Each week this month, I’m taking a moment to get specific about what I’m thankful for, penning each newsletter as part of a Gratitude Series. Last week, I shared an essay by Melanie Brown to express our deep appreciation for Alaska as a place. This week, I’m thinking about the nourishment that this place provides — specifically, how endlessly grateful I am for the multi-faceted, nuanced and ever-robust world of wild Alaskan salmon.
Never did I ever — until I married into my Alaskan fishing family — grasp the vast world of culinary possibilities within which wild salmon can be expressed, experienced and enjoyed. I’ve since learned that Alaskan salmon isn’t just a protein, but really a whole universe of proteins. Sockeye, coho, king, pink, chum — each wild species is unique in flavor and texture given its own terroir, the story of its distinctive regional journey, which itself informs the essence of the fish.
As WAC members, we are honored to bring sockeye and coho to your home kitchens regularly. But this week, there is another salmon species that you have the chance to get to know: king salmon, an exclusive member special that we’re offering for a very, very limited time.
Also known as chinook, king salmon is a culinary and cultural treasure — in fact, it’s such an iconic species of salmon that it’s the state fish of Alaska. I love this offering, especially before the winter holidays as a treat, because it has a distinctively succulent flake that can make any meal feel extra special.
For those of you bringing seafood to the holiday table, I would suggest featuring king salmon in something like this recipe for an Extra-Flaky Salmon Bake With Citrus-Rosemary Infused Oil, which is simple but elegant, while King Salmon Poached in Coconut-Lime Sauce is rich and comforting.
While we offer amazing specials year-round, I’m especially hopeful that you’ll try king salmon — because we don’t often have the opportunity to share it with you. In order for king salmon to retain its delicate texture and quality, it must be handled with extra care. This particular harvest of king salmon is sustainably sourced in small batches from Southeast Alaska, where it’s caught, cleaned, and frozen right on the boat so that you can appreciate its full potential.
As WAC members, through all of the meals and stories and the Alaskan journey we’ve shared together from our home kitchens, I hope that you’ve come to more deeply appreciate the culinary range of wild Alaskan salmon, as part of the WAC fish family.
Live Wild,
Monica
Pictured above: Succulent fillets of slow-roasted king salmon, dressed in citrus-and-rosemary infused oil — a simple but elegant meal that’s worth featuring at any holiday feast.
