Improper packaging and freezer burn
Frost burn is another culprit. If salmon isn’t frozen properly, it can lose moisture and develop discoloration, sometimes appearing as yellow or white spots. It’s a little discouraging to see your favorite fillet with frost burn, but again, it’s not the end of the world. You can cut away the damaged area, and the remaining salmon is usually perfectly fine to cook and eat.
Yellow-bellied Salmon: Not Always a Bad Thing
Then there’s the natural side of things. Some salmon species, especially wild salmon, can have a slightly yellowish belly. This is usually due to their diet, such as shellfish or algae, which can contain pigments that affect the color of their flesh. Farmed salmon often have a more consistent color due to their controlled diet, but even then, there can be variations. So it’s possible that the yellow hue is just a natural variation of the salmon.
Checking for Freshness
In my quest to make sure that the yellowed salmon was still edible, I used an old “smell test” that my grandmother taught me. Fresh salmon should have a neutral, salty smell, almost like a fresh sea breeze. If it smells too fishy or sour, it’s probably past its prime. I also squeezed the salmon flesh to see if it would recover, and it did. Finally, I cut off the yellow part as a precaution and then cooked it with lemon and dill.
Making the Most of Your Salmon
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