3 Things I Love About Pescatarian Holiday Menus

I’m not a pescatarian, but my husband Arron (WAC founder + CEO) is. And that’s something we fully embrace, even over the holidays.

Arron’s preference for fish over the modern American binary of chicken or beef is a quality shaped by his connection to an ancient Alaska protein — wild salmon. His roots in a multigenerational commercial fishing family has always meant that sockeye salmon can easily be served up for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in a single day, no questions or qualms about it. I recall my late father-in-law Walt’s favorite morning combo, a cup of coffee and a fillet of salmon. It was an eye-raising pairing when I was new to the family, but now it is something that even I myself truly enjoy.

While our household is not strictly pescatarian, the early years of breaking bread with a pescatarian at the holiday table prompted my reacquaintance with the meaningful traditions that I was introducing to our family through my own preferences and history. So with the holiday season fast upon us, I thought I’d share three things I have long since embraced about a pescatarian-friendly holiday menu, featuring wild-caught seafood.

1. It Makes Space for New Traditions

In my experience, having Alaskan seafood as a protein option is something that opens up a holiday menu while leaving ample runway to integrate traditional flavor profiles. A squash and salmon risotto, whose savory-rich flavor recalls everything you crave in a fall dish. A gloriously golden halibut pie buried beneath a cloud of mashed potatoes, epitomizing comfort and celebration. A bubbling skillet of cheesy baked pasta with sweet spot prawns folded in. Inevitably, a favorite seafood dish or two will get pulled into the holiday canon, becoming a new tradition, a reflection of who’s at the table today. And there’s still plenty of space on the table for the non-negotiable mainstays, to keep you connected to your roots.

2. It’s Lighter… Which Means You Can Eat More of Everything

This one is practical and to the point: seafood tends to feel a little bit lighter and easier to digest than other proteins. So a serving of fish not only can be an elevated addition to the table, but it also has the potential to offer a moment of relief, staving off the inevitable food coma and allowing you to linger over the table a little while longer — with a little more room in your belly for grazing on favorites. Extra yams, anyone?

3. It Reinforces That Everyone Is Invited

Having to negotiate dietary restrictions and personal preferences at holiday gatherings is… not easy. I know dinner guests who can partake in shellfish but not fish, butter but not milk, tamari but not soy sauce, eggs but not the bird itself. It can feel like a puzzle, but I fully believe that the extra effort to host a dietarily-inclusive feast for the holidays is part and parcel to sharing a meal. It reinforces that everyone is invited to the table, and ensures that each guest will be sent home with a little box of leftovers and a new trove of memories.

To that end, I usually plan for a pescatarian-friendly menu (not necessarily pescatarian-centric) by including a couple of crowd-pleasing main dishes — potentially a non-seafood one for the “I eat everything” crowd, but also a seafood-forward recipe that’s tailored to the “Oh, don’t worry about me, I’ll find something to eat” folks. From there, it’s easy to invite everyone to bring their favorite side dish as a way to make space for an exchange of flavors and ingredients. 

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In the spirit of the season, I have an update for you regarding WAC’s fundraising initiative for Western Alaska communities affected by Typhoon Halong. With your help, this initiative raised over $50K to support recovery and relief efforts via the Alaska Community Foundation. I’m so utterly moved to see how this fish family has come together as a community to help those in need, especially from so many miles away. 

I don’t take for granted the connections we’ve made over a shared appreciation for Alaskan seafood, something that speaks to the power of breaking bread with one another, even — and perhaps especially — in this digital age. 

Live Wild,

Monica

Pictured above: A skillet of baked macaroni and cheese with sweet spot prawns folded in — it works well with crab, too, if that’s what you have in your kitchen.