Alaska Has Forever Changed My Bagel-and-Lox Routine

A bagel with lox.

In a different era of life, that was a breakfast for which I would queue up regularly at my favorite delicatessen in New York City, a city that was my home and writer’s muse for three decades. Of course, after meeting Arron (WAC founder + CEO), it wasn’t long before cold smoked sockeye and I began going steady, and I had to reconsider what type of toppings I wanted on my bagel.

Which led to something akin to a culinary breakup. It took a moment for me to come to terms with it, but the smoked salmon at the delicatessen counters was a sea of farmed offerings. It mirrored the general predominance of farmed over wild salmon at markets on the east coast and pretty much anywhere outside of Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. And I knew of no shop in New York City where I could ask for a bagel piled high with the vibrant, wild cold smoked sockeye to which my palate had become accustomed. 

At one point, I half-considered going to my favorite deli with a pack of Alaskan salmon tucked surreptitiously into my coat, as if hawking valuable goods from the panels of a trench coat, just so that I could experience the New York City ritual of waiting in line, luxuriating in the aroma of freshly baked everything bagels and onion bialys, and slipping in a few slices of wild sockeye when no one was looking. But I opted to create a new ritual: I’d visit the deli simply to pick up a dozen bagels and a tub of schmear to bring home to enjoy freely with whatever wild smoked fish I liked — which, by that point, was exclusively wild-caught from Alaska.

I always say that when I married Arron, I married Alaska. And ever since, it’s been a committed relationship with not just a person and a place, but also a new way of relating to the food on my plate. When I visit the city now, I’ll sometimes pop into my deli so that I can bring a bag of bagels home with me to stash in the freezer alongside an abundant supply of frozen seafood.

It makes me think of how Arron must have felt when he was living in New York City, so far from home. Having frozen fish in the freezer was a way to stay connected. I’ve also ready emails from many of you, dear members, who have written to say how much you’re reminded of your own experiences and time in Alaska when enjoying WAC seafood — and every time, I’m so grateful that you take the time to share those stories with me.

Luckily for me, there’s a bagel shop in Homer where one can get what is truly an excellent bagel topped with cold smoked sockeye salmon. It’s called The Bagel Shop — hopefully it’s an easy stop to remember, if you ever find yourself in the area.

Live Wild,

Monica

Pictured above: A shot of the platonic New York City order, with an Alaskan twist — cold smoked sockeye salmon on an everything bagel with cream cheese, onions, and capers.