Salmon is a great addition to anyone’s diet. It’s delicious and full of beneficial nutrients for a healthy lifestyle. But, one of the main things that holds people back from grabbing this tasty seafood delicacy is the price tag. The cost of salmon differs depending on what kind you choose. And at most stores, the options are limited to fresh or frozen.
In almost all cases, frozen salmon is cheaper than fresh salmon. But why? For many, this can cause confusion, because if frozen salmon is cheaper due to lower quality, is it really worth buying? The truth is, frozen salmon is cheaper for a variety of reasons, but lower quality isn’t one of them with modern freezing practices!
There are benefits to both fresh and frozen salmon. Still, if you’re looking to purchase seafood on a budget, frozen salmon is definitely the way to go. So, today we’re dedicating this post to frozen salmon and why exactly it’s more inexpensive than fresh. Once you understand the reasons behind frozen salmon’s affordable price, you can feel good about adding frozen seafood to your next grocery list!
Why is Frozen Salmon Cheaper than Fresh
First of all, you’ve got to be careful when you head to the grocery store or fish market and see things labeled “fresh” or “frozen.” These labels don’t always mean the same thing and don’t all hold the same level of quality. For instance, some fish arrive at the store frozen, are thawed, and then put on ice. The seafood is then sold as “fresh.”
When the fish doesn’t sell, it’s refrozen and put out again the next day. This process ruins the texture, drains the nutrients, and destroys the flavor. And, it contributes to the world’s food waste problem! Whereas, flash frozen fish that has remained frozen since production has trapped in the bountiful nutrients, decadent flavor, and fantastic texture.
So, next time you see the “frozen” vs. “fresh” tag, don’t assume one is better quality than the other. Instead, look for the BAP (Best Aquaculture Practices) label, which means the seafood you’re about to eat is certified top quality by the Global Seafood Alliance. With a label like that, you don’t have to question the freshness, taste, texture, and nutritional value of your next seafood purchase.
Once you find a frozen salmon option with this tag, you might still be left wondering why it’s so inexpensive. If it’s not lower quality, then what is it? Well, here are a few reasons frozen salmon is cheaper than fresh, but still great for your body, mind, heart, and taste buds:
Your geography doesn’t matter.
First off, one of the main reasons it’s cheaper to buy salmon frozen is because your geography doesn’t matter. When buying fresh salmon, the price definitely depends on where you are located. If you’re in a landlocked state with no salmon farms nearby, your fresh fish is going to be costly due to the logistics of shipping and delivery.
When buying frozen fish, the salmon is just as fresh for Nebraska as it is for California. So, you can eat salmon from coast to coast with no concern about quality, freshness, or price.
Companies can keep a good back stock.
Frozen salmon producers get their fish to their facility, flash freeze it, and then stock it away in high-quality freezers. This increases the supply because preservation isn’t in the equation! The companies can keep producing more and more fish and wait for the demand. This classic give and take of supply and demand naturally keeps frozen salmon prices low. Even your local stores can keep more salmon in their freezer than those accommodating only fresh fish.
Flash freezing speeds up production.
Flash freezing is a special process of freezing seafood quickly in a way that locks in the freshness. It essentially stops salmon in time and prevents spoiling while retaining taste, texture, and flavor! No ice crystals that damage quality can form during this modern production process.
Not only is this great for consumers like you who want a healthy salmon option that’s as good as fresh, but it’s also good for the salmon companies too! When salmon is to the freezing stage of production, it can be vacuum sealed and frozen in record time, allowing for a lot more seafood to be produced in a given workday. Of course, faster and cheaper production means a lower cost to you!
Transporting frozen fish is easy.
Getting fresh fish from one location to the other is costly. Our fresh salmon here at Oshēn is flown via passenger flights from our ocean farms in Chile…all the way to our facilities here in the U.S. We do this so we can continually manage the quality and handling of our salmon from beginning to end. We also use this method to ensure that it arrives at your home seven days fresher than the competition–and sustainably too.
But, as you can imagine, this system is expensive. So, the price of salmon delivered to you this way is higher than the frozen product. Frozen salmon can be packaged and put on ships to their desired location. Maintaining the salmon in a freezer until it gets to you or the store is easy compared to transporting fresh fish! This means it’s cheaper for us, and cheaper for you.
Flash frozen fish are always in season.
Have you ever tried to buy raspberries in March? It’s not easy, is it? And if you do find some, they are usually very expensive. This is because raspberries are not in season during this time. Conversely, you probably didn’t see a big change in price for frozen raspberries. This is because the frozen raspberries were picked during their regular season and flash frozen. Additionally, enough was produced to last through the off-season.
Frozen salmon is the same way! It has a season just like any hunted or fished animal. And during that season, locating affordable fresh salmon is much easier than the off-season. When fish is frozen, it can be delivered to hungry consumers like you all year round at great prices. So, what’s another reason that frozen salmon is so much cheaper than fresh? Well, high quality frozen salmon is ALWAYS in season!
Frozen salmon comes at an affordable price and still holds great flavor, texture, and nutritional value!
Depending on your goals and lifestyle, both fresh or frozen salmon is a responsible and positive choice for consumers like you. Whether buying farmed salmon or wild caught salmon, you can find plenty of quality frozen options. Just do some research on the companies and look for the BAP label before purchasing.
Oshēn Salmon is one of the top producers of both fresh and frozen high-quality ocean farmed salmon. We not only carry the BAP label, but we are also ASC, BRC, and Kosher certified! We go the extra mile to bring you quality salmon, direct to your door, and at an affordable price.
If you’re looking to snag some fresh or frozen salmon now that you’re confident in the quality of each type, use code FRESH at checkout for 15% off your first purchase! And, for more blogs like this one, head on over to our blog. Our blog is full of additional information and delicious recipes that we are so excited to share with readers like you. We hope you feel confident in your frozen salmon purchase now that you know why it’s cheaper. Now, it’s time to get cooking!
