Fire Up the Grille, Copper River Salmon is Here!

Even if you haven't already tried this amazing wild fish, you may have heard the buzz from Austin's best gourmet restaurants or radio ads from Whole Foods or Central Market heralding the arrival of this coveted catch. And it damn well lives up to its hype, in our opinion: we love this fish for its firm texture and nutty richness. Plus, it's packed with heart-healthy Omega-3 essential fatty acids, which have been widely hailed for their positive effects such as reducing hypertension, preventing Alzheimer's, and lowering the risk of certain cancers.

Act fast if you want to try this stuff out while it's still fresh from the catch: the annual Copper River run lasts only 3-4 weeks. After June, anything you find will have been previously frozen. As it's just hit the markets, the price right now is gastronomical: at Whole Foods, Sockeye will run you $23.99/lb, while its more impressive cousin the King Salmon is selling for $29.99/lb. Over the next few weeks this will decrease slightly.

*Farm-raised salmon, in contrast, literally pale in comparison - they tend to take on a bland light-pink hue. They also contain far less Omega-3 content, high levels of toxic dioxins (remember Yushchenko?), and noticeable traces of mercury - so much so that last year the US Food and Wildlife Service warned against consuming New England farm-raised salmon more than twice a month. Yum!