To make salmon gravlax begin with two fillets. Set one in a glass baking dish, flesh-side up. Cover both with a thin coat of sea salt and brown sugar. Place fresh dill over the fillet in the dish and put the other fillet face-down over the first so the dill is sandwiched between the meat. Stretch plastic wrap around the fillets and set the package back in the baking dish. Place a few clean, heavy rocks on top and refrigerate. Every couple of hours, turn the package over, keeping the weight on top. In six hours or so the fish is ready to eat or freeze. To serve, use a fillet knife to cut thin slices; place them on a bagel smothered with cream cheese. Garnish with cilantro. Experiment using lightly smoked salmon fillets and/or adding herbs and spices. Use freshly crushed blueberries instead of the dill for a sweeter…
When delegates convened to draft Alaska’s founding document, they decided to write requirements for a sustainable salmon fishery into the state constitution.
To make salmon caviar first place the egg skeins in a large glass or ceramic bowl and cover with very hot tap water. After a minute or so, begin to work the skeins by gently massaging the eggs free of the sac. Place the sticky membrane and eggs that are too clingy in a separate bowl to use in your compost. Change the water often, keeping it as hot as your hands can tolerate. After you remove the bulk of the skeins, continue rinsing with hot water, now using your fingers to delicately churn the eggs. As the water becomes tepid, drain the fluid and notice white skein membranes floating to the surface like little ghosts. Continue this until there are no more skein spirits rising to the surface. The eggs will have turned an opaque pink by now, but that will soon change. Cover the eggs with clear, cold…
Just a few reasons why Alaska wild places are so unforgettable. Enjoy! Wild World from Janessa Anderson on Vimeo.
Casting creeks on the Alaska Peninsula
Check out this incredible footage of the droves of pink salmon making their way to the spawning grounds near Valdez, Alaska!
Founders of a community supported fishery After Micah Hahn and Ben Tietge moved to Alaska in summer 2017, Tietge bought a boat and started commercial fishing in the Copper River Delta and Prince William Sound. 2019 was their second season operating the Copper Valley Fish Collective, which allows consumers to cut out the middle man and purchase their fish directly from Hahn and Tietge. Buyers can select at the beginning of the season how many pounds of salmon they want, essentially reserving a portion of the catch, which is then shipped at the end of the season. ~as told to and edited by Alexander Deedy Alaska: Can we start with a little background on yourselves? MH: I’ll start. We moved up to Alaska in the summer of 2017. Ben had been salmon fishing before then, but he decided he wanted to make it his profession. I have a background in…
By Steven Merritt “Seventy-five fish.” The early-morning text needed no more explanation. I envisioned my friend Mike in his garage with coolers full of sockeye salmon, a pot of coffee, a fillet knife and the satisfaction of putting a winter’s worth of enjoyment in the freezer. Mike’s success dipnetting with a colleague on the Copper River dovetails nicely with my time behind the iMac these days. The crew at Alaska magazine is working on the September issue—our annual food edition—which celebrates the importance of Alaskans’ connection with the land and water. And for my family, early July means our dipnetting rite of summer on the Kenai River is close at hand. Sockeye salmon begin arriving in decent numbers there by mid-month, with the fishery’s peak usually coming a week or so later. It’s a perk of being an Alaska resident that some might see as not quite their thing. Granted,…
I just landed in Sitka after leaving Haines, where I spent two lovely weeks in the Valley of Eagles. While bald eagles are everywhere in Haines, they’re also everywhere in Southeast, including Sitka. Still, there’s a difference between them: we’ll call it the lazy factor. Haines eagles are spoiled. I visit them in November during the end of the chum run. The chubby birds wait for a salmon to flop close to shore, and then they drag it up onto the rocks and feast on it. Or, they steal a fish from another eagle already dining on one. Their young also have easy access to meals, and don’t need to rely on mom and dad to bring food back to the nest as they mature. The eaglets don’t have to learn to dive into the water to fly off with a struggling fish in their talons. They just have to…
The thought of king salmon fishing usually conjures images of casting off the shore of a remote river, or trolling behind a boat surrounded by wilderness. But in Alaska, you don’t need to travel any farther than downtown Anchorage, the state’s largest metropolis, to catch a king. Just a few blocks from downtown, with high rises on the horizon, anglers cast a line from the shores of Ship Creek to catch a salmon. Local outfitters rent gear and sell licenses to travelers. Even for those who don’t enjoy the sport, it’s fun to take a short walk from downtown Anchorage to watch the combat fishing. Every summer, the city of Anchorage celebrates with the annual Slam’n Salm’n Festival. It’s hosted by The Bait Shack and benefits local nonprofit organizations. Anyone who enters the derby has a chance to win thousands of dollars, fishing trips, kayaks, rods, and reels. The grand…