange-red chum salmon eggs of 5-7 mm in diameter are denser, larger and last longer.
2. Pink salmon caviar of light orange color is smaller and has a thin shell, which bursts when pressed, releasing the caviar juice.

There is little difference in the chemical composition of salmon products.

The content of vitamins, micro and macronutrients in 100 grams of caviar in percentage of the daily rate:

Pink salmon caviar

• Nicotinic acid - 38;
• Thiamine - 33;
• Riboflavin - 32;
• A - 28;
• Tocopherol - 17;
• Ascorbic acid, 2.8;
• Iron, 11;
• Sodium, 173;
• Chlorine, 143;
• Phosphorus, 53;
• Magnesium, 35;
• Sulfur, 31;
• Calcium, 8;
• Potassium, 3.

Chum salmon caviar

• Nicotinic acid, 39;
• Thiamine - 37;
• Riboflavin - 23;
• A - 50;
• Tocopherol, 20;
• Ascorbic acid, 2.7;
• Iron, 10;
• Sodium, 176;
• Chlorine, 151;
• Phosphorus, 61;
• Magnesium, 32;
• Sulfur, 32;
• Calcium, 9;
• Potassium, 4.

The GV of grain-salted pink salmon caviar is 30.6, 11.5, and 1 g, respectively, while that of chum salmon is 31.5, 13.2, and 1 g.

As can be seen from the above data, the names of the nutrients of different caviar types are identical. The quantitative composition differs slightly. In keta caviar there are more proteins, saturated fatty acids, vitamins A, E, PP, B1, phosphorus, calcium and potassium. Pink salmon fish eggs lead the way in vitamins C, B2, iron and magnesium.

What is pink salmon caviar good for?

Nutritious product with a complex of substitutable and essential amino acids is useful for men, women, children and the elderly.

Useful effects on the body of red salmon caviar:

1. Calms the nervous system, smoothes the effects of stress.
2. Supports immune defense, visual acuity, reproductive health.
3. Makes elastic walls of blood vessels.
4. Prevents thyroid dysfunction.
5. Participates in carbohydrate, protein and energy metabolism.
6. Controls blood sugar levels, cholesterol.
7. Increases potency, increases libido.
8. Strengthens the musculoskeletal system.
9. Improves brain function, concentrates attention.
10. Prolongs youthfulness of the skin.

Delicacy product instantly energizes, reduces fatigue, increases efficiency. Schoolchildren red caviar helps to master the curriculum, easier to endure stress. Pregnant women have a reduced risk of abnormal fetal development, the frequency of calf cramps.

Useful properties of chum salmon caviar

In moderate quantities in the absence of contraindications salmon product can be eaten by all age categories, except children under five years (recommendations of the Ministry of Health).

When using no more than 3 tsp. of caviar a day:

1. Circulation is improved.
2. Iron deficiency anemia, varicose veins, thrombophlebitis, development of neoplasms are prevented.
3. Increases immune status.
4. Accelerates cell regeneration.
5. Binds and excretes toxic substances.
6. Mineralizes bone tissue and strengthens dental enamel.
7. Supports the health of blood vessels, myocardium, reduced risk of atherosclerosis, vascular accidents.
8. Stimulated brain activity.
9. Increases the cognitive capacity, speed and quality of thinking.

Keta caviar is useful for gaining muscle mass, increasing the endurance of athletes. Consumption of caviar by the elderly pushes back dementia, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. The product shortens the rehabilitation period after surgeries, injuries and serious illnesses.

Doctors advise to give up caviar grains for urolithiasis, exacerbation of gastritis, ulcers, pancreatitis, persistent hypertension, individual intolerance. Inclusion in the diet of the product in the amount exceeding the norm, leads to a delay in the withdrawal of fluids, nausea, diarrhea, blood pressure spikes.

Which red caviar is better: pink salmon or chum salmon?

In the first place in consumer demand is pink salmon caviar. It is cheaper than keta caviar but not inferior in quality and useful properties. Large grains of keta have a more exquisite taste and are suitable for the festive table.

What tastes better: pink or chum salmon caviar?

In Russia, keta delicacy was called a tsar's treat, and its contemporaries consider it a standard of taste. These epithets were given to the dense eggs of regular shape and homogeneous color for their fatness, buttery and creamy aftertaste, and slight bitterness. The taste of the product is spoiled if the salting technology is violated. The caviar becomes too thick, stiff, and sticks to the palate when tasting.

The taste of pink salmon eggs is bright and original, with a flavor of fish, but without bitterness. Tender, melt-in-your-mouth caviar can be purchased at retail outlets that value their reputation and sell only quality goods. Unfortunately, in order to extend shelf life, the producers often over-salt the product, which deteriorates its organoleptic properties.

How to choose the right caviar

To avoid buying a low-quality product, adhere to the recommendations of technologists when choosing:

1. Buy caviar by weight. Such a product can not only be smelled, to assess the appearance, but also tasted. Quality kernels have a faint, barely perceptible smell of fish. If you smell herring, taste rancid fat, refuse to buy.
2. If there is no product by weight, choose in a glass jar. Its consistency should not resemble mush. Discard products with liquid, sticky eggs.
3. The best caviar is made during the fishing season (August-September) in the traditional fishing areas (Kamchatka, Sakhalin). If on the package there is a different date and place of production, there is a high probability that the frozen crusts from the previous year were salted.
4. Refuse from the product with the low price. They try to sell you a "second-fresh" or synthetic product disguised as natural.
5. It is allowed to add vegetable oil, vitaminization in an amount not exceeding 1 mg.
6. Dents, swollen metal cans are not allowed. When a delicacy is produced in fish factories, the date of production is embossed rather than printed.
7. If the label does not indicate the type of red caviar, it means it is mixed from different species of salmon.
8. Avoid buying a delicacy that is too salty. By over-salting, the manufacturer is trying to disguise counterfeiting, the date the fish was caught, and repeated freezing and defrosting. If the salt content is more than three percent, the delicacy is not considered low-salt.

Which caviar to choose, everyone decides for himself on the basis of taste preferences. Salmon products from chum salmon and pink salmon are equally useful if you follow the rules of choice, storage, norms of consumption.