Wild Salmon Fillets from Walmart are nasty! (are they even salmon?)

Posted on Feb 14 in personal stories, product/ service reviewby TalinaPrint

The nasty salmon has struck again! Last month I shared my theroy about how a piece of fish I ate that was supposed to be salmon was clearly not salmon. Well the fillets were the last ones in the freezer and we had already thrown the packaging away so we just moved on with life and got over it.

Well this week for dinner I discovered another never opened bag of frozen salmon fillets in the freezer so I made some for dinner. I remembered the previous nasty “salmon” experience but didn’t want to make a big deal about it, I was hoping it was just a fluke… I still had a bad taste in my mouth (more cheeky N humor comes out) as a result of the salmon experience though so while cooking the salmon I snapped this photo because it still appeared to be unusually white unlike the salmon we were used to in Arizona.

I made the salmon with wine and lemon pepper seasoning on the stove top since I remembered our previous nasty salmon was microwave cooked and I wanted to see if cooking meathod played a role it how it turned out.  I also made up yummy rice and asparagus to complete the meal.

When N sank his teeth in to the first bite of salmon he yelled “Eww! This is not salmon” before I even brought up or previous bad salmon experience. I laughed of course because the last time we had salmon I was the one thinking it tasted strange and he didn’t believe me and preceded to eat his whole fillet and also mine that I rejected. Now he is a believer in the nasty crossbreed salmon !

We each only ate one bite of salmon before deciding it was really bad news. We at our rice and asparagus and N had some leftovers in place of the salmon. N also took a photo of the nasty salmon and agreed with me that it tasted to rubbery in consistency like cod or scallops (no the texture is not a result of my cooking either!).

After taking photos we pulled the packaging because we are quite particular about the types of foods we buy. We always look to see if it is natural and free of injections and what not. We got this salmon at the local super walmart and choose it because it said the salmon was wild and also all natural. Normally we don’t buy meats from walmart since they can be questionable but this tuff looked promising, it was cheaper and we are really trying to save on groceries right now since we have to save so much to pay for Tater’s birth out of pocket.

Anyway, we are regretting buying the walmart salmon now! Here is a scan of the packaging it came in, click the image to see a larger version that you can zoom in on.

Shoot, the packaging even says the Marine Stewardship Council certified the fishery so it should be good right? The we saw upon further inspection that the fish actually came from China, N remarks about the ocean pollution there and says it is no wonder this fish tastes so odd.

Other than the Marine Stewardship Council the packaging also references The Fishin’ Company and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. We’ll be writing all 3 companies with our complaints about this product. If you come across it in the store stay away! If you’ve got a similar complaint or comment about the product feel free to share it in the comments!

I hope this review and the comments help steer other people from the strange fillets. I am not kidding they are really bad and simply cannot be real salmon! Man, we are not happy about the lack of natural food stores here in Evansville.

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36 Comments

• Donna B. says:

  February 14, 2009 at 7:41 pm

  Those do not look like any salmon I’ve ever seen. They look more like halibut fillets. But halibut tastes good, so it must be something else.

  I’m only commenting for the halibut.

  Donna B.s last blog post..In Promotion And Defense Of The Arts
• Dingo says:

  February 14, 2009 at 11:08 pm

  I don’t know what you ate but it certainly wasn’t salmon! Let us know if/when you get a response from WalMart.
• witchypoo says:

  February 15, 2009 at 8:24 am

  I avoid anything from China. Look for BC salmon. It’s still good.

  witchypoos last blog post..Grace The Fifth
• Becky says:

  February 15, 2009 at 9:08 am

  That did not look like any salmon I’ve ever seen. I’m sorry it turned out to be icky. I hope you get some sort of response from your letters.
• Michael Dimin says:

  February 15, 2009 at 11:31 am

  How did you determine that the fish came from China? I am not seeing that on the photos of the packaging.
• Krystal McCarthy says:

  February 16, 2009 at 12:55 am

  That really doesnt look like salmon! We always buy our salmon from Costco. The come single wrapped in a bag of 12. And they are nice and pink! So good too! They dont taste or smell fishy. If we dont buy it from there, we go to the meat counter at Albertsons. But Im pretty picky about sea food.

