How Wild-Caught Seafood Helps Us Compose a Masterpiece in the Kitchen

In Alaska, everything moves in rhythms. The tides shift, the seasons change, and the salmon return — again and again — in an infinite pattern that has shaped both the ecosystem and the human communities that depend on it for nourishment and for their livelihoods. Those cycles are the underpinnings of the Wild Alaskan Company mission.

Over the years, I’ve come to realize that our kitchens fall into rhythms, too. A favorite meal that finds its way back onto the table each week. A certain species of fish you reach for without thinking. The familiar cadence of opening your freezer and knowing what’s there, even if you have to rummage past a few bags of frozen veggies. 

These quotidian rhythms are what inspired us to write Eat Wild: Cooking at Home with the Seafood of Alaska, the new cookbook that I hope offers you, dear members, a new way to explore more of what Alaska has to offer — and to ultimately give you the freedom to compose your own unique kitchen rhythms. I know so many of you have already added Eat Wild to your cookbook bookshelf — our first run is officially sold out as of today! For those of you who missed it, you can preorder our second run of the cookbook here, which will be shipping out in May.

Another way to explore more of Alaska? WAC recently introduced a dynamic rotation of species into the curated boxes. More dynamism allows us to better diversify our offerings across fisheries, seasons and wild Alaskan ecosystems. Rather than a fixed curation, this rotation introduces more variety into the freezers of more members — a shift that directly reflects the company’s commitment to supporting a supply-driven food system.

Of course, if and when you prefer the comfort of consistency, there’s plenty of flexibility within the WAC membership for that, too. The option to customize your plan gives you consistency while still leaving room for the company to honor the natural variability of wild-caught seafood. Being able to customize your plan gives you the ability to compose your own rhythm, so that each box you receive features your hand-picked selections of wild-caught seafood. As seasons shift or your game plan changes, you might find that you’re leaning toward a different mix — in which case you can customize your plan again with a new menu of seafood.

I also encourage you to check out the ever-changing lineup of Limited-Time Boxes! These special curations can be a great option when you want to try out a new mix but aren’t sure where to start or are looking for some inspo. An option like the Crab Box might inspire you to host a crab party. The Marinated & Seasoned Box could be exactly what you need in your freezer when you’re anticipating a busy month. And then there’s the Eat Wild Combo Box for those of you who feel especially inclined to cook along with the new cookbook — it has a little bit of everything, so you can dabble and explore from chapter to chapter. 

However you choose to build your box, the goal behind everything we do as a company is the same: to make it easier to cook, to nourish yourself and the people around you, and to stay connected to the rhythms, big or small — both in your own life and in the natural world that makes all of this possible.

Live Wild,

Monica

Pictured above: A vintage photo of my husband Arron Kallenberg (WAC founder + CEO) with his sister Haley at their grandparents’ dining table in Chugiak, Alaska, circa 1988, in the expansive embrace of my late father-in-law Walt. Walt loved spending time in the kitchen, but preferred to describe cooking as “building food” — an idiosyncratic rhythm that couldn’t more perfectly express who he was as a commercial salmon fisherman, an accomplished engineer, and a loving parent. His presence was ever on our minds as Eat Wild took shape.