f you listen to our radio show, Fit Happens, on Newsradio 1110 KFAB on Saturday mornings from 11:00 – 12:00, you have heard us talk about some common sense suggestions as how you can improve your diet.

I am not a food snob.  I don’t tell people they need to follow one diet or another and don’t try to get people to do anything extreme.  I do try to offer suggestions as to how people can improve their diets.  One delicious way to improve your diet is to add healthy foods that taste good and make sense economically.  Eating wild salmon falls under that umbrella.

I was introduced to the most delicious salmon I ever tasted a couple of years ago by Jerry Keown, a friend of mine from waaaay back  Jerry now lives in Alaska, the best place on the planet to get great salmon.  Jerry was kind enough to ship me some salmon and crab from 10th & M Seafood, the place he goes to buy salmon.  It was fantastic!

I have since been a devoted shopper and consumer of wild salmon from Alaska.  And it doesn’t have to be crazy expensive to eat.  For example, I recently received 24+ pounds of fresh coho salmon for $179.95 — and that includes overnight shipping. This means I received coho salmon on Thursday that were caught on Tuesday, put on ice, and shipped to me.

I enjoyed fresh, never frozen, coho salmon that had been caught on Tuesday for dinner on Thursday.  At a cost of less than $7.50 per pound! It just doesn’t get any better than that.

Now the salmon isn’t always that cheap.  Because that is cheap.  At that price, a half-pound of fresh salmon cost less than a Big Mac.  That is crazy cheap!

If you are willing to shop a bit and do the math, I am confident that you will find that you can eat delicious wild salmon a few days a week for less than it costs you to eat out.  In some cases, for less than it costs you to eat fast-food.

I am going to share some sources that I have found that you may want to consider.

10th & M Seafood  http://www.10thandmseafoods.com This is a great place to get fish if you want to take the time to call.  They do have a website but it does not show everything they offer.  They have a significant retail presence in Anchorage, so you can be confident they do a great job, as you are buying the same fish at the same price as the locals.  You will see they have what appears to be lower prices than many online vendors, but that is because many online vendors have the price of shipping factored into the prices they show.  This is the vendor I use to buy fresh caught, never been frozen fish from the most often.

Great Alaska Seafood http://www.great-alaska-seafood.com/ This site is where I buy most of my fish for a few reasons.  One, they make it easy to buy online.  You can order from their site and use Amazon payments, if that makes you more comfortable. Another reason is they have an option to get daily specials sent via email.  That is how I found out about their special on fresh coho salmon.  And it is worth noting that while their emails say “24 hour special”, I have been able to buy fish at the “special rate” after the 24 hours has expired in many cases.

It is worth educating yourself on the types of salmon, the salmon season, and the difference between net caught and troll caught salmon.  And if you buy fresh fish, please eat it while it is fresh.  Getting truly fresh fish is a blessing.  If you want frozen fish, buy fish that has been frozen at the processing plant.  They freeze it much quicker and at a colder temperature, thereby preserving flavor and nutrients.

Give this salmon a try.  Or buy some other fish that you think you like.

I apologize in advance if buying this fish ruins buying fish from your local grocer or from a chain restaurant for you.  I know it has changed my dining habits.  I can’t remember the last time I ordered salmon in a restaurant.  It just can’t compare with what I can get at home.