Jim and I were in Fairbanks, Alaska, last week to visit our son Reid, who is on special assignment for United Airlines.
It is interesting that Alaska really knows how to take advantage of their summers. The four months starting in May and ending in September are when Alaskans enjoy the 19-20 hours of sunlight, so they can go on picnics and have meals on their deck for much of the day. Here in Hawaii, we take for granted our 12 months of beautiful weather, and some of us don’t have decks or patios to enjoy our weather and dine outdoors.
The finer restaurants in Fairbanks all have an outdoor dining area and people enjoy eating with on the deck with the sun in their faces and food.
Seafood that is abundant is wild Alaskan salmon, cod and halibut. None of the salmon is wasted. You can find absolutely delicious smoked king salmon filets or strips. The bones and head are boiled to make stock for fish chowders. The shrimp are so fresh and have a wonderful crunch when biting into them.
We don’t realize the difference freezing has on the texture until we get to eat them as fresh as the seafood is in Alaska.
Ever eaten a hot dog made of something other than beef, turkey or chicken? In Alaska, you can order elk, moose, buffalo or reindeer hot dogs. They had a nice crunch with a slight gamey flavor, but the meaty flavors make for excellent tastes. In burgers, you can also get a variety of those same game animals.
What is interesting is all game animals killed by motor vehicles belong to the State of Alaska and must be reported to the local police or state troopers. There is a listing of individuals and nonprofit organizations who will respond to the scene of the accident and salvage the meat for human consumption. So never make fun of “roadkill.” In Alaska, you may be eating it!
In the spring, wild blueberries, cranberries, salmonberries and raspberries are plentiful. We had some great blueberry ice cream from Hot Licks in Fairbanks. Then I was reading the local newspaper and it had an ad from Hot Licks looking for wild blueberries and buying them for $5 a pound.
The long sunlight days of summer produce some of the largest vegetables. I saw a cabbage with a span of over 24 inches. One large head of cabbage from Alaska made into cole slaw could probably feed a few hundred people!
The Athabascan Indians of Fairbanks catch their salmon with a fish wheel, smoke them for the winter. The chum salmon, which we eat here in Hawaii and is usually less expensive than the king or coho, is smoked for their dogs. Once you eat the fresh king salmon, you can understand why this is so.
Each year I get excited about the Copper River salmon run that starts in May, and some years have written about it. Foodland carried Copper River this year and the price was great at $10.99-$11.99 a pound. In the past years, prices were as high as $20 a pound.
Then my bubble was burst while in Alaska after I spoke to a fishmonger who said they eat the salmon caught in the Gulf of Alaska and the Bering Sea and not when the salmon goes up the river. Once the salmon start heading for their place of birth to spawn, they stop eating and the amount of fat and Omega-3 fatty acids decreases.
One of the juiciest king salmon we ate was a simple grilled cedar plank method.
One of the worst was an overcooked salmon (to point of burning, or as we call it “koge”). It was dry and the restaurant covered it with a marinara sauce, which further destroyed the salmon.
Cedar planks have been used by the Southeast Alaskan natives for many years when they discovered the wonderful flavors that result when smoking and cooking seafood with cedar. Both cedar and alder are used.
I bought a cedar plank at a restaurant store so have one in my kitchen. I am not sure if the cedar at the hardware store is treated with chemicals so would recommend only what you know is not treated.
Grilled Cedar
Planked
King Salmon
Serves 2
Soak for at least 30 minutes:
Cedar or alder plank
Lightly coat with extra virgin olive oil (1 tablespoon):
2 king salmon steaks Sprinkle both sides with salt and black pepper to taste.
Place salmon on grilling plank and set on grill over indirect heat.
Grill for about 20 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees.
I ate fresh halibut and was especially ready to eat halibut cheeks, which were a special at Pike’s on The River Restaurant. Reid kept telling me that I had to have it. But it was not available last week so I was quite disappointed. But never mind, I enjoyed halibut prepared various ways, with a creamy bay shrimp sauce, sautéed and placed on top of a green salad, and halibut enchiladas.
Please feel free to e-mail me at wilson.audrey@hawaiiantel.net if you have a question. Bon appetit until next week.
