Fish Talk: What's A Keta?
Short answer: Keta is a nutritious and delicious species of Pacific Salmon.
Of the five Pacific salmon species, Keta (rhymes with PETA) is perhaps the least known outside of Alaska. Like most salmon, Keta goes by a variety of colloquial names. Many fishermen also call this mighty salmon a Chum or Dog Salmon. Most in the fishing industry call it Keta, which derives from its scientific name Oncorhynchus keta. Regardless of whether it is labeled Keta, Chum, or Dog, it is all the same fish.
Keta have the widest geographic distribution of all of the Pacific salmon. They are found from northern California all the way up the West Coast through Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and throughout all of Alaska, Russia, and as far as Japan. In fact, the largest Keta Salmon fishery in the world is in Hokkaido, Japan. Last year more than 20 million Keta Salmon were harvested in Japan, mostly for the domestic market.
In terms of size, Keta are the second largest Pacific Salmon, second only to King. Like all other species of Pacific Salmon, Keta are hatched in fresh water before migrating to the ocean to live the bulk of their lives in salt water and eventually returning to the stream or river of their birth to spawn.
During their ocean phase, Keta have streamlined, almost torpedo-shaped bright silver bodies. Their mouths and gums are white and their eyes have large pupils much like Sockeye Salmon. The tails are deeply forked with silver streaks that do not extend the entire length of the fin rays. To the untrained eye, an ocean phase Keta can be difficult to distinguish from an ocean phase Sockeye.
Keta Salmon: Ocean Phase
Photo courtesy of Alaska Department of Fish & Game
All salmon undergo major changes in form and appearance when they begin their spawning run. A salmon looks quite different after entering fresh water for its spawning phase than in its ocean phase. As it begins its run upstream to the spawning grounds, a formerly bright silver Keta Salmon will turn multiple shades of green with red stripes giving it a sort of tiger look. Males of the species also develop a hook snout and very large canine teeth, which explains the Dog Salmon nickname.
Keta Salmon: Spawning Phase
Photo courtesy of Alaska Department of Fish & Game
After their spawning cycle is completed, Keta Salmon die and their carcasses wash downstream where they play a vital role in the ecosystem as nutrients for the surrounding forest, and as forage for numerous species of birds, crab, and other fish.
Keta Salmon are abundant and are not considered threatened or endangered. According to NOAA, 63.7 million pounds of Keta were harvested in the United States in 2021. Around 99% of that harvest came from Alaska where there are hundreds of healthy wild stocks in addition to significant stocks of hatchery fish which support the commercial fishing industry and in turn the local economies of many coastal Alaskan communities.
Keta roe is considered the highest quality salmon caviar and is predominately exported to Japan. The meat of this fish is lean; at 4-5% fat, Keta is the leanest of the Alaskan salmon. With it’s lean meat and firm texture, Keta is excellent for recipes using marinades or sauces, as well as for smoking. A significant portion of Alaska’s Keta harvest is smoked for the European market.
Keta Salmon fillet ready to thaw and eat
Many of our customers discovered Keta for the first time at our booth at one of the local farmers markets we participate in. Although it is not as well known as King, Sockeye, or even Coho, many of our customers have settled on Keta as their favorite. While you can cook it just about any which way salmon can be cooked, our favorite ways to enjoy Keta are to grill it using simple seasonings or to smoke it over Alder wood after curing it with a salt and sugar dry brine.
If you’re interested in trying something new, give our Keta fillet portions a shot. They are budget friendly, tasty, and healthy. Get yours at any of our local farmers markets or order from our online store!