scotland
loch duart salmon
From the rugged Scottish Highlands, Loch Duart has built an international reputation for truly exceptional tasting salmon through pioneering advances in animal husbandry and feed composition. From the French Laundry to the Royal Wedding, Loch Duart has graced the most discriminating tables in the world.
the fish
“It’s not salmon — it’s Loch Duart.”
In the wild, salmon eat incredible amounts of fish, and Loch Duart keeps its feed as close to nature as possible. Loch Duart is unique in the industry in having a feed with more than 60% marine content, and without putting additional pressure on wild fisheries. The marine content in Loch Duart’s feed is composed almost entirely of processing by-products from an MSC-certified capelin fishery in Iceland that harvests the roe for export and typically discards the rest, so there is no fish being harvested just for feed.
From the freshwater hatchery fed on Highland streams, to grow-out in low-density marine pens, Loch Duart practices completely integrated production. As of 2019, broodstock is 100% Scottish genetic lines. Fish are raised an average of three months longer to mature slowly. All fish are ikejime harvested for peak quality.
the farm
The founders of Loch Duart started operations in 1999, and they were from the beginning determined to prove that there was a better way to raise salmon — as close to wild as possible — working with nature instead of against it.
Loch Duart is dedicated to animal welfare and environmental stewardship. The farm worked for three years with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) to craft guidelines for ethical aquaculture, and was the first farm in the UK certified by the RSPCA Assurance scheme. Stocking density is well below industry standard, never more than 98.5% water to 1.5% fish. No antibiotics are ever used in production. Innovative and environmentally responsible solutions to sea lice, including desalination and the use of ballan wrasse cleaner fish.
In the kitchen
No other farmed salmon benefits from the capelin-rich diet upon which Loch Duart salmon thrive, so no other salmon can come close to that rich, natural taste that has made Loch Duart one of the most trusted salmons in finer kitchens around the world.
CERTIFICATIONS, RATINGS AND AWARDS
ISO 14001, Global GAP, Label Rouge, Friend of the Sea
resources
chefs love loch duart salmon
“We love using Loch Duart Salmon. We serve it raw in both our sashimi and sushi program. The texture and the flavor have been unmatched with other farmed salmonids we have tried. ”
“We love sharing Loch Duart salmon with our guests. They are committed to sustainability, which is so important. Also, the fat content, clean flavor, and firm texture really make this salmon stand out.”
