King Salmon Perfected for Culinary Excellence
Ōra King Salmon is the result of over two decades of careful breeding, thoughtful farming, and culinary collaboration. Raised in the deep, clear waters of New Zealand’s Marlborough Sounds, these King salmon are bred for excellence—producing fillets with lush marbling, vibrant color, and a clean, umami-rich flavor that’s prized by top chefs around the world. With sashimi-level quality, a naturally high omega-3 content, and meticulous attention to welfare and sustainability, Ōra King has become the benchmark for premium King salmon—a fish that performs beautifully raw or cooked and honors the care with which it was raised.
Pristine Bays, Pure Ocean Currents
Ōra King salmon are raised in the isolated bays and deep inlets of the Marlborough Sounds, where cool ocean currents flow in from the Cook Strait and the surrounding mountains create a sheltered, temperate microclimate. The waters here are cold, clean, and consistently refreshed by tide and rainfall, making them ideal for salmon farming. The remoteness of this region provides natural biosecurity and allows the farm to operate with low environmental impact while maintaining world-leading water quality standards.
Heritage and Expertise Behind Every Fish
The team behind Ōra King is a collective of lifelong fish farmers, scientists, and stewards of the Marlborough Sounds, all working under the heritage-rich New Zealand King Salmon Company. Over decades, they’ve honed a selective breeding program to produce what many consider the “Wagyu of the Sea.” Each fish reflects the expertise of farmers who feed by hand, observe carefully, and manage every stage of the life cycle—from hatchery to harvest. With deep ties to the region and a culture of transparency and care, their goal has always been simple: to produce the world’s finest King salmon, sustainably and with soul.
from Ōra King
King Salmon
Ōra King raises Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, also known as Chinook or King salmon—the largest and most prized of the Pacific salmon species. Known for its buttery richness and fine marbling, this species is genetically predisposed to high fat content, resulting in luxurious texture and depth of flavor. In aquaculture, it thrives in cold, oxygenated water, with slower growth cycles that allow time for flavor and structure to develop. For chefs, King salmon offers exceptional versatility—delicate enough for crudo or tartare, but rich enough to hold up on the grill or in a slow roast.
Unapologetically rich and velvety—Ōra King salmon, the gold standard for celebratory seafood
What do the fish eat? - Fish feed FAQ
Feed is the single biggest factor in how clean and how nutritious a fish is. A fish is built from what it eats, which means the feed decides its omega-3s, its mineral profile, and how much mercury or microplastic it carries. That's why we treat feed as a sourcing requirement rather than a farm detail, and why every farm we work with has to tell us exactly what goes into the pellet.
Feed varies by farm, by species, and by stage of growth. The ingredients and the rules below hold across all of them.
What can be in it?
Algae oil:
The original source of EPA and DHA omega-3s. Fish don't make omega-3s, they accumulate them from what they eat. Algae is where those fats come from in the ocean too.
Marine ingredients (fishmeal, fish oil):
Protein and fats in the form fish evolved to digest. We work to reduce this share over time, not eliminate the nutrition it provides. A large amount of marine ingredients already come from offcuts, meaning parts of fish that are not suitable for human consumption, and so reducing ocean impact further.
Plant proteins (soy, pea, barley, corn, pistachio):
Non-GMO, high-protein, highly digestible. Replaces wild-caught protein without issues for the fish, reducing ocean impact.
Amino acids and minerals:
Fills the specific nutritional gaps plant proteins leave, so nothing is missing from the diet.
Astaxanthin:
A naturally occurring carotenoid, the same one found in kelp, krill and shellfish. It's an antioxidant for the fish and the reason salmon flesh is pink.
What's never in it?
Preventative antibiotics, hormones, GMOs, synthetic colouring agents.
Why is there plant protein in fish feed?
Because the alternative is more wild fish. Aquaculture used to run almost entirely on fishmeal and fish oil, which meant catching enormous volumes of small wild fish to grow larger ones. Swapping part of that for high-protein plants takes pressure off those wild stocks while still giving the fish bioavailable protein.
There's a second reason: wild fish carry what the ocean carries. Less wild fish in the feed means less mercury, fewer microplastics and lower parasite risk arriving in your fillet. A controlled diet is what makes a clean fish possible.
Are the fish dyed?
No. Post-harvest colouring agents are prohibited across everything we sell. Colour comes from astaxanthin in the feed, a natural carotenoid found in kelp, krill and shellfish. Wild salmon get their colour the same way. So do flamingos.
Sustainably Fed, Ethically Farmed, Lab-Tested to Meet the Seatopia Standard
Ōra King salmon are fed a specially formulated diet that mirrors the nutrition of their wild counterparts—rich in high-quality marine proteins and oils, carefully balanced with plant-based ingredients to promote health and sustainability. Their feed is free from antibiotics and GMO ingredients, and the farm operates under Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) and Global GAP certifications. Stocking densities are kept low to reduce stress and encourage natural behavior, and regular audits ensure environmental responsibility at every step. By raising their fish slowly, with intention and precision, the Ōra King team delivers salmon that is as ethically raised as it is exquisite to eat.
King Salmon Recipes
Broiled Miso Salmon Bowl
This ritualistic recipe celebrates the art of a 48-hour marinade, blending saké, miso, and coconut sugar to create a deeply flavorful glaze. We'll guide you through every step—from preparing the marinade to broiling the salmon to perfection and plating it with sushi rice, purple broccolini, pickled onions, and creamy avocado.
Spirulina-Infused Crudo
Prepare Steelhead Crudo with green spirulina emulsion. Seatopia’s sushi-grade seafood delivers abundant Omega-3s to support heart and brain health.
Salmon Poke Bowl
Join us in this new recipe where we dive into the traditional flavors of Hawaii with a classic Salmon Poke, made with New Zealand King Salmon from Seatopia. This step-by-step guide walks you through preparing a flavorful poke, marrying the rich taste of sushi-grade salmon, loaded with omega-3s, with the freshness of pickled ginger and garlic, known for their digestive and immune-supporting properties. Perfectly paired with organic sushi rice and creamy avocado, this dish is a true celebration of Hawaiian cuisine and wholesome nourishment.
