There’s a primal thrill in eating something uncooked. It’s like thumbing your nose at fire. Clever humans figured out how to tame fire, but we also figured out how to tame ice just to eat raw fish.
Fun fact: salmon are born in fresh water, swim to the salty ocean, and then swim back upstream to die. That’s a lot of travel for your dinner plate. Imagine the business class miles.
Also, salmon are cannibals. Yes, adult salmon eat smaller fish, including baby salmon. So when you eat raw salmon, you’re eating an apex predator of its own species. Metal.
Is It Safe to Eat Salmon from The Supermarket Raw, as One Would Eat
The Color Conundrum (It’s a Lie)
That glorious orange-pink hue? It’s not salmon’s natural state. Wild salmon get it from eating krill and shrimp. Farmed salmon are fed astaxanthin, a pigment, or they’d look sad and grey.
So, that beautiful sashimi is technically painted. Your eyes eat before your mouth does. Don’t worry—it’s totally natural and healthy. It’s just a fish wearing makeup.
Next time you see pale salmon, know it’s not fresh. It’s just a fish that skipped the shrimp buffet. Pass on that plate.
