Helpful Tips:

• Bring a cooler and ice to keep your fish fresh.
• Most sales are cash only.
• Please ask for a receipt.
• Tribal fishers can advise on topics including fish freshness and preparation.
• Times, days and locations might vary with vendors.

How to tell if a fish is fresh

The fish's eyes should be clear and bulge a little.

• The fish's eyes should be clear and bulge a little. Only a few fish such as walleye have naturally cloudy eyes.
• Whole fish and fillets should have firm and shiny flesh. Dull flesh may mean the fish is old.
• Fresh whole fish should have bright red gills.
• If the flesh doesn't spring back when pressed, the fish isn't fresh.
• There should be no darkening around the edges of the fish or brown or yellowish discoloration.
• The fish should smell fresh and mild, not fishy or ammonia-like.-- FDA Consumer, 1997
• If you are buying bright fall chinook, ask your fish-seller to make a cut near the tail to see the rich red flesh. If it's pink, it's either tule chinook or steelhead.  

Cleaning & Preparation:

Fileted salmon (top) and salmon steaks (bottom)

• It is not necessary to scale or skin a salmon, but you will need to fin and gut it.
• With the fish on its side, take the pointed end of a sharp fillet knife and at a slight angle, cut inward, all the way from head to tail on both sides of the dorsal fin. Be careful not to slice through the bone. Lift out the fin.
• Do the same thing on the bottom side of the fish. Then cut circles around the fins on the sides to remove them.
• With the fish on its side, slice the belly open from gills to anus and extract the innards, removing the kidney from alongside the spine. Clean up any residue with a cloth or paper towel.
• Avoid washing the salmon until you're ready to cook it because water breaks down the flesh which results in a loss of flavor.
• Refrigerate or freeze until cooking time. Then quickly dip in cold salted water and immediately pat dry.