Alaskan Fish Feast
Last month, I had the rare opportunity to target some of the world’s most prized seafood in the legendary fishing waters of Alaska. There are few experiences in life more glorious than casting a lure into the pristine waters of America’s last frontier. When it was all said and done, I was getting over a thousand dollars worth of Copper River Sockeye Salmon professionally packed to bring back to SoCal. No joke.
I felt like I needed a Secret Service escort to protect my stash. Even without a security detail, we made it safe and sound to the lower 48. With my “far north” experiences still fresh, I quickly formulated a plan to smoke my salmon “native style”. I learned in the village of Unalakleet how a little sweetness can go a long way. I rubbed one filet with brown sugar and salt before allowing my go-to wood, hickory, to work its magic. Another filet got the “Penzey’s Spicy Seasoned Salt” treatment. Both spent about 20 minutes in a 300+ degree smoker (until it just began to flake) and both were excellent. Had to put The Fun Foodie spin on it and came up with the … wait for it … Smoked Salmon Slider! I buttered up pandesal (traditional Filipino dinner roll), lightly toasted it and adorned it with the rich and flavorful salmon. Folks, there’s a reason Copper River Salmon is so hyped. It is incredible! I could almost feel the Omega-3 fatty acids adding years to my life. And the Smoked Salmon Slider might be one of the greatest culinary inventions of all time **pats self on back**. If you’re not familiar with pandesal (or if it’s not readily available), try it with Hawaiian rolls.
Oh, and just a bit of clarification. I didn’t catch any salmon in Alaska. I would get an A+ for effort, but in reality, my fishing experience was an “epic fail”. I skunked. It was a kind and generous resident with a fish wheel who bestowed such riches upon me.
But the Smoked Salmon Slider really was my idea!