Read This Before Making Sushi With Trader Joe's Salmon

Trader Joe's is a beloved store with a large following due to its wide array of name-brand products. We have ranked many innovative Trader Joe's snacks and coveted fall items, many of which deserve their viral status. Apart from packaged goods, Trader Joe's has a wide selection of fish for the same low prices. They offer high-quality Atlantic-caught salmon for under $15 per pound. While the Atlantic-caught salmon is cheap without sacrificing quality, it's not sushi-grade fish.

Sushi-grade or sashimi-grade fish is high quality, very fresh, and undergoes specific freezing processes to prevent parasite contamination. While there's no official seal, most sushi-grade fish is labeled as such, implying its safety for raw consumption. Trader Joe's salmon is fresh, with beautiful marbling, and has undergone de-boning and skin removal. However, a side-by-side comparison between Trader Joe's salmon and sushi-grade salmon reveals a glaring difference in freshness and quality, starting with the smell.

Sushi-grade fish should have no fishy smell whatsoever, which translates to no fishy taste. The Trader Joe's salmon has a subtle yet notably fishy smell and taste. The packaging itself explicitly states that barbecuing, pan frying, and broiling are the best cooking methods. For raw consumption over rice or in a sushi roll, you're better off splurging on sushi-grade salmon. If you're set on using Trader Joe's salmon for sushi or sashimi, curing it is the best bet for flavor, aroma, and food safety.

If you want to save money on sushi-grade salmon, you can cure Trader Joe's salmon to improve the taste while also making it safer to eat raw. While farm-raised aquaculture fish like salmon are fed a careful diet that minimizes parasite risk, you can comply with the FDA's recommendation that states other types of fish should be frozen for one week before curing, although your freezer must sit at -4 degrees Fahrenheit or below to be effective. 

To salt cure the salmon, trim any fatty underbelly and divide the filet into loin and belly. Then you'll rub equal parts salt and sugar over every side of the two large pieces before setting them on a cooling rack over a baking sheet and putting them in the fridge. Let the sugar and salt draw out liquid for 45 minutes.

You'll need to wash the fish thoroughly under a running faucet or through various immersions in fresh bowls of water to ensure you take off all the salt, sugar, and any surface impurities. Then, you can cut the fish into thin slices to layer over sticky, glutinous sushi rice or enjoy it plain. If you don't want to cure Trader Joe's Atlantic-caught salmon, these filets are still high-quality and will taste great cooked into one of our many salmon recipes. Try this miso salmon for a Japanese flavor profile.