Keeping this in mind, I decided to check on the foods that are most commonly enjoyed in Alaska. The ones that kept coming up were wild seafood, wild berries, wild game such as moose and caribou, sourdough bread and beer.
With 34,000 miles of coastline, one million square miles of fishing water and 15,000 salmon streams, it’s no surprise that Alaska is home to the most renowned wild seafood. Those who have experienced the vastness of Alaska believe that nowhere on earth compares to the wild Alaskan seafood found in its pristine waters.
Salmon, also known as “Alaskan turkey” is the king of the seafood and there are several varieties that are caught in Alaska such as King and Sockeye. Five of the six types of Pacific salmon are protected in areas of Northern California, Washington and Oregon. As a result, about 90 percent of the salmon caught in U.S. waters comes from Alaskan rivers. Alaska takes sustainability very seriously and has the most stringent resource management in the world. In fact, the 200 million salmon that are harvested from these bountiful waters represent a fraction of Alaska’s salmon stock.
King or Chinook salmon is prized for its vibrant hue and high fat content which results in its buttery texture. It is perhaps most commonly known for its association with Alaska’s Copper River, though king salmon and Copper River salmon are not synonymous. When you buy Copper River salmon, you are not buying a particular variety—you are buying fish from a certain river.
Here’s a great salmon recipe from Anne Casale’s Italian Cooking
4 tsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp shallots, minced
1 Tbsp. lemon juice, strained
½ cup dry white wine
6 sun-dried tomatoes (not packed in oil), finely minced
½ tsp. coarse salt
½ tsp. fresh ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. fresh basil, minced or 1 tsp. crumbled dried basil
1 Tbsp fresh thyme, minced or 1 tsp. crumbled dried thyme
2 tsp. fresh rosemary leaves, minced or ½ tsp. crumbled dried rosemary
½ cup dry bread crumbs
2 (12-ounce) skinless salmon fillets
In a large skillet, heat 2 teaspoons of oil over medium heat. Add shallots and sauté, stirring constantly, until lightly golden, about 1 minute. Add lemon juice, wine and tomatoes. Turn heat to medium-high and cook until sauce is reduced to ½ cup, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. (Sauce can be made up to 1 hour before cooking fish. Reheat over low heat just before removing fish from oven.)
Adjust oven rack to center of oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 ovenproof casserole with cooking spray; set aside.
On a piece of wax paper, combine salt, pepper, basil, thyme, rosemary and bread crumbs. Dredge each fillet in bread crumb mixture, coating well. Transfer fillets to prepared pan and place 2 inches apart. Drizzle with remaining 2 tsp. of oil.
Bake in a preheated oven just until salmon is opaque and barely flakes when tested in the center with a knife, about 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to serving platter; slice each fillet in half crosswise; spoon sauce over fillets and serve. Yield: 4 servings
Wild berries of all kinds abound in Alaska, among them cranberries and raspberries, but none as wonderful as the blueberry. They are from the tundra slopes and contain the highest antioxidant chemicals that protect our bodies from free-radicals. UAF researcher, Thomas Kuhn has discovered that Alaskan wild bog blueberries simply drip with elixirs that combat inflammation in the central nervous system. Although wild Alaskan blueberries pack a punch of antioxidants three times higher than cultivated blueberries, all are exceptionally high in antioxidants.
Since I don’t have easy access to the Alaskan wild blueberry, I use the Minnesota variety for this popular breakfast menu item:
Blueberry French Toast with Blueberry Sauce
12 slices day-old white bread, crusts removed
2 packages (8-oz each) cream cheese
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
12 eggs
2 cups milk
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla
Sauce
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 cup water
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1 Tbsp. butter
Cube or tear bread into ½” pieces. Spray 9 x 13 pans with vegetable spray. Put half of bread in pan. Dice cheese into ½” pieces—put over bread. Put blueberries over cheese, then the rest of the bread pieces. Mix eggs, milk, syrup and vanilla. Pour over all. Refrigerate overnight. Bake, covered, 30 minutes at 350; uncover and continue to bake for 30 minutes more.
For sauce:
Mix sugar, cornstarch and water in saucepan. Cook until thick. Add berries; cook 8 minutes. Remove and add butter.
If you’re interested in tasting moose burgers or caribou, you’ll have to go to Alaska and find someone to cook them for you; it’s illegal to sell wild game.
And lastly, for dessert of course, there’s always Baked Alaska.
Baked Alaska
1 layer of Devil’s Food Cake, baked (use home recipe or mix—freeze other layer for another use)
1 quart brick chocolate chip, vanilla or your favorite flavor of ice cream
4 egg whites
½ tsp. cream of tartar
2/3 cup dark brown sugar (packed)
Cover large baking sheet with foil. Place baked cake layer on baking sheet (if you have a round layer, trim to a square, or bake in square pan. Place ice cream on cake, leaving 1-inch edge. Trim cake to match ice cream. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze. Heat oven to 500 degrees. Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. Beat in brown sugar, 1 Tbsp. at a time; continue beating until stiff and glossy. Completely cover cake and ice cream with meringue, sealing it to foil on sheet. (If desired, it can be frozen up to 24 hours at this point.) Bake on lowest rack in oven 3 to 5 minutes or until meringue is light brown. Trim foil to edge of meringue; transfer cake to serving plate. Cut into 6 slices; cut each slice in half. Serve immediately. 12 servings.
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