  Krystal McCarthys last blog post..You don’t even deserve hell
• N says:

  February 16, 2009 at 11:56 am

  Michael: It’s a little blurry in the scan but underneath the Nutritional Facts and at the bottom of that column it says “PRODUCT OF CHINA”. I think if it really is salmon, it’s filled with all the Chinese air pollution, lead and tainted milk one needs to consume in a lifetime which is why I won’t be eating it. I like North American Pacific salmon better. Sorry China!

  Ns last blog post..Green energy tax breaks
• Martin says:

  February 16, 2009 at 12:34 pm

  You get what you pay for. If you prefer to buy cheap frozen salmon from WalMart then you cannot expect to get gourmet fillets. If the fish were sold as salmon then the fish were undoubtedly salmon. However not all salmon are the same. There are five Pacific salmon species all of which are very different including the flesh quality and the taste. King salmon are the highest regarded, whilst Chum salmon are at the other end of the spectrum. Chum salmon are those most often used in freezer packs because they are widely available but not the most desirable.

  The fish are not caught in China but are from Alaska. These are the only salmon that can carry the MSC certification (which is not a guarantee of taste). The fish are shipped to China for processing and packing to help keep costs down so that WalMart can sell them to you cheaply, which is what probably attracted you to buy them.

  Finally, it is worth noting that farmed salmon is mainly Atlantic salmon which is yet another species and one with yet a different texture and taste to Pacifics. A lot of people, who are used to eating Pacific salmon, don’t like this difference. This has often led to much of the negative publicity about farmed raised fish. The reality is that Atlantic salmon is a different fish with different eating characteristics. It is often found to be superior to Pacific fish however you’ll have to pay more than what you paid for your cheap wild salmon to buy it.
• Hyphen Mama says:

  February 16, 2009 at 11:23 pm

  We have noticed HUGE differences between farm raised salmon and wild caught salmon. I bet Martin is right. It’s in the bag because nobody would buy it if it were in clear packaging.

  We only buy our salmon at the Non-walmart grocery stores now. And ONLY a specific type… because we’ve had that happen.
• Allysa says:

  February 17, 2009 at 12:38 am

  My husband doesn’t really like fish. S, I cook fish rarely. Anyway, thank you for sharing your experience. I think we need to be careful when buying food. People are getting smarter to make fake stuff just to get more money.
• Nel says:

  February 22, 2009 at 5:44 pm

  Hi! I came across this post because I had the exact same experience after trying this fish from Walmart and wanted to see if anyone else did. Obviously I’m not the only one! As soon as I opened the package, I thought something was wrong. About half of the fillets were white, which I thought was odd because I’ve only had pink salmon. I googled it and read that some salmon were white, so I assumed it was fine–until I tried to cook it. I thought at first I didn’t cook it long enough because the meat was mushy, almost spongey. But the texture didn’t change no matter how long I left it on the stove, and even after putting it in the microwave. My first thought after taking a bite was that this wasn’t salmon. I understand there are different types of salmon, but would they taste that different? I mean, it really doesn’t taste or feel right at all. Thank you so much for posting this! Have you heard from Walmart?
• Andy says:

  March 6, 2009 at 10:26 am

  OMG. NO! There is no way. I think it’s catfish infused with waste salmon fat. I just threw away the remainder of my package this morning.

  That’ll teach me for shopping at WalMart, which should be considered an act of treason, frankly. I hadn’t been in one in years, but I need to buy some kid’s swimming goggles and I thought I’d give the grocery section a try. Never again!
• terea says:

  March 16, 2009 at 6:22 pm

  I fully agree wth you. I ate my first package of salmon from walmart, and thought I had not cooked it right when it had tasted funny. The second time I cooked it, it had the same texture, and funny taste. It almost reminded of minced fish, in those nasty little fish sticks. I had to throw mine in the trash, I couldn’t even finish eating it, just at the thought of it not being real. I, too, will not buy my fish at walmart anymore.
• Talina says:

