Notes from the Fishing Grounds
The 2021 season is here! You'll find the details of your projected harvest on this page every month. Simply select your share below to learn what's projected to be included, learn more about the fishermen and trusted partners who caught it, and find recipes for inspiration.
Delivery Reminder
Keep in mind that we have a slightly different delivery schedule this year. This year, you’ll get three emails about deliveries.
- Two to three weeks before delivery:
- You’ll receive a payment notification confirming that month’s share.
- The week before delivery:
- You’ll receive your specific delivery date.
- Day of delivery:
- You’ll get a notification that your share is on its way.
Premium Sitka Seafood Share
Projected Harvest
Your May Premium Sitka Seafood Share is projected to include 4.5 to 5 pounds of:
Alaska Sablefish (black cod)* (~8- to 16-ounce portions, blast-frozen, vacuum-sealed, skin on, and deboned with a center cut) caught in pots or by longline and filleted at our Sitka plant or by our trusted partners at Copper River Seafoods.
Sablefish has a mild buttery-sweet flavor and a medium-firm texture with large flakes. It’s also rather rich, with a higher fat content than other white fish — the good, heart healthy fats, so don’t let the richness scare you! Sablefish is absolutely mouthwatering when sautéed with crispy skin and served with bright, acidic sauces like chimichurri, citrusy pan sauces, vinaigrettes, capers, and lemon.
Alaska Pacific cod (~8 to 16-ounce portions, blast-frozen, vacuum-sealed, skin off, and boneless) caught with hook-and-line “jig” gear. Delicate and flaky, Pacific cod is wonderful fried, sautéed, baked, or broiled. We love our Pacific cod sautéed and served with pan sauces, battered or breaded and fried for fish and chips, fish sandwiches, or Baja-style tacos, or simply baked with vegetables for sheet-pan suppers. Like halibut, Pacific cod is lean, so be careful not to overcook! A generous pat of butter or drizzle of olive oil goes a long way toward a perfect piece of flaky Pacific cod goodness.
*Note: About 1 in 100 sablefish have a characteristic known as “jelly belly.” These fish lack an enzyme that makes their meat hold up to the heat of cooking. As a result, a sablefish with jelly belly will disintegrate while cooking. It poses no health risk to consume it, however it is likely not considered edible due to how mushy the fish will become upon cooking. We realize it is a bummer when this happens and can throw a wrench in dinner plans! Unfortunately, there is no foolproof way to detect “jelly belly” when we fillet and inspect the fish. If you get a piece of sablefish like this, please call us at 309-342-FISH (3474) or email us at salmonsupport@sitkasalmonshares.com and we will replace your fish right away.
Know Your Fishermen
Stu Weathers, F/V El Tiburon - Sitka Salmon Shares Fisherman-Owner in Sitka, Alaska
Stu started fishing for halibut and sablefish alongside his stepfather back when he was in high school. When, at the age of 25, he decided he was ready to begin captaining his own boat, Stu’s stepfather sold him the 53-foot-long F/V El Tiburon. “I can’t think of a better way to make a living than catching fish with your buddies,” he says. As a fisherman, Stu goes the extra mile to ensure that he’s bringing in the best fish possible — a standard that he says is maintained by Sitka Salmon Shares. “When you work with large processors, they might give you a pat on the back,” he says, “but they don’t always take the best care of your fish once they’re in their hands.” Sitka Salmon Shares’ commitment to quality matches his own.
Brett Zaenglein, F/V Ida Lee - Sitka Salmon Shares Fisherman-Owner in Sitka, Alaska
Brett is a long-time Sitka resident with roots in the Midwest and the Southwest. Now with nearly three decades as a fisherman, Brett brings experience and wisdom to our fleet. His focus on quality and care for the fish aligns with ours perfectly. “I enjoy eating and making good quality food because of the garbage we are so often fed,” he says. “I mean, we are over 7 billion on this planet, so there is a need for some commercial farming, but what are the costs? What is the actual cost of the health problems, the sterilization of the soils, the killing off of the bees? There is value to feeding ourselves better. It may cost us more up front for that wild salmon, but look at the health benefits, the brain power, and the quality of life in the long run.”
Mark & Dawn Young, F/V Bella Dawn - Sitka Salmon Shares Fishermen-Owners in Sitka, Alaska
For Mark and Dawn, catching salmon is a family affair. Their youngest daughter, Kaisha, often fishes with them on the F/V Bella Dawn, while their eldest daughter, Chelsea, is a Salmon Shares fisherman-owner and captains the F/V Lorelai Bell alongside her husband, Dustin. Dawn and Mark have been navigating the waters of Southeast Alaska together since the 1980s. We’re proud to count them among our Sitka Salmon Shares fishing fleet family. Get to know them in their Boat Deck Cookin’ video!
Copper River Seafoods - Trusted Partner in Alaska
Copper River Seafoods was founded by four Alaskan fishermen in 1996. With processing plants located in Cordova, Anchorage, Naknek (Bristol Bay), Kenai, Togiak, and Kotzebue, the company is recognized today as a premier producer of Alaska seafood with a deep commitment to the state of Alaska.
Recipes
In search of culinary inspiration or unsure how you’ll prepare for your share? Browse our recipes webpage for a wide range of recipes suited to the novice fish cook and expert chef alike. Your share will also come with recipes curated by our Culinary Team, perfect for the final contents of your share.
