Walk into any high-end omakase spot in Manhattan or a casual conveyor belt joint in Osaka, and you'll see the same two heavy hitters dominating the menu: salmon and tuna. They are the undisputed kings of the raw fish world. Most people assume that salmon and tuna sushi have been best friends since the dawn of time.
They haven't.
If you traveled back to Edo-period Japan, you'd find a lot of tuna, sure, but the salmon? Completely missing. It was actually considered "trash fish" for raw consumption for centuries because of parasites. The story of how these two fish became the global standard for sushi is a weird mix of international marketing, cold-chain logistics, and a total shift in how we perceive "luxury" on a plate.
The Salmon and Tuna Sushi Paradox
Let’s be real for a second. When you order a "spicy tuna roll," you’re usually getting a mashup of scraps and Sriracha. But when you sit down for Otoro—the prized fat from the tuna's belly—you’re basically eating the Wagyu of the sea. Tuna is old school. Salmon is the newcomer that broke all the rules.
In the 1970s, Japan didn't eat salmon sushi. Period. The local Pacific salmon were riddled with Anisakis parasites. You cooked your salmon; you didn't put it on rice. It wasn't until a group of Norwegians, led by a man named Bjørn Eirik Olsen, launched "Project Japan" in the mid-80s that things changed. They had a surplus of farm-raised Atlantic salmon and needed somewhere to sell it. They spent years convincing Japanese executives that farmed salmon was safe, fatty, and delicious.
It was a hard sell. It took nearly a decade.
Nowadays, you can't imagine a menu without it. It’s funny because while tuna (Maguro) has this deep, cultural history tied to the samurai era, salmon is basically a triumph of 20th-century Norwegian trade policy. Honestly, that doesn't make it taste any less buttery, but it does change how you look at that orange slice of nigiri.
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Tuna’s Identity Crisis
Tuna isn't just one thing. If you're eating "tuna," you're likely eating one of several species, and the quality varies wildly. Bluefin is the gold standard. It’s the one you see selling for millions of dollars at the New Year's auctions at Toyosu Market (formerly Tsukiji). Bigeye and Yellowfin are more common in mid-tier restaurants—leaner, slightly firmer, and better for those "crunchy" rolls we all secretly love.
The breakdown of the fish matters more than the species, though:
- Akami: This is the lean, red meat. It’s metallic, firm, and has a clean finish. It’s the "classic" tuna taste.
- Chutoro: The medium fatty belly. It’s the middle child that gets everything right. A bit of fat, a bit of structure.
- Otoro: The heaviest fat content. It literally melts. If it doesn't melt, it's not Otoro.
The interesting thing about tuna is how it was handled before refrigeration. It was often marinated in soy sauce, a style called Zuke, to preserve it. Today, we prefer it fresh and chilled, but that "iron" taste of the Akami is what traditionalists live for.
The Fat Gap: Why Salmon Wins the Popularity Contest
Salmon and tuna sushi compete on the palate in different ways. Salmon is consistently fatty. Even the "lean" parts of a farmed Atlantic salmon have more intramuscular fat than most wild white fish. This makes it approachable. It’s the "gateway" sushi. You don't need a refined palate to enjoy a fatty salmon belly. It just tastes good.
Tuna requires a bit more work.
The nuance of a high-quality Bluefin is in its acidity. There is a slight sourness to the meat that cuts through the fat. This is something sushi masters like Jiro Ono have pointed out for years—the balance of vinegar in the rice must match the specific acidity of the tuna harvest that day. Salmon doesn't really have that complexity. It’s just a rich, fatty bomb of flavor.
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That’s why you see salmon paired with things like cream cheese, avocado, or even blow-torched with mayo (Aburi style). Tuna rarely gets that treatment in high-end spots because its natural flavor is more delicate. If you smother a piece of $20-a-bite Bluefin in spicy mayo, a chef somewhere in Tokyo will lose their mind.
What’s Actually in the "Spicy" Stuff?
Let's talk about the elephant in the room. The spicy tuna and spicy salmon rolls.