  March 16, 2009 at 6:37 pm

  The thing I don’t get is Walmart sells the crappy salmon but at Sam’s Club (which is also a Walmart company) I can get a package of about 8 frozen fillets that are actually good, skinless salmon for about $16.00 a package. What gives?
• samantha says:

  March 18, 2009 at 4:27 pm

  i thought it was just me i am 13 but i can cook this was some really bad crap tasted like feet i was really looking for ways to cook it better but then i read this thank god im not the only one so what kind of packaged salmon do u buy???
• mike says:

  March 30, 2009 at 11:15 pm

  I live in OKC and have had the same experience you had with the same product and so did my mom who lived in Tulsa.Since then, I’ve only bought fresh salmon, not frozen.
• Holly says:

  April 1, 2009 at 8:33 am

  We had the exact same experience with the same product from Walmart. I couldn’t even eat the stuff. The first time I thought it was just a bad batch, but the second time in a row was too much. YUCK!
• Talina says:

  April 1, 2009 at 7:32 pm

  Has anyone else written the company or walmart about the product? I did but haven’t received a response
• Zina says:

  April 7, 2009 at 9:16 am

  I thought I was the only one. I used to buy the salmon all the time. Then I noticed a change and I thought it was a bad batch, so I bought another, the same thing. I looked at this “salmon” and realized this is not salmon. I don’t know what it is. It is nasty.
• Victor says:

  April 11, 2009 at 12:35 pm

  We just picked up this exact bag with the same information (the council, China, etc.)

  We both tried cooking it frozen, despite it saying to thaw it (I thought it was a convenience thing!) and that was a bad idea. I figured out a good way to cook it from a frozen state, so it hardly went to waste…

  There are some search results on Google saying Wal-Mart tried getting away with selling farmed stuff as wild, despite it saying wild, and I’ve heard that they have to color in those fish.

  My fish, again in the exact same bag, were already pink, and cooked pink throughout, and tasted just fine. Certainly tasted better than 3.50 for a pound of it. It even cooked nicer, improperly cooked, than the Sam’s Club boxed fillets where you get 6 oz less for twice the price.

  They might’ve gotten heat and fixed things. Or maybe the problem’s isolated to a few regions.
• Mark says:

  April 17, 2009 at 2:03 am

  It’s “sammin(tm)”. Warning, not to be confused with real fish that tastes good. Ah yes, Sammin(tm), now made with real Salmon*.

  *real Salmon means fins, tail, eyes, innards, and other delicious parts.
• Jill says:

  June 25, 2009 at 1:49 pm

  I bought a bag of this unfortunately. It is horrible. Definitely not wild – the texture is mushy.
• Paul says:

  July 20, 2009 at 9:28 am

  I have bought this product from Walmart with no complaints. If you are not used to eating wild salmon then that maybe the problem. Wild salmon is often stronger in flavor due to high amounts of omega oils. Most people are used to eating farm raised salmon which is much mlder in taste and texture. I always steam or bake my salmon.
• Will says:

  July 26, 2009 at 2:59 pm

  I live in Seattle and have bought Salmon right off the boats before. If I bought a wild Chum salmon and cooked it for you, you would say it was mushy as well and swear it is not salmon. It is cheaper then sockeye or other speecies, and is best for smoking but it is salmon.

  That being said I eat the walmart salmon often and, while it is not as good as a king salmon, it IS salmon and I enjoy the taste considering I eat it as a way to get an easy supply of fish to my diet.

  Just remember it doesnt need to be pink (or orange like costco’s farmed stuff) in order to be real salmon.
• Noah Clark says:

  November 13, 2009 at 3:04 pm

  I had been buying this salmon for the past few weeks and it was really tasty the first few times I purchased it. The filets had the characteristic pink flesh that is indicative of Salmon. However, the last bag I bought was disgusting. It tasted like a fish stick in a salmon disguise. GROSS!!!
• GreenRoot says:

  December 12, 2009 at 3:24 pm

  WALMART SALMON Rangoons – My favorite

  Agave Necter, soy sauce, Lemon juice, Chopped Cilantro = Really good Sauce

  After cooking whether it be saute, bake, broil,etc (season with salt and pepper). Chop up salmon (not to much) NOW NO BODY CAN COMPLAIN BOUT IT BEING PINK. mix sauce with salmon and add room temp. cream cheese. Spoon mixture into wonton wrapper and fold over into shape of rangoon. FRY AND ENJOY.

