The Halibut fishing season finished Nov 15th after starting in March. Homer Alaska is once again America’s number one halibut port with more than 12 million pounds crossing its docks this season, with Kodiak coming in second. The total catch this year was 42 million pounds.
More demand this year from the retail sector as more and more folks are opting to eat halibut at home instead of in expensive restaurants.
Salmon
Alaskan fishermen delivered 162 million wild salmon this year, this is the 11th biggest catch since Alaska got its Statehood, worth an estimated $370 million.
The first thanksgiving was in 1621 it was celebrated by the pilgrams with the local Indian tribe to celebrate surviving many hardships and a successful harvest. The harvest was greatly helped by the Indians who taught the new settlers how to grow corn and local food items.
The first meal was made up of fowl, deer given by the Indians, cornmeal, fish such as cod and bass, and possibly turkey although historians feel this was introduced later.
Herbs and Seasonings: Olive Oil, Liverwort, Leeks, Dried Currants, Parsnips
What Was Not on the Menu
Surprisingly, the following foods, all considered staples of the modern Thanksgiving meal, didn’t appear on the pilgrims’s first feast table:
Ham: There is no evidence that the colonists had butchered a pig by this time, though they had brought pigs with them from England.
Sweet Potatoes/Potatoes: These were not common.
Corn on the Cob: Corn was kept dried out at this time of year.
Cranberry Sauce: The colonists had cranberries but no sugar at this time.
Pumpkin Pie: It’s not a recipe that exists at this point, though the pilgrims had recipes for stewed pumpkin.
Chicken/Eggs: We know that the colonists brought hens with them from England, but it’s unknown how many they had left at this point or whether the hens were still laying.
Milk: No cows had been aboard the Mayflower, though it’s possible that the colonists used goat milk to make cheese.
Source: Kathleen Curtin, Food Historian at Plimoth Plantation.
Whatever you decide to have on your thanksgiving table, the traditional turkey or even fish for a fresh and novel menu like the first thanksgiving.
Have a very Happy Thanksgiving from Alaskan Harvest Seafood.
1. Sift the flour with a pinch of salt into a medium sized mixing bowl or in a food processor pulse once or twice.
2. Cut in the butter using a pastry blender or in a food processor until mixture resembles fine crumbs.
3. Mix in the water gradually until the pastry comes together in a ball.
4. Wrap the pastry well and chill for 30 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out the pastry on a well-floured surface with a floured rolling pin.
6. Fold the pastry in half and then in half again, transfer to a 9-inch pie or tart dish. Cut away any excess with kitchen shears or by rolling the rolling pin over the top of the dish.
7. Sprinkle the cheese, onion, Chiles, and shrimp over the pastry. In a large bowl beat the eggs, add the milk and cream and beat again just until well incorporated. Mix in the garlic. Pour into pastry.
8. Bake for 50-55 minutes until firm and golden brown. Let set for five minutes before slicing/serving.
*Use fresh shrimp. Frozen will render a soggy, water-laden quiche.
The following recipe comes from an Australian based blog 3 Hungry Tummies:
Asam laksa (asam meaning tamarind in Malay) also popularly known as Penang laksa, is a lesser know member of the laksa family outside of Malaysia and Singapore. It is a fish and tamarind-based noodle soup believed to be invented in the “street food capital of Malaysia”, Penang.
Not a lot is written about the origin of this wonderful dish; I personally think it definitely has a southern Thai connection as the taste and ingredients used are very similar to keang som (sour orange curry)
makes 8 serves as a very satisfying one dish meal;
for the broth you’ll need;
1kg of the freshest mackeral or any type of fresh fish you can lay you hands on, boiled and picked
8p pcs of tamarind peel (asam keping/gelugor) pictured above
6 tbs of tamarind paste (asam jawa)
10 stalks of Vietnamese mint (daun kesom)
4 l of water
Method:
Boil fish in boiling water for 5 minutes, remove fish, strain stock and add in the rest of the ingredients.
Add spice paste (recipe follows) and bring to a boil, then simmer for 30 minutes.
Add in flaked fish just before serving.
for spice paste you’ll need:
500g of shallots, chopped
4 stalks of lemongrass, chopped white part only
10 red chilies, chopped
10 dried chilies, soaked and chopped
small knob of turmeric
a small piece of shrimp paste (belachan)
you’ll also need;
1 cucumber, jullienne
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 ginger flower (bunga kantan薑花), thinly sliced - pictured in the second photo
A new study has found that baking or boiling fish instead of dried or salted or fried has more heart health benefits from Omega 3. The researchers studied the intake of omega 3 in 82,234 men and 103,884 women in Los Angeles County and Hawaii aged between 45-75 years old, with no history of heart disease.
The study particpants were followed for 11.9 years and it was found that men who consumed the most omega 3 found in oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, sardines and tuna 3.3 g per day had a 23% lower risk of cardiac death.
