The Best Brands of Canned Salmon

You can find canned salmon in most grocery stores these days, especially on the Pacific Northwest coast. It is usually a little bit cheaper than fresh fish and just as delicious. Not to mention, canned salmon is really easy to work with and no one will know the difference between it and fresh. 

If you are interested in eating more Alaska salmon, the canned variety is a great way to start. It is already cooked and one of my favorite ways to eat it is cold with some sour cream on top.

Let’s take a look at the best canned salmon brands to date:

10. Crown Prince

Crown Prince, founded in 1948, is a brand of canned salmon that comes from the Pacific Northwest. It’s made with wild caught Alaskan Salmon and has no added preservatives or artificial ingredients. The company also claims to use sustainable fishing practices, which is always a plus in my book.

9. Wild Planet

Wild Plane, founded in 2004, is a brand of canned salmon made with wild caught Pacific Salmon and is sustainably harvested by the American fisherman. The company states that their cans are BPA-free, which I am happy to see. They also use no preservatives or artificial ingredients in their products.

8. StarKist

StarKist has been making seafood since 1917 and uses sustainable fishing practices throughout its operations in order to reduce environmental impact. The company does not state how long it takes between catching the fish and getting it to you in a can, but they do claim that their cans are BPA-free.

7. Bumble Bee

Bumble Bee is another of America’s most popular canned salmon brands with sustainability at its core through fishing practices that reduce environmental impact on the oceans and surrounding areas. This company also uses no artificial preservatives or ingredients in their products so all you get is wild caught salmon in a can.

6. 365 Everyday Value

365 Everyday Value is the private label brand of Whole Foods Market, which makes it vegan and vegetarian friendly since there are no animal byproducts used to make the cans. The company claims that their salmon is sustainably caught and contains no artificial ingredients or preservatives. Their cans are BPA-free but do contain both soybean and sunflower oil, so those with nut allergies should avoid this product as well as any other items containing those oils.

5. Kirkland

Kirkland is the house brand of Costco Wholesale and therefore can be found on their shelves all over the country in every state that has a Costco membership. This product line states that it uses no artificial ingredients or preservatives, which makes me happy because I love to know what’s in my food and how it was made. They also claim to use sustainable fishing practices for catching their salmon so there are environmental benefits as well.

4. Redhead

Redhead is a new brand of canned salmon to the American market but isn’t new to the world by any means. The cans are made with sustainably caught wild Atlantic Salmon and do not use any artificial ingredients or preservatives. They also claim that every can has 0 grams of Trans-fats per serving which makes them perfect for people who want to eat healthy every day.

3. Chicken of the Sea

Chicken of the Sea is another American brand that was founded in San Diego, California in 1914. The company states that they use sustainable fishing practices and do not add any unnatural ingredients or preservatives to their canned salmon products. If you’re looking for a cheaper option, this is it. And if you have household pets like I do (two dogs) then you’ll be happy to know that Chicken of the Sea makes a canned salmon dog food as well.

2. Vital Choice

Vital Choice was founded in a small coastal Washington town and has been providing their customers with high quality seafood since 2000. Their products are sustainably caught, ethically sourced, labeled for mercury levels and processed without artificial ingredients or preservatives. The company also donates portions of sales to ocean conservation groups like Oceana, no doubt because they want to ensure the health of our oceans for generations to come.

1. Rubinstein

Rubinstein is the winner of this list because they are a smaller, family-owned company who has been making canned salmon for a few decades, which was acquired by Trident in 1992. Their salmon is harvested from the Atlantic Ocean and contains no artificial ingredients or preservatives. This makes them one of our top choices for canned salmon.

It’s important to note how much sodium is in canned salmon because some of these brands do seem to have a lot more than others. That’s where you can make your own changes by cutting back on the added salt and seasoning yourself, rather than cooking it with so much from the start. If you have any questions about whether or not a brand makes the grade for your diet please feel free to message us directly.

The truth of the matter is that if you are on any type of diet and still eating processed foods, there’s no way to really know how healthy a product truly is. The canning process takes all the nutrition out of your food which means you have very little chance at getting proper nutrition from canned salmon unless it’s made with fresh fish.

At the same time, I am not saying that eating canned salmon will make you fat. There may be an occasional can of salmon that is light in calories and fat, but it’s still canned so there isn’t much nutrition in them. It really all comes down to when you eat the product.

If you are eating a low carb diet, then feel free to have a can of this fish as part of your meal or snack – just don’t treat it like an everyday food item or you might sabotage yourself with too many extra calories.