The "Wagyu of the sea" arrives in Italy. From New Zealand, Ora, the king of salmon, is now available for chefs.
Finally, you will be able to taste one of the most prized varieties in our restaurants. This species represents 1% of global production: salmon selected and raised in pristine waters.
For Italy, this is a new development in the culinary world. It might be somewhat surprising, as it's a product typically associated with the north, but this time it comes from the other side of the planet. We're talking about the king of salmon: Ora King Salmon, one of the most prized varieties of this fish, farmed in the clear, pristine waters of the Marlborough Sounds in New Zealand. This salmon takes its name from the Maori word "ora," meaning "fresh" and "alive," and is considered (in the words of a New York Times critic) the "Wagyu of the sea," the equivalent of the most acclaimed Japanese beef in the world for the quality of its meat.
And indeed, Ora King, with its distinctive orange color, is prized for its roundness and fullness of flesh, rich and buttery due to the marbling of fat that runs through the fibers, and possesses a sweetness rarely found in salmon. It's easy to understand why it has become one of the most sought-after ingredients by chefs worldwide, featured as an exclusive item on the menus of over 1300 high-end restaurants around the globe.
Awards for those who best showcase salmon.
To support culinary creativity, the Ora King Awards have been established since 2013 to reward chefs who make the best use of salmon. Chefs from all over the world are invited to participate by submitting their "Best Ora King Dish". Once selected, the finalists fly to New Zealand to attend the prestigious awards ceremony and meet other chefs and industry professionals.
And of course, there's the cold-smoked version with manuka wood, hand-filleted and boned, salted with sea salt and cane sugar.
Many certifications
This New Zealand salmon is certified by the Global Aquaculture Alliance for "Best Aquaculture Practices," while the farm has obtained certification from the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) for environmentally and socially responsible production. The authoritative consumer guide Seafood Watch – from the Monterey Bay Aquarium – has given New Zealand King Salmon a "Best Choice" rating for consumers. Finally, in addition to other certifications and ratings, the farm is committed to achieving 5 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals related to its production activities, and contributes to the Global Salmon Initiative (GSI)'s global goal of sustainability.
King salmon accounts for less than 1% of global salmon production. In the wild, it is found in the North Pacific Ocean: from Japan, across the Bering Sea, to the west coast of the United States, as far south as Southern California. It has been introduced to Canada (British Columbia), Chile, Washington State, and in the late 19th century, even to New Zealand for sport fishing.
In the 1980s, New Zealand King Salmon, the parent company of Ora King, established its first salmon farms, which became operational in 1996. For over 25 years, a sustainable salmon farming program has been implemented across three facilities located on New Zealand's South Island, resulting in nine generations of King salmon and over 100 distinct families. Each year, only the best male and female salmon are selected based on specific qualitative and performance characteristics to determine the best specimens for production. This is how the unique Ora King breed, genetically distinct from any other salmon species in the world, was created.
The breeding program mimics the natural life cycle of wild salmon.
The salmon are raised in sea cages, with a stocking density of only 2% fish and approximately 98% water, to ensure optimal space for their development. King salmon are fed a nutritionally balanced, traceable diet, sourced from certified, non-GMO, and sustainable sources, containing everything salmon need – complex fats and quality proteins, along with carbohydrates, vitamins, and essential minerals – with a formulation that changes throughout their life cycle, ensuring optimal growth. A system of underwater cameras constantly monitors the salmon's appetite and ensures the correct amount of food is administered.
Ora King's certified sustainable farming program begins at its freshwater facility in Takaka, where the eggs grow in some of the clearest and purest waters in the world, flowing from the Te Waikoropupu Springs, New Zealand's largest springs and the largest source of cold water in the Southern Hemisphere, called "ora" by the Maori, the purest form of water, which is said to even have healing powers. With an average of 14,000 liters of freshwater gurgling across the surface of the springs every second, the King salmon are raised naturally and healthily in their ideal habitat and in conditions that emulate the life cycle of wild salmon.
Once fertilized, the eggs are hatched in the freshwater facility at Tentburn. Within the first year, the fry are transported to the Marlborough Sounds to mature in fast-flowing marine waters, mimicking the life cycle of wild salmon. When the salmon reach an average size of 4 kg, they are ready to be caught with specially designed nets and transported, resting on ice, in special tankers to the Nelson processing plant.
Upon arrival at the Nelson processing plant, each salmon is carefully washed and selected by expert hands, who examine each specimen to ensure it meets Ora King's specifications. A numbered gill tag bearing the Ora King brand is applied to each salmon to guarantee traceability and authenticity.
