The world’s biggest king salmon producer is eyeing the UK retail market for its premium Ora King brand, which it claims is “the salmon equivalent of Wagyu beef”.

New Zealand king salmon has an orange-red colour, a delicate texture and a rich flavour, and has the highest natural oil content of all salmon species - a 150g portion provides an adult’s complete daily requirement of omega 3.

Ora King is the brand name for the pacific king salmon, or chinook salmon, farmed by New Zealand King Salmon.

The company uses a low-stress harvesting method, which involves giving the fish a natural anaesthetic. A master grader inspects each fish to ensure the Ora King standard is met.

New Zealand King Salmon is now targeting high-end retailers and foodservice companies in Europe with fresh, frozen and smoked products.

New Zealand King Salmon CEO Grant Rosewarne claimed Ora King was “equivalent to Wagyu beef, with no equal in terms of quality, flavour, texture, colour and oil content.”

The company has an annual turnover of £57.9m and produces about 9,000 tonnes of king salmon per year.

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