You might have seen the Ivory King Salmon, and overlooked this striking fish not knowing what it was. It’s worth its weight in, at least, King Salmon. 

The unique alabaster flesh, stands out among the King Salmon population, because only 5% of the King salmon population has this unique characteristic. The rich, ruby red flesh of the Wild Alaskan King is a ubiquitous characteristic. 

While once considered less desirable, this pale meat has long been coveted by Alaskans. They’re now making a splash in the commercial market, driving up the cost of this unique and rare commodity. 

How ivory salmon gets its color?

You may wonder why Ivory Salmon, maintains the flavor and texture of the bright red salmon you’ve come to know and love. This deep red color, characteristic in King Salmon, comes from pigments from crustaceans in the salmon’s diet. While it’s rare, only one in twenty might turn up with beautiful ivory flesh. 

In the past, scientists believed that the white and red King salmon consumed notably different diets. These days, it is now believed that that one in twenty of these salmon are simply unable to process the pigments from the crustaceans in their diet. 

All salmon consume small crustaceans such as shrimp, krill, and crabs. These crustaceans are rich in astaxanthin, which is a carotenoid that is found in most sea life. This ability to process these pigments is simply controlled by genetics, in the same way we pass down traits like eye color, hair color, and beyond. 

Research has shown that mating two ivory salmon produces ivory offspring, and vice versa for the red Kings. The ivory flesh is not a dominant trait, which changes the result when a white and red King are mated. Since the red flesh is a dominant trait, the red flesh is more likely to be the resulting color of the offspring making red flesh the majority of the salmon population.

Since White King Salmon does not have the ability to metabolize these pigments, their flesh remains white.

What does Ivory Salmon taste like?

We’ll start this section by saying King salmon is dubbed King for a reason. Ivory salmon is just as delicious, without the color. That’s it! 

If you’re lost about the texture of salmon in general, it’s got a high fat content and buttery, rich flesh. King has the highest fat content of all other Pacific species of salmon, and is highly prized by fisherman. Think of it as the ribeye of salmon species!

We may have many species and specialty foods in our list of products, but if you’re looking for something special, we can most likely get our hands on it! Review our products, and see if anything here suits your tastes!