Go fishing for wild-caught salmon in Alaska and see how it’s a cultural centerpiece highlighted with indigenous and foraged foods.
Wild salmon fishing is a way of life in Sitka, Alaska. In a town where everyone seems to know everyone, and everyone knows their salmon, Feast and Field heads out to sea with fisher Tad Fujioka, who shows us the ropes — quite literally — of commercial salmon fishing.
“Alaska is really a special place for fishermen,” Fujioka says. “There’s king salmon here; later on there will be coho and pink and chum.”
For the full wild-caught-to-table experience, Lucas and Mary Goddard, the husband and wife chefs behind the cooking blog Forest Fresh Alaska, speak to us about their mission to encourage the use of indigenous foods of the area, including, of course, wild salmon.
“Lucas and I are both Tlingit, and salmon is a way of life — it’s a really integral part of our culture,” says Mary. “It’s really important to us, and as Tlingit people, we believe it’s out duty to protect the salmon and make sure everything is in balance.”