Fish
Chum
C tier
Chum (keta/dog) salmon, Oncorhynchus keta, has pale flesh, low fat, and a firm flake that made it historically more important for roe and drying than for premium fresh fillets. Modern markets still use chum for smoking, canning, and value frozen packs; quality fresh chum can be fine when bright and not waterlogged. Cook with moisture—poach, stew, curry, or hot-smoke—so leanness does not read as dry. Roe (ikura when cured) is often the luxury product of the fish. Fresh fillet needs careful seasoning and sauce; it will not match sockeye colour or chinook richness.
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Characteristics
Preparations
Traits
History
Chum salmon supported dried-fish and roe traditions across the North Pacific Rim.
Commercial fisheries sold chum largely for canning and industrial uses.
Frozen chum and cured roe found wider global markets beyond local smokehouses.
Improved handling lifted some fresh chum into better retail grades when runs were strong.