  Its cheap, Taste good, and is real fish. I’ve never heard of any one complaining about “crab” meat rangoons and your local dim sum, but thats imitation and we should all demand to our have real crabmeat rangoons. Thats it, going to start a petition!

  chicken to chinese to chinese to chicken get a drumstick and my brian starts ticking!
• melanie says:

  January 17, 2010 at 1:41 am

  Well if this will ever help a person out. Walmart had come up with this positive reinforcement on their sea food by putting on the MSC (Marine, Stewardship, Council) label on our sea food packages. The MSC encourages good fishing practices and I guess it’s a an honor to have the label stamped . The wild alaskan salmon was not reconsidered for the MSC stamp but was still considered a safe and healthy fish to comsume weekly. I like fish. i want to eat more now that i am pregnant for a clever baby. I think the health benefits out way the risks. I thank you for this infomative page because i bought the same bag for the same reasons everyone else did. The bag looked healthy so i bought it. So my advise is to look into the MSC organizations and see if that makes a person feel better about eating their yummy seafood. Closing off finally I did enjoy the salmon in the pink 4 dollar bag, but i will go along with everyone else and say if it’s from China it’s bad.
• melanie says:

  January 17, 2010 at 2:03 am

  wait it was not walmarts program but walmart invited the msc organization in 2006 to check out their sea food to save their a$$. Walmart wants us to live better so be greatful for that even though Walmart is filthy of the filthiest rich. Their intentions are to make money and thats it but i find their produce to be of better quality then most places.
• Gymrat says:

  January 28, 2010 at 6:24 pm

  So what is it? Chum Salmon?
• Talina says:

  January 28, 2010 at 10:10 pm

  I think so!
• Gymrat says:

  January 29, 2010 at 12:25 am

  Thank you, Talina! I’ve sent Wal-Mart letters and emails with no response. They obviously don’t care about public opinion. According to USDA, nutrition facts for the different types of salmon vary alot, and obviously I don’t trust the nutrition facts listed on the package. I like salmon and enjoy the health benefits. Just wanna know what I’m eating. Is that too much to ask? Thanks for nothing, Wal-Mart.
• New Englander says:

  February 11, 2010 at 7:10 pm

  Only bought this when WalMart was out of the clear packaged, fresh looking pinky-orange salmon. It was horrible both times I cooked it using different methods. Sorry but I don’t believe the other salmon is only packed in China. WalMart will squeeze every nickel they can to make more profits.

  If the toys from China contain lead, who knows what their food products and packaging contain?
• DFGSDFGDAG says:

  February 11, 2010 at 9:16 pm

  YES, THESES ARE FUCKING GROSS! I BOUGHT SOME AND DIDN’T EVEN FINISH IT. IT TASTES LIKE IT’S MIXED WITH SOMETHING TO INCREASE IT’S SIZE. NEVER AGAIN! WAL MART IS FOR THE TRASH OF SOCIETY.
• Michele says:

  February 16, 2010 at 6:30 pm

  Wild caught Salmon fillets are nasty; I found a long thick black hair in the sealed package. Don’t buy food from China or you will get sick. Wal-Mart should thoroughly inspect food from china.
• ray says:

  March 7, 2010 at 1:15 pm

  It does say it comes from China but is on side of package in small print. That is why I didn’t buy it. I had to read package a few times before I found the source.
• chris says:

  March 9, 2010 at 1:01 am

  I fell for this as well. Thinking I was trying to eat all healthy and such (and at a cheaper price, I might add), I purchased several packages of the The Wlid Salmon Fillets over time (2-3 months) from Wal-Mart. The quality varied from package to package. Some fillets were spongy and rubbery when cooked (I had to use a knife to cut them) while others nicely flaked away with a fork and tasted yummy. Some were cream colored, and some were pink. Several fillets had a shredded texture to them (it’s the only way I can describe it!). Overall, I’m really not sure what type of fish they’re trying to sell. Buyer Beware! You get what you pay for, espically from Wal-Mart!

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