Sashimi popularity in China shows growth opportunities for imported salmon

New research shows that sashimi rules the salmon category in China. What could this mean for salmon imports going forward?

Ahead of World Seafood Shanghai (WSS), taking place from 26–28 August, sashimi has emerged as a key opportunity in China’s rapidly expanding salmon market. This is being driven by rising in-home consumption, fast delivery services and the parallel growth of factories providing sashimi-grade salmon to meet demand.

Highlighting the Top Seafood Trends 2026: The China Report, we take a look at the surge in consumption of seafood in China, and the trends influencing how consumers discover, purchase and consume it – and how it accelerates the market's growth.

Post-Covid consumption shift

China’s imported salmon category grew 50% in 2025. Alongside this growth, one of the biggest changes in how salmon is consumed has been the post-Covid shift towards in-home consumption, particularly of sashimi.

Online retail and delivery services have helped enable this shift. Consumers can order freshly prepared sashimi from sashimi-certified factories and specialized fresh cut sashimi stores, where salmon is sliced on demand before being dispatched for delivery.

The growth of fresh cut stores and factories approved to prepare sashimi-grade salmon is helping supply keep pace with demand. This availability is no longer limited to China’s largest cities, with consumers in tier-two and tier-three cities increasingly able to access the same quality and convenience.

According to NSC Country Director for China Sigmund Bjørgo: “I’ve experienced first-hand how effectively China’s delivery network serves the sashimi market. Salmon ordered to my apartment can arrive within 25 minutes, carefully packaged and in excellent condition.

“That combination of speed and care helps preserve the quality and freshness consumers expect from Norwegian salmon. It makes sashimi easier to enjoy at home and means the product can arrive as fresh as if consumers had bought it themselves at the supermarket.”

Salmon: an affordable luxury

Salmon sashimi dominates China’s raw fish category – according to NSC data*, about 25% of Chinese seafood consumers in tier 1 cities report that they eat salmon sashimi once a week or more frequently.

Bjørgo explains: “In China, salmon equals sashimi – full stop. There isn’t even much focus on sushi. That is a small slice of the salmon category; it really is mainly sashimi.”

The popularity of raw, expertly sliced salmon in China is particularly pertinent when compared with the global average of 13% for weekly sashimi consumption*. The average in this case is influenced by high percentages in many Asian markets.

Before the pandemic, salmon sashimi in China was largely associated with Japanese restaurants, with consumers less accustomed to buying raw fish to eat at home or preparing it themselves. The subsequent growth in home consumption has helped sashimi become a more established part of the shopping basket.

Salmon is considered an affordable luxury in China, combining premium appeal with the convenience of an at-home treat.
Affluence is the biggest enabler of seafood consumption in China, where the middle class has grown from around 300,000 people in 2000 to 184 million today – creating a growing audience for higher-value seafood.

Rather than diluting its premium positioning, greater accessibility is enabling more consumers to incorporate salmon sashimi into the traditional Chinese meal of multiple shared dishes.

Freshness is a key driver

In 2025, China emerged as the market with the highest value growth for Norwegian seafood, with an increase in export value of NOK 2.9 billion (31%) compared with the previous year. China purchased Norwegian seafood totalling NOK 12.3 billion and climbed from being the sixth largest market in 2024 to the third largest market in 2025.

Looking at salmon consumption in particular, and the development from 2024 to 2025, China also comes out on top with the most growth compared to the other top salmon markets.

Although Norwegian salmon is cold-chain reliant, the fact that it is favoured as a premium product by China’s rising middle class provides further evidence that it arrives fresh – and is trusted by consumers.

According to NSC Consumer Analyst Lars Moksness: “Through this new research, we’ve gained powerful new understanding of what influences the Chinese consumer. Our findings show that when purchasing seafood, freshness is a key driver, including cost. Consumers are looking for premium-grade seafood, especially when it comes to salmon sashimi – and Norwegian salmon offers the quality they are looking for.”

With China’s middle class continuing to expand and demand for premium seafood gathering pace, the appetite for Norwegian salmon shows no signs of slowing. Looking at the newest development, the Chinese salmon import increased 43 % in first half of 2026, on top of the 50 % for the full year of 2025. In other words, there’s no indication that the trend will stop anytime soon.

As sashimi moves firmly into the mainstream and consumers increasingly prioritise freshness, quality and convenience, Norway is well placed to serve China’s growing taste for premium salmon sashimi.

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The NSC and nine companies from the Norwegian seafood industry will be present at the Norwegian Seafood Pavilion at World Seafood Shanghai (WSS) from August 26th to 28th. Before the trade show, there will be a salmon consumers focus group as well as a sashimi taste test among chefs. The China 9th Global Salmon Industry Summit, the largest salmon seminar in China, will also be held on Wednesday August 26th. The seminar is organized by the trade media Seafood Guide, where the NSC is co-organizer.

Sources

• Seafood Trends 2026: The China Report (Norwegian Seafood Council, April 2026)
  
• Chinese Salmon Market 2026 (NSC, Sigmund Bjørgo, April 2026)
• * NSC Global Tracker 2026, result from 20 global markets