Happy Chinese New Year!
This sweet and lightly spicy glazed salmon is my own interpretation of more traditional Chinese fish presentations. I’ve included some classic flavors like white pepper and Chinkiang vinegar for a delicious East meets Alaska salmon dish.
It’s late fall and that means it’s persimmon season. Although persimmons are a rare find in Alaska, they are delicious, and if you see them at the grocery store try to buy as many as you can. They are best when they are between ripe and very ripe so you may need to leave them out on your counter for a few days. I prefer Fuyu persimmons, which are the most commonly found. This simple, yet tantalizing dish is perfect for an elegant lunch or a romantic candlelit dinner.
Obviously one of the best things ever is to be sitting on a beach in Hawaii drinking a Mai Tai and eating some fresh Poke.
But hey! You can have that experience here at home!
Alaska has some gorgeous beaches (less crowded too) and fabulous seafood and for that one day a year…maybe July 28th…when the weather is perfect, you too can make your very own Poke and sit on a beach with a bottle of Alaskan Summer Ale. Knowing with absolute certainty that this is actually the best thing ever.
This is a recipe I borrowed from my mom, because even though I have never been to South America, she has been to Argentina many times where chimichurri is king. A green sauce as traditional as salsa verde or pesto, this sauce uses up all of that parsley your garden has been producing all summer. Traditionally served with beef this sauce adds an herbaceous richness to halibut. The heat from the sauce can be tempered with the accompaniment of a dollop of lime-sour cream.
These delicious stuffed mushrooms are very easy to make and are a lovely appetizer for guests before dinner or to take to a potluck or a party. They can easily be made without the crab if that’s not your thing or if you want them to be vegetarian friendly. They are perfect if you have a little left over meat from a night of feasting on crabs ( my personal recommendation is Dungeness crab).
I feel like every fancy dinner party should have a soup course. You don’t have to make very much of it as everyone only needs a small bowl since it’s one course among many. I like making pureed soup for parties because they are really simple, can be made ahead of time without overcooking, and look super elegant. They can be made with almost any vegetable, in any color you desire. We had a seafood theme for the night I made this so I garnished it with a lovely seared sea scallop and topped it with locally grown radish and amaranth micro-greens for a pop of color.
We are both born and raised in Alaska, land of the midnight sun and fishing at 2am. We love to find new ways to use fresh ingredients or put a modern spin on an old Alaskan classic. We hope you will enjoy tasting Alaska.