Fresh Alaskan salmon is almost here at Lunds & Byerlys! We are so excited for the season to start as we bring in the freshest and highest quality of salmon that you can find in Alaska. We have traveled to various regions of the Great Frontier scouring for the best salmon to bring home to you year after year. And no one in the world knows salmon like our friends up in Alaska.
Why is Alaska salmon so fantastic? One reason may be because of its high Omega-3 content which helps to prevent heart disease, lowering cholesterol levels, and your memory. Remember? Another reason may be because of Alaska is so steadfast on conserving one of their states natural resources. You may not know that each river is only opened for short periods of time, if and only if, careful calculations are completed by scientist to verify that enough of these precious fish have traveled up to their spawning grounds. This insures that the great Alaska salmon will continue to be available for years to come. Or it could be because it just tastes so very good!
Now, the rule of the thumb is – the longer the salmon has to travel upstream to its spawning grounds, the higher its fat or Omega-3 content will be. First salmon out of the chute is, as always, the king and sockeye salmon from the world famous and highly prized Copper River. A returning favorite will be the Togiak River sockeye and king salmon that is sure to make a buzz around town again. Kodiak and Kenai Rivers as per usual will be our go to rivers as they provide us with nothing but the best. The longest river in Alaska, the Yukon River, provides us the most spectacular keta salmon the world sees – in fact, it is so good, you could almost call them sockeye! Whether it is a King from Copper River, or a sockeye from Togiak, all the fish are delicately hand cut (no machines allowed!) from whole fish that are flown to the Twin Cities daily. Within 24-36 hours of being caught, a beautiful salmon fillet could be nestled on your dinner table. Now that is amazing! You can’t get fresher than that unless you go and catch it yourself.
And since we have talked so much about Alaska, don’t forget that Alaska Halibut is already in the stores. Same high quality and freshness apply. Lunds & Byerlys love our fish from Alaska!
What’s YOUR favorite variety of salmon?
Pat Yorek is the director of meat and seafood at Lunds & Byerlys