Most restaurants use "tuna scrape" for these. This is literally the meat scraped off the bones after the fillets are removed. It’s not "bad" meat, but it’s definitely the leftovers. To make it palatable and give it a consistent texture, they mix it with oils and chili. Salmon rolls often use the "tail" ends of the fish which are too thin for beautiful nigiri slices.
Is it delicious? Yes. Is it the highest grade of salmon and tuna sushi? Not even close. If you want to test a restaurant's quality, always order the nigiri first. You can't hide the quality of the fish when it's just sitting naked on a ball of rice.
Sustainability and the "Fake" Fish Problem
There's a dark side here. Bluefin tuna is famously overfished. While management practices have improved in the Atlantic, Pacific Bluefin populations have historically been at a fraction of their original levels. If you care about the planet, you're usually looking for "Pole and Line" caught tuna, which avoids the massive bycatch issues of purse seine nets.
Salmon has its own issues. Farmed salmon—which is what almost all salmon sushi is—faces criticism for sea lice, antibiotic use, and the environmental impact on local ecosystems. However, without farming, salmon sushi wouldn't exist. Wild salmon (like Sockeye or King) is amazing but carries the parasite risk mentioned earlier.
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Actually, some high-end places are now using "wild" salmon that has been "super-frozen" to -40 degrees Celsius to kill parasites, but for the most part, that buttery Norwegian or Tasmanian farmed fish is what's on your plate.
How to Spot High-Quality Fish
You don't need to be a Michelin inspector to tell if your sushi is good.
- The Glow: High-quality tuna should have a translucent quality. If it looks "muddy" or brown, it’s oxidizing. That means it's been sitting out or was frozen poorly.
- The Sinew: In salmon, you want to see those clear white lines of fat. But in tuna, especially the lean Akami, you don't want stringy white connective tissue. It should be smooth.
- The Smell: This is the big one. Fresh fish doesn't smell "fishy." It should smell like nothing, or perhaps a faint hint of the ocean. If the restaurant smells like a pier at noon, walk out.
Nutrition: The Heavyweights of Omega-3s
From a health perspective, both are powerhouses. Salmon usually wins on the Omega-3 front because it's just oilier. It’s also loaded with Vitamin D. Tuna is the protein king. It’s incredibly lean (unless you’re eating the belly) and packed with selenium.
One thing to watch out for? Mercury.
Tuna is a long-lived predator. It eats smaller fish and accumulates mercury over time. If you’re eating tuna every single day, you might want to chill out. Salmon, being lower on the food chain and harvested younger, generally has much lower mercury levels.
Putting it All Together
If you want the "true" sushi experience, start with the tuna. Begin with the lean Akami to wake up your palate, move to the Chutoro, and finish with the Otoro. Use a tiny bit of real wasabi—the stuff that’s grated from a root, not the green paste made from horseradish and food coloring.
Then, move to the salmon. If the restaurant offers "King Salmon" (Ora King from New Zealand is a big name in the industry), get it. It’s the highest fat content you can find in the salmon world and rivals Bluefin for the "best bite of the night" title.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Sushi Night
- Order "Saku" blocks: If you are making sushi at home, don't buy "fillets" from the grocery store. Look for "Saku" blocks which are pre-trimmed, sushi-grade rectangles specifically meant for slicing.
- Check the rice temperature: The rice should be slightly warm or room temperature, never cold. Cold rice kills the flavor of the fat in the salmon and tuna.
- Skip the soy sauce dunk: If you're eating high-quality Nigiri, dip the fish side into the soy sauce, not the rice. The rice acts like a sponge and will ruin the seasoning.
- Ask about the origin: Don't be afraid to ask where the tuna came from. A good sushi chef will be proud to tell you it's from Spain, Japan, or the Boston coast. If they don't know, it's probably commodity-grade fish.
- Try the "Aburi" style: If you find salmon a bit too "slimy," ask the chef to sear it with a torch for five seconds. It caramelizes the fat and changes the entire flavor profile.
- Limit your Bluefin intake: For both health and environmental reasons, treat high-grade tuna as a luxury, not an every-day meal. Stick to salmon or smaller fish like mackerel for your regular fix.