Is Salmon kosher?

About Salmon

Salmon is a ray-finned fish native to the North Atlantic and North Pacific. Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) is the single Atlantic species; Pacific salmon comprises several Oncorhynchus species including Chinook, Coho, Sockeye, Pink, and Chum. Per NOAA Fisheries, U.S. native Atlantic salmon populations are now found only in Maine, and the Gulf of Maine distinct population segment is listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act; commercial and recreational fishing for U.S. Atlantic salmon is prohibited, so all Atlantic salmon sold in U.S. markets is farm-raised. Young salmon inhabit shallow freshwater streams before migrating to open and coastal oceanic habitat for feeding and maturation. Adults average 8 to 12 pounds and up to 30 inches long, with a lifespan of 4 to 6 years. Adult diet consists primarily of smaller fish including Atlantic herring, alewife, rainbow smelt, capelin, sand lances, and small Atlantic mackerel. Salmon is kosher under Jewish dietary law. Chabad.org states directly: "all fish with fins and scales are kosher. Salmon fits into this category and may therefore be served in a Jewish home." The Orthodox Union additionally accepts the distinctive reddish-pink color of salmon flesh as a siman muvhak — an absolute identifying sign — which allows skinless salmon fillets to be considered kosher even without a piece of skin to verify scales. This policy was explained in the OU Kosher article "The Kashrus of Skinless Salmon" (OU Kosher Staff, 2013). All canned, smoked, pickled, or otherwise processed salmon should carry certification from a reliable kosher agency because shared processing equipment may have handled non-kosher fish and additives may require oversight. Aish HaTorah lists salmon among its explicit examples of kosher fish. In Hebrew: סלמון (salmon, transliteration). For a kosher-certified preparation, see the OU's Grilled Moroccan Salmon recipe — salmon seasoned with cumin, paprika, thyme, olive oil, and lemon juice, grilled or broiled.