The visit to Pike's Place Market in Seattle, WA yielded another pleasant surprise for me. Behold! there is a cousin of the drab colored rainbow trout that wears an eye catching golden red skin and it is called the, golden rainbow trout. By the way, there is also another family member wearing a brown skin color.
According to a report on the Pennsylvania Fishes, the golden rainbow trout (Onchorynchus mykiss) was developed from a single female trout with a genetic mutation that gave her mixed golden and normal rainbow trout coloration. She was found in the West Virginia hatchery system in 1954. Through selective breeding with regular rainbow trout, an all-gold, golden rainbow trout was developed. In 1963 this strain was popularized as the "West Virginia Centennial Golden Trout". A similar strain, the California Golden Trout (Onchorynchus aguabonita) is found in some streams of Northern California.
A variety of colors in the display case of fishes always come out appealing to customers. The orange to crimson red body meat color of the salmon is always a sight to behold. The pure white and smooth textured Chilean Sea Bass fillet stands out when it is sandwiched between the salmon and the deep red steak cuts of premium Ahi tuna.
Now, how good does the golden trout taste? It is probably of the same flavor as the rainbow trout. Given its coloration, the whole fish would be a diner's delight when steamed and garnished later with fresh ginger and green onion strings served with a dip of honey soy sauce.
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