Table of Contents:
Fresh Fish and Seafood
Everything Else.
Fruits and Vegetables.
Culinary Regions of Alaska.
Wines of Alaska. Alaskan Beers. Alaskan Spirits.
Grilling salmon, trout, or a steak outside under a blanket of a million stars is a great way to taste Alaska.
Fresh Fish and Seafood
Salmon
Salmon is often the main ingredient on the menus of Alaska’s eateries, and for good reasons. Alaska salmon has a certificate as a sustainable item. There are hatcheries throughout the state releasing millions of salmon yearly to replace those ending up on plates. (And in a bear’s belly.)
- King (chinook) – is the most expensive due to its high-fat content, silky, melt-in-your-mouth texture. Due to the intense salmon flavor, it holds up to sauces and other ingredients.
- Sockeye (red) – is also high in fat, but less than King. For many people, this has just the right amount of salmon flavor. Perfect for grilling or sauteing with little or no sauce.
- Coho (silver) – is popular with people who do not like fish. Although there is salmon taste, it is mild.
- Pink (humpback) – to me, is something you mix in a salad, patty, or pate. My cat does not like it.
- Chum (dog) – I do not eat the meat from a chum salmon, but it does contain quality roe (caviar.) The roe is popular in sushi.
Taste Alaska Crab
Thanks to reality shows, Alaska crab has a new fan base. Like other crabs, people either love Alaska crab or think it is too much trouble. The cold waters of the Bering Sea offer several species. The most popular are:
- Red King – is the largest, sweetest, and juicy of the Alaska crabs. The males can grow to a leg span of almost six feet and 28 pounds.
- Blue King – are slightly smaller than Red and only reproduce every other year. Due to overharvesting, many areas for blue are off-limits. While cooking, they turn red.
- Golden King – is the smallest and mildest of King Crabs. They are abundant and less expensive, causing new interest in them.
- Snow – is a smaller crab than the king, requires more work, produces less meat, so you do not see it too much in Alaska.
- Dungeness – has many uses. Some eat it hot out of the shell with butter. I usually find it in other things. Like the east coast Blue Crab, it is tasty in crabcakes, cocktails, soup, and pasta.
If you are a crabaholic, you owe it to yourself to taste Alaska crab as fresh as it comes.
Halibut
Another popular taste Alaska has is halibut, a member of the flounder family. The young males weigh around 25-30 pounds. Mature females can reach up to 600 pounds and more than seven feet. That is not a typo. Halibut is not attractive, but its firm texture and mild flavor make it a popular fish. It is Alaska’s “white fish.” They boil it, deep-fry, or grill the fillets.
And that’s just some of the saltwater offerings. What about all the lakes, rivers, and streams full of fresh water? There are Cutthroat, Rainbow Steelhead, and Dolly Varden varieties of trout. There are Arctic grayling and Northern Pike as well. Alaska is a fishing (and eating fish) paradise.
Is There Anything not from the Water?
Before the purchase of Alaska by the United States in 1867, there were no commercial herds of cattle. Alaska hunters would make do with what was available. Moose, caribou, elk, and even bear were their only forms of meat. Even today, for those living in remote areas, it is easier to hunt than go to a store.
Relax, most menus in the cities and towns will have your steak, chicken, and hamburger. But they probably will offer at least one of the traditional sources of meat. Are you a traveler or just a tourist?
O.K., reindeer is not native. It came with the Russians from Siberia around 1892. The Native Alaskan whaling grounds were shrinking, and reindeer was a new source of meat.
In northern Alaska, you will find reindeer meat in more places. As you move south, you see more reindeer sausage. And there are numerous versions. You can even find reindeer hotdogs. Try it; you might like it.
Other Native Dishes
Once again, there was no Piggley Wiggley to go to in the early days. Even if there was, it might be several hundred miles away by foot or dog sled. The First People had to make do with what they could find. Seals, bears, birds were all “game.” And when they could land one, whales. To the native people, it was important (necessary) to use every part of an animal for something.
- Muktuk – is the skin and the fat of a whale. Often a bowhead, beluga, or narwhal if they could catch one. As wood was often scarce, they would eat it raw. Deep frying the fat was a treat. What they did not consume, they would pickle for later.
- Akutaq – was a treat. Once again, wasting nothing, they would take the fat from their catches. They would whip it and then mix in berries if they had them. You can still find these items, usually in the more remote places and the far north. Today, they can get access to vegetable shortening.
- Spruce Tips – were a way of adding flavor to otherwise bland foods. Natives and early settlers were the only ones to use these. Today that is changing. Chefs are using them for seasoning, and they also appear as ingredients in craft beers.
Any Other Imports?
Fruits and Vegetables
Alaska’s vegetables are no different in their name, but they sure vary in size and flavor. Receiving as much as 20 hours of sunshine per day gives them a photosynthesis kick. It causes them to produce more plant material so they and grow larger. The longer days also create more sugar in many vegetables.
Some amateur farmers compete to grow freakishly large vegetables for the Alaska State Fair. The fair is in August. They start growing plants in January in greenhouses. Cabbages do exceptionally well and weigh in over 100 pounds. Unfortunately, they are rarely suitable for human consumption.
The growing season for fruits and vegetables is short. As the climates around Alaska vary greatly, not all fruits and vegetables grow in all places.
Alaska has more than its share of berries. Blackberries, blueberries, (several varieties) cranberries, raspberries, and salmonberries are more popular. Several grow wild.
More unusual berries include mossberries (crowberries), lingonberries (low bush cranberries,) and watermelon berries. Because the season is so short, they make many of these into jams and jellies. Then they can savor the flavors year-round.
As a rule, do not eat white berries. Almost all of them are poisonous. If in doubt, ask first.
Taste Alaska Cuisine by Regions
There are no specific regions in Alaska cuisine.
In the Arctic, you have predominantly native people. Much of their diet comes from the sea as well as animals that can live in that climate. Today, they do get some food items from outside of their area.
Central Alaska, look for freshwater fish and meat. Seafood is usually available but may not be as prevalent as local products.
Southwest to Southeast Alaska will feature seafood. Local seafood, as well as crab from the Bering Sea. Here, you will probably see fewer meat offerings.
If you do not want to delve into Alaska’s local foods, there is, unfortunately, just about everything else. Pizza, Japanese, Italian, Tex-Mex, and fast food. In college towns, you can find food trucks. Some of these can be traditional and quite good.
There are lodges you can fly out to and spend a night or two for a real food-lover experience. Many of these serve incredible cuisine. The setting does not hurt. Fishing lodges where you help catch the meal — others where you can take a cooking class and help in the preparation. And ones where you sit in a hot tub with a glass of wine while someone else is fixing dinner.
Some lodges offer visits just for lunch. They range from six groups and include wildlife opportunities to operations that run several hundred through an hour.
Whichever you choose, get outside and taste Alaska.