keta

IPA/kˈɛtə/
KK[kˈɛtə]IPA/kˈɛtə/

keta — noun

1. a Pacific salmon with light pink flesh, sought after for its vivid orange roe an

1.noun
Definition

a Pacific salmon with light pink flesh, sought after for its vivid orange roe and commonly dried or smoked for the winter months

Example

Heloísa watched keta salmon thrash in the shallows, their bodies darkening as the spawning season began.

Ilan bought a strip of dried keta at the morning market in Otaru.

dried keta as a preserved food

Common collocations
  • keta roe
  • keta caviar
  • dried keta
  • smoked keta
  • keta fillet
Synonyms
  • chum salmon

    the common English name, used especially in North America

  • dog salmon

    an older informal name, from the large teeth males develop during spawning

Usage Note

Also widely known as chum salmon or dog salmon. In commercial fishing and scientific contexts, 'keta' is the standard international name.

Common Mistakes

I grilled a keta steak and the flesh was deep red.
I grilled a keta fillet and the flesh was pale pink.
keta has much lighter flesh than sockeye or coho salmon; it is the palest of the Pacific salmon species.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Keta, chum salmon, and dog salmon all refer to the same fish (Oncorhynchus keta). 'Keta' is the international commercial and scientific name; 'chum salmon' is the everyday North American term; 'dog salmon' is an older colloquial name from the large canine-like teeth males grow during spawning. Among other Pacific salmon, keta stands apart: sockeye has deep red flesh and a much richer flavour, while coho (silver salmon) is firmer and prized for grilling. Keta's pale pink flesh, mild taste, and abundant roe make it the species most often dried, smoked, or processed for caviar rather than eaten fresh.

chum salmondog salmonsockeyecoho

Common collocations

Nouns

  • keta salmon
  • keta caviar

Etymology

Tungusic (Nanai)RussianEnglish

Borrowed into English from Russian кета (keta), which itself came from a Tungusic language of the Amur River basin — most likely Nanai or a related language of the Russian Far East. The term entered Western scientific use in the late 19th century through ichthyological surveys of North Pacific fisheries.

First known use

1792

1792, in the meaning defined above