Copper River Salmon arrives in Dallas, we found it for $9.99 per pound

Copper River sockeye salmon has arrived in Dallas, a few days after the 2012 season opened. While the Kings are scarce, the smaller sockeyes are plentiful this year. Their prices always start out high then fall as the season progresses through the summer. Right now, you can find sockeyes for about $25 a pound (Central Market), but I espied fresh Copper River sockeyes for just $9.99 a pound at Costco. How can they sell it so low? Purchasing power and low margins. And then there’s this.

The Copper River salmon filet I bought at Costco today tasted exceptionally sweet and mild, the best I’ve ever eaten. This is gonna be a good year.

Most of the Kings will be caught from May 17 until mid-June. The sockeyes will run from now until mid-July, while the Cohos will continue to run until September. As the Copper River run slows, Costco shifts to other Alaskan rivers and inlets, offering wild salmon from those regions at a similarly low price.

I like mine sautéed in a hot pan with just a sprinkling of salt and pepper, plus a light smear of wasabi. How do you like yours?

(And if you’re hesitant to cook the fish yourself, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Velvet Taco run a WTF (weekly taco feature) with Copper River salmon.)