Alaskan-Style Smoked Salmon (Christmas Catch)

NOTE: IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ORDER SHARES FROM MULTIPLE SEASONAL CATCHES, PLEASE PLACE THOSE ORDERS SEPARATELY. FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU'D LIKE BOTH THE FALL CATCH AND THE SPRING CATCH, COMPILE YOUR ORDER FROM THE FALL OFFERINGS THEN CHECK OUT AND PAY. THEN CREATE A NEW ORDER FOR YOUR SPRING ORDER FROM THE SPRING OFFERINGS.

NOTE: Because my fishery is wild and somewhat unpredictable, smoked coho and smoked sockeye are often available, but sometimes only one or the other. If both aren't available, I will send the species that is available. Both are extremely delicious!

I've been catching and smoking salmon for almost 3 decades. I'm really good at it. I smoke everything I sell the same way I make it for myself––with a light brine so the natural flavor of the Alaskan alder wood and salmon can stand proud on your palate. 

My Alaskan-style smoked salmon is lightly cured then smoked at a low temperature for 5-10 hours. Enjoy it on an appetizer platter with crackers, cheese, and fruit, or crumble it on a salad in the evening or eggs in the morning. You can also eat it right out of the package like a bear. That's what I do.

If you've had lox-type salmon before, this is nothing like that. My smoked salmon has a light chew to the outside and a soft, moist interior. It will flake under a knife or break into pieces with your fingers.

I smoked both coho and sockeye. While sockeye has the stunning ruby red color that only deepens with smoking, coho has a milder salmon flavor and a little less fat. Both are delicious.

Preorder Preorder Period:
Jan. 1 - Nov. 30, 2020

Shipping:
Your seafood will ship to your doorstep via FedEx Ground or Express, depending on where you live. Expect your seafood Dec. 8 - 11, 2020 (In time for a seafood Christmas feast, or a gift!). This page details shipping rates: https://salmonandsable.com/pages/shipping

Cut:
These are smoked salmon strips. I take a fillet, cut it in portions, then cut those with the grain in thick strips. Packages are about 0.75 lb. each, but can be as small as 0.50 lbs. or as large as 1 lbs. each. The skin is on the strips.

Bones:
I remove the bones for you. I do occasionally miss one, but don't worry, pin bones are not dangerous.

Packaging:
I vacuum seal my smoked salmon in heavy 5mm bags and pack them in sturdy waxed presentation boxes. Your fresh-frozen seafood will keep in your freezer in pristine condition for at least 12 months.

Who, Where, When, & How:

1. Who Caught It? 
   I did. Traveler Taj Terpening. My crew of 2 or 3 help out too. My Alaska Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission (CFEC) permit number is S04T 60089E.
2. Where Was it Caught?
   On the Ugashik River in Western, Alaska. The town of Pilot Point is nearby (population 69). I fish at just upriver from my cabins on my Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Shore Fisheries Lease (S 09° 11" W 15222', tract A on diagram 1309). 
3. When is it Caught?
   Sockeye return to our river in early June and run until mid-August. Coho run after that, from about mid-August through September. 
4. How was this Caught?
   My permit allows me to catch salmon by setnet, which is a style of fishing using a short net (50 fathoms) stretched from shore. I pick fish from the net by hand and immediately gill, gut, and pressure bleed each one. The salmon then rest in slush ice until I cary them up the beach to my fillet cabin for filleting, vac bagging and blast freezing. In many cases my fish are frozen within a hour or two of being caught.

Interesting smoked salmon info:

• When I was a bear viewing guide I was once asked, "When do the smoked salmon run?" 
• Alaskan artists Ray Troll created a wonderful piece depicting a man holding a miniature salmon between his fingers like a cigar. The caption reads, "If you're going to smoke, smoke salmon."