One of the researchers stated that ”We did not directly compare boiled or baked fish versus fried fish, but one can tell from the [risk] ratios, boiled or baked fish is in the protective direction, but not fried fish,” Meng said.
The following recipe comes from healthy delicious a wonderful blog filled with gourmet, easy to prepare and healthy recipes.
I decided that I wanted to try something with pumpkin seeds – pepitas – and thought that a pesto would be nice. I encrusted some salmon filets in a mixture of sun dried tomatoes, spicy pepitas, and cilantro and then cooked it until it was crispy on the outside and coked to about medium inside. The rich and spicy flavor of the salmon paired perfectly with a soft, creamy polenta. The completed dish had a Mexican/ South American feel to it, while still seeming very upscale.
Salmon With Sun Dried Tomato Pesto and Spicy Pepitas
Ingredients:
1 Tbs butter
1/2 onion, minced
1 bay leaf
1 cup cornmeal
1 ounce queso oaxaca or mozzarella
1 large handfull cilantro
3 Tbs spicy pepitas (see note above)
1 Tbs olive oil
1 lb salmon, cut into four filets
Method:
Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onion and cook until it is softened.
Meanwhile, bring 5 cups of water to a boil. Add boiling water and bay leaf to the softened onions. Whisk in cornmeal. Lower the heat and allow the mixture to bubble and thicken. Stir constantly, until the mixture is smooth and not gritty (this might take up to 30 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in the cheese.
Meanwhile, pat the salmon dry and let it rest while you prepare the pesto.
In a small food processor or mini-chop, combine the sun dried tomatoes, cilantro, and 2 Tbs pepitas. Process until a thick paste is formed. Spread the paste in a thick layer over the skin of the salmon.
Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Add the salmon skin-side down and cook until crisp – about 6 minutes. Turn and cook until pink in the center – another 3-4 minutes.
Spoon the polenta onto 4 plates. Top with salmon and garnish with a sprinkling of the remaining pepitas and some cilantro.
On October 15th the King crab season started. Alaska’s Bristol Bay Red King is set at 16 million pounds on par with the 10 year average although less than the year before and the Bering Sea Snow Crabs are set at 48 million pounds again less than years gone by but on average.
The levels for harvest are carefully set to maintain sustainability and health of the ocean. The Alaskan king crab legs are the largest shellfish legs and are priced for their juicy, flavorsome and tender meat. King Crab appears on restaurant menu’s around the country and is enjoyed by many at this time of year.
New York Cities Old Oceana restaurant has them on the menu and it was well recieved in a review by the New York times in fact it was stated that the Author would like to have them weekly.
So why not treat yourself this holiday season and order some fresh Alaskan crab, it would be great for a holiday party and sure to impress the guests.
A report just released by opponents of the proposed Pebble mine state it is a bad investment. The Mine for gold, copper and other minerals planned to be built in the Bristol bay area of Alaska, has not had an easy road. It is to be located near the biggest Sockeye Salmon fishery in the World and environmental experts have great concerns for the local ecosystem and the fish.
The project has run into political, engineering, environmental challenges so far. Commercial and sports fishing companies are opposed and local Alaskans, who fear for the salmon and their livelihood. Even large jewelery companies have recently vowed not to buy gold from the mine.
The report advises potential lenders and investors of the risks with the project and the poor image it could creative for the companies on the environmental front.
Cut, clean, and separate fillets in baking dish; pour above mixture over salmon; let sit for 20 minutes in refrigerator;
prepare 1 package Penne pasta al dente;
bake salmon for 20 - 27 minutes.
Penne:
In separate pan prepare Penne ingredients on medium-high heat;
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
4-7 garlic cloves, diced
1/3 red onion, medium pieces
3 tablespoons pine nuts
begin to saute for about 7 minutes, and then add: 1 bunch asparagus, cleaned, drained, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces 1 jar roasted red peppers in oil, 1/3 oil drained out 1 jar artichokes in water, drained completely
Turn off heat; toss with Penne, and cover with lid until ready to eat; toss once again before serving with salmon.
An estimated 40,000 Atlantic salmon escaped from a salmon farm on Port Elizabeth BC Canada when the netting got damaged, while crews were removing dead fish from the pen.
The recapture vessel didn’t go out fast enough and the fish managed to get as far away as 40Km. Atlantic salmon are not native to the Pacific region they are raised on farms. There are concerns that it is bad for the native salmon population when they escape, the people involved in the farming state that they will die in the pacific or be eaten. However 80 BC rivers have been found to have Atlantic Salmon in them. The David Suzuki Foundation reports that 536 Atlantic salmon have been found in Alaskan waters thats a staggering distance for them to travel.
The farmed salmon are often known to carry disease and parasites that can be passed onto the wild salmon. So there are calls to make fish farms have a closed containment system.
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