Alaska Official State Vacation Planner - 2024
Fresh Flavors of Alaska
2023-09-28 10:09:41
LEARN SOME SKILLS
For the most hands-on experience, Alaska boasts a number of world-class chefs that offer cooking, baking, and foraging classes.
SIGHTS & BITES
Juneau and Anchorage are known for their culinary tours. Here, local guides will take you downtown to savor the most delicious and quintessential Alaska dishes and cuisine.
From fine dining farm-to-table and ocean-to-table restaurants to casual food trucks featuring Alaska specialties like fish tacos and reindeer hot dogs, the bounty of this beautiful land meets local flair in Alaska’s evolving dining scene. With a growing number of craft breweries and distilleries, world-class fisheries, and an intense sunlit-growing season that yields record-breaking produce, Alaska’s cuisine is an integral part of local culture.
Fresh-caught, wild seafood is what Alaska is best known for, and it can be found statewide and year-round. Our cold waters and unrivaled location yield four species of crab, five species of salmon, and even barn door-sized halibut (yes, the size of a door). Also find on the menu sought-after shellfish varieties, Alaska rockfish, Pacific cod, and more ocean delights.
But seafood isn’t the only thing Alaska can offer. With endless summer days, Alaska’s produce grows larger than life and in a riot of bounty. From the Interior to the Inside Passage, local farmers and greenhouse owners pride themselves on their yearly production of incredible fruit and vegetables–including berries, apples, potatoes, cabbage, root vegetables, greens, grains, and more–plus local specialty products like kelp salsa, birch syrup, and fireweed honey.
TIDE-TO-TABLE Dining
SUBSISTENCE PRACTICES
Harvesting traditional foods from the land and waters is fundamental to Alaska Natives. Hunting, fishing, and foraging provide sustenance for their people–both physically and spiritually.
Bringing in the most seafood of any state, sustainability is at the heart of Alaska’s fishing industry. With science-led practices helping the local ecosystems and wild waters continue to thrive, Alaska continues to set the standard for the industry.
Seasonal harvests honored in Alaska yield some of the freshest catches in the country. In fact, even local grocery stores carry products caught that very week. And though you can find frozen, tinned, or canned seafood products year-round in Alaska, there is nothing quite like a fresh catch of the day.
DIVE INTO AN ALASKA SEAFOOD RECIPE
Semolina-crusted halibut tops a simple lemon vinaigrette salad and sautéed mushrooms in this recipe by Chef Patrick Hoogerhyde of Anchorage.
Alaska Halibut with Wild Mushrooms & Leeks
INGREDIENTS
• 4 5-6 oz Alaska halibut filets
• Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup semolina flour
• 3 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1/2 cup leeks, washed and white part cut into ¼-inch round slices
• 3 cups coarsely chopped mushrooms, preferably wild varieties like oyster, shiitake, porcini, or portobello
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 4 oz (1 stick) cold salted butter
• 4 tbsp fresh chopped herbs, such as flat-leaf parsley, dill, and thyme
• 2 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 2 cups greens, such as spinach, watercress, or arugula, cleaned
• 1/4 cup lemon vinaigrette (fresh-squeezed lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper)
INSTRUCTIONS
1.Whisk together the ingredients to make the lemon vinaigrette.
2.Preheat the oven to 400F.
3.Season filet with salt and pepper and dust with semolina flour; set aside.
4.Heat 1 ½ tbsp olive oil in a large ovenproof sauté pan over medium-high heat.
5.Place fish in pan and let cook until a golden crust forms (about 2 minutes). Turn and cook for another 2 minutes.
6.Place pan in oven and cook for another 3 minutes or until fish reaches about 125F.
7.In another pan, cook the leeks and mushrooms in medium-high heat and olive oil, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes. Add white wine and stir.
8.Reduce heat to low and swirl in butter, letting it melt slowly. Stir in fresh herbs.
9.Toss the greens and Parmigiano-Reggiano together with ¼ cup lemon vinaigrette.
10.Divide greens evenly among 4 plates. Top with leek-mushroom mixture and halibut.
Recipe courtesy of The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, Alaska’s official seafood marketing arm.
LOCAL Sips
Grab a bite, then grab a drink–Alaskans take great pride in their booming beverage scene, with a growing number of local breweries, distilleries, meaderies, and wineries that make for some of the best drinks in the country.
CRAFT BEER & CIDER
Alaska is ranked 8th in the nation for breweries per capita and boasts a world-class brew scene. Offering a variety of blends utilizing seasonal and locally sourced ingredients, such as berries and spruce tips, craft brewers are able to produce distinct flavor profiles and bouquets.
SPIRITS
Many of Alaska’s gin and vodka distilleries utitilize locally grown grains and even glacier water to create one-of-a-kind spirits. Try out a tour or tasting so you can learn about the process and savor a sip.
WINE & MEAD
Pure honey, local fruit, and a distinctive fermentation process make these richly colored meads and wines a must-try. Alaska-made wine focuses on the infusion of berries–creating tart, complex wines. Meaderies add a touch of local honey to Alaska-grown fruits for a sweet and robust flavor profile.
BIKE & BREW
In cities such as Anchorage, Haines, and Juneau, guides will take you on a bicycle tour of area breweries to taste different local beers while enjoying scenery along the way.
DISCOVER MORE DINING
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