How did I miss first shipments of wild salmon to my Costco Wholesale?

In my basket at Costco Wholesale in Hackensack today, organic quinoa, reduced-fat Jarlsberg Swiss Cheese, fresh blueberries and sweet peppers -- but no fresh wild salmon.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

My wife is sticking to her story.

She shopped at Costco Wholesale twice last week, and couldn't find any fresh wild salmon from Alaska.

This afternoon, however, I spoke to an employee stocking the refrigerated fish case, and he said the Hackensack store received wild salmon fillets on three days last week.

He said some might come in tomorrow.

My Costco usually receives salmon from the Copper River in Alaska in late May or early June, and then wild-caught fillets from other U.S. rivers through early October.

I've seen wild-caught king, sockeye and coho salmon available at my Costco.

Skin-on wild salmon fillets from Costco Wholesale on my stove-top grill last September, above and below.

Fresh wild salmon swims into view

Image by Travis S. via Flickr

There it is. 

In the fresh-fish case at Costco in Hackensack, the first fresh, wild salmon from Alaska appeared Saturday, neatly shrink-wrapped in a foam tray.


The fish has the deep, red-orange color that farmed salmon never achieves, because it is artificially colored.


This wild sockeye salmon comes from the famed Copper River, and carries a price to match: $14.99 a pound. I found a tray for about $20, and plan to serve it for Sunday dinner, along with Black Tiger prawns  I picked up at Costco on Friday (U-8 or eight to a pound).

Last year, Costco in Hackensack had fresh Copper River sockeye salmon starting on June 2 for $9.99 a pound.

Costco has the Copper River salmon for a couple of weeks, if last year is any guide. Then, other wild Alaskan salmon is available at least until September, usually for $8.99 a pound. The fish cooks quickly in the oven with just a little seasoning and chopped, fresh herbs.

(Photo: Copper River in Alaska)