Any difference in taste between white and red kings? Just curious as I caught my first white at Neah Bay in July.

Wondered how it compared to the red ones if I cook it on the bbq?

Any comments from those in the know?

I like them but some don't. To me they almost taste like a cross between halibut and salmon.

Check the post titled "Large White King"

Most people say they either taste the same or better.

If my eyes are closed and it is cooked well, I can not tell the difference.

There are a lot of opinions re: white vs. red kings (ie. diet, genetic strain, condition, etc). The most recent 'scientific' explanation I've heard is that the white kings lack a gene which allows the meat to assimilate any red pigment of it's prey.

Most of the guys (myself included) I fish with always thought the whites seem to have a higher fat content... especially good for barbeque or smoking.

A guy I know, who's in his fifties, grew up working in a large fish market with his dad, a fishmonger. His dad would hold the white kings for his very best customers ... they felt especially lucky to have an opportunity to buy them.

fishwich,

That's the kind of answer I was looking for. Wasn't quite sure if it was genetics or diet for why one was white and the other red.

I was also curious whether there was any difference in tast of them smoked, and them on the barbie. Guess the only difference is appearance.

I got a nice sized one earlier this year and didn't want to waste it by cooking it in a manner it wasn't best suited for.

It was big enough where I had to cut a fillet in half just to get one of the halves to fit into a gallon ziplock freezer bag.... and it just barely fit. Looks like I'll break one of the portions out for a Labor Day bbq.

My personal preference is for the looks of the red kings.... but I've never eaten a white king.

Here's a little more history on the "whities". Like all fish, some are better tasting than others, and this holds true for the whites also. For those of us who cook fish by appearance rather than just time, it's harder to "see" the change in the flesh as it cooks. So there's a tendency to overcook the flesh because it doesn't change from dark orange to light orange when it's cooked.

Now the myth about the fishmongers. For a long time, the commercial fisherman couldn't get a decent price (or no price sometimes) for white's, so they sometimes just kept them for themselves (incidental catches). After many years, word got out that the skippers kept the white's for themselves...so some people thought that the white's were the "best" eating because it was the captians choice, rather than necessity (no market to sell to). Then the price and popularitywent through the roof (late 70's) because of this rumor. Also the restaurants jumped on the bandwagon because they could still buy it cheaper (for awhile) then red kings. So this was mainly a marketing move...ala "copper river kings".

I hope this helps. Personally, I like reds better, but only because they're easier to cook. I've also seen the flesh striped. I caught a bunch of kings at Campbell River a few years ago and 60% were either whities or they had striped flesh. Kinda funny looking.

I have caught many whites on the Vedder and when they are chrome the meat quality is excellent. We have eaten them both fresh and smoked and were very impressed with the taste. If you are catching them in the ocean I would think the quality of the meat would be every bit as good as the red meated variety.

Zen,
You're welcome.
I hope you enjoy your fish ... know that the quality of your eating experience will have a whole lot more to do with how quickly you landed, bled , iced, and preserved your catch rather than the color of the meat.

I was curious to see if people could actually tell the diffrence between white and red chinook, so I did a test. I took a piece of a white and a piece of a red, both caught the same day in the same area, and barbequed both side by side, with no seasoning on either. I had about 25 guests at a party and had about 15 of them try tasting the fish while blindfolded. Not one could tell which was which.

Even more interesting to me was the fact that they were often certain one bite was red and the other white, even when I gave them two bites of the same fish.

I dont beleive there is any diffrence in taste. I think its all in our heads. After all they eat the same stuff, but the whites do not have the gene that makes the flesh red.

I don't know. I've sure caught a lot of white kings and they taste different to me but it could be all in my head.

in your head?? but that's where our taste buds are!
of course, that's where your brain is, too... and whenever i eat a white king (usually 2 or 3 each season) it seems i always try to perceive any difference in taste at all and perhaps, because i'm focusing so intently on that, i taste the higher oil content of a king all the more.
nevertheless, the white kings invariably taste fattier and richer than the red ... to me.

I think the whites BBQ a little better because of the fat content. I like to marinate the whites in red wine, salt, pepper, and garlic. Then smoke them for about 2-3 hours before puting them over the flame for a few minutes..
Nice deep rich taste.

Is there really any difference in taste when your sucking down colds ones first?