Ōra King is the culmination of a classical breeding program that has spanned two decades and is designed to yield only the highest quality King salmon with the most appealing taste, texture and colour.

With responsible husbandry, selective grading and careful handling, the New Zealand King Salmon Company allows only its finest quality King salmon to be labeled Ōra King – those that best represent the superior culinary attributes of this unique breed.

To produce Smoked Ōra King, each whole fish is hand filleted and pinboned, brined with sea salt and brown sugar, then slowly cold smoked with native New Zealand manuka wood. Smoked Ōra King has no added nitrites or nitrates.

WHY ORA KING ?

Appearance: King salmon boast bright silver skin. They have a rounder mid-section in comparison to the longer, thinner body of the common Atlantic salmon species.

Taste: Our King salmon have an elegant balance of sweet and umami flavours, complementing a wide variety of ingredients.

Colour: King salmon have a vibrant orange flesh colour, which contrasts attractively with the marbled fat lines for unsurpassed plate appeal.

Oil Content: King salmon have the highest oil content of all salmon species. The high oil content keeps the salmon moist, greatly reducing the risk of over-cooking.

THE ORA KING DIET

Ora King's salmon is fed like if it was preparing for the Olympics. The feed contains ingredients based on the nutritional requirements of wild salmon. The salmon are fed a nutritionally balanced diet, formulated by feed experts. The feed comes from sustainable, certified GMO-free suppliers and contains everything the salmon need to thrive and grow, and nothing else.

We use a balanced extruded diet. Each formulation is made to best suit a particular life stage of the salmon. The main change in formulation through the life of the salmon is the ratio of oil to protein. As a salmon grows it requires less protein and more oil.

ANTIOXIDANTS

A commonly misunderstood part of a salmon’s diet is the antioxidant astaxanthin. Astaxanthin is found naturally in algae and krill and is an essential micronutrient for salmon. It is so important to the salmon that they have evolved the capacity to store it in their muscle tissue, giving salmon their familiar reddish-orange colour.

Salmon use it to protect their precious Omega-3 oils and ultimately it protects their eggs. Because it is such a powerful and effective antioxidant, astaxanthin is frequently used as a dietary supplement for humans.

SUSTAINABLE

The New Zealand King Salmon Co. Ltd has achieved the world-leading Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certification from The Global Aquaculture Alliance.

This independent certification supports the company’s ongoing and substantial efforts to maintain its environmental integrity

Monterey Bay Aquarium’s globally respected consumer guide Seafood Watch® has rated New Zealand’s marine-farmed salmon, including Ōra King salmon, as “Green”, meaning it is a “Best Choice” for consumers. New Zealand King salmon is the first and only ocean-farmed salmon to have achieved the Green/Best Choice rating from Seafood Watch.

In addition, King salmon from New Zealand has recently been rated 'Recommended' by Ocean Wise. Ocean Wise are a Vancouver Aquarium conservation programme aimed at educating and empowering consumers about the issues surrounding sustainable seafood.

These ratings are a strong endorsement of the sustainability credentials of the New Zealand King salmon industry.