In Sonoma County, Summer means SALMON, which is why we’re excited to once again welcome back locally-caught King Salmon at Oliver’s, available this week only for $17.99 a pound. These heavyweight champions of the seafood culinary bracket are a salmon-lover’s dream, and the fact that they’re caught and processed locally is an Oliver’s dream! Every year, Pacific Chinook King Salmon make their way out of the tributaries where they fed and grew in relative safety and head into the open ocean. Once at sea, these powerful predators continue to feed and grow, building the dense, toned muscle that can’t be found in farmed salmon. The millions of krill (tiny, shrimp-like crustaceans) on which they feed can be thanked for their flesh’s signature deep sunset-orange color. These krill contain high concentrations of the natural red pigment and super-antioxidant astaxanthin. Astaxanthin has been shown to have such benefits as supporting muscle and brain health, improving cholesterol, decreasing risk of heart disease, supporting healthy vision, and even improving sleep. The more krill a wild salmon eats, the redder its flesh will be, which means even more helpful astaxanthin for you!

Loading up on astaxanthin isn’t the only benefit of this luxurious lifestyle of swimming around the open ocean and feasting on krill – it packs each fish with more health benefits than you can shake a tailfin at. Salmon is fantastic source of key vitamins and minerals like Potassium, Selenium, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, vitamin B6, Folic Acid, and plenty of vitamin B12. Bulking up the nutritional content even further are an array of omega-3 fatty acids; in fact, salmon is one of the best natural sources of omega-3’s you can find! These long-chain fatty acids are vital in supporting healthy brain, heart, and muscle function, and increased intake of foods rich in omega-3’s has been shown to improve arterial health, reduce the risk of cancer, reduce inflammation, lower blood pressure, and much more. And as if that weren’t enough, salmon is high in protein and low in saturated fat, making it an ideal fit for a healthy diet!

When these delicious fish are the right size and weight to catch, they’re scooped up by none other than Sonoma County’s own Tides Wharf Wholesale Seafood. The Tides Wharf Wholesale Seafood department has twenty employees and distributes throughout Sonoma County, providing fresh seafood daily to local markets like Oliver’s and the best of Sonoma County’s restaurants; in the high season, they sometimes deliver up to 5 times per day! All of this effort ensures that their customers have the freshest seafood available at all times. The Tides Wharf specializes in buying and selling LOCAL products, and their production and distribution facility is appropriately located on the docks in beautiful Bodega Bay. You’ll find no fancy machines here either because everything is still done by hand, and it’s Tony and Anthony Delima who you’ll find managing the entire operation! Tony, who has worked for the company for over 40 years, is the General Manager, while his son Anthony came to the seafood business by birth. Anthony has worked hands-on with fish since he was 12 years old, and together, father and son have over 75 years of combined experience. “Seafood is in our blood, it’s part of our lives, and we love it!”

This week, enjoy these true fruits of the sea for a truly delicious $17.99 a pound. Local King Salmon season doesn’t last long, so make sure you stock up while the getting’s good and enjoy a product that’s quintessential Sonoma County! Also, floundering for creative ways to use your King Salmon? Check out swimmingly-good recipes HERE to get you started!