Q: What is the liquid that is found in canned salmon?

A: Most canned salmon contains only one ingredient: salmon. The liquid you see in the can is likely juice from the fish itself. Canned salmon is cooked after it’s canned, so the natural juices of the fish that come out through the cooking process are then contained within the can. (This contrasts with tuna, which is cooked first out of the can, then cooked again in the can with water or oil added.)

Salmon juices do contain some healthful omega-3 fatty acids, but you aren’t completely missing out if you don’t ingest it; most of the omega-3s will remain in the fish itself. Though neither water nor oil is included with the canned salmon, a portion of salt is sometimes added. Salmon with no added salt contains around 80 milligrams (mg) per three-and-half-ounce can whereas salmon with added salt may contain up to 460 mg of sodium per can.

Overall, canned salmon with no added salt is one of the few “processed” foods that you can purchase with nothing added and nothing taken away, making it a simple and tasty way to get your omega-3s. As a bonus, canned salmon is almost always wild Alaskan salmon, so it is more environmentally responsible as well.

(Reprinted with permission from Environmental Nutrition, a monthly publication of Belvoir Media Group, LLC. 800-829-5384. www.EnvironmentalNutrition.com.)

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