"Real" Alaskan food

During the winters the Alaska World Affairs Council has periodic lunches featuring world class lecturers. It occurred to me that the 49th State Brewing Company (where many of the lunches take place) has quite a menu with some wild game including Elk, Reindeer (caribou), Buffalo and Yak as well as many varieties of Alaska Seafood. Their restaurant is located in the middle of downtown less than a block away from the big Anchorage Hilton high rise (high rise for Alaska that is) and two blocks away from the Captain Cook Hotel "The Cook". Their pizzas include all of those items and are very good. My favorite is their seafood chowder.

https://www.49statebrewing.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/49th-ANC-menu2018.pdf https://www.49statebrewing.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/2018-49th-State-Denali-menu-full.pdf

Atlantic Salmon are farmed fish. All five species of Alaska salmon are wild stock. Huge difference. In terms of value number one is King (Chinook) #2 Red (Sockeye) #3 Coho (Silver) #4 Chum (Dog) #5 Pink (Humpback). When I grew up on the coast of Alaska in a fishing community Reds demanded the highest price, Kings were number two, reason given was that the Reds had a slightly higher fat content than the Kings did but then they all went into cans back then. I talk to biologists and others in the industry today and they don't seem to recall that pricing.

Anyway, with the ability to ship fresh or flash frozen Kings were no longer canned. Canned Reds demand a very high price today so they are hard to find unless part of a fancy pack in tourist shops. For the most part, both Kings and Reds are sold fresh or flash frozen and shipped by air to rich markets in the lower 48. Compared to exports, both to the lower 48 or overseas, very little salmon is consumed in the State due to our low population. The high volume money fish for export is the smallest of them all and that is the Humpbacks.

https://www.alaskaseafood.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Spring2016-Alaska-Seafood-Exports-Final.pdf

https://ebooks.alaskaseafood.org/ASMI_Seafood_Impacts_Dec2015/pubData/source/ASMI%20Alaska%20Seafood%20Impacts%20Final%20Dec2015%20-%20low%20res.pdf

I just posted this on another thread when someone wanted to know how to order salmon for shipment home------"In two weeks the first wild stock salmon of the season should start to hit the market, fresh from the Copper River Delta to your home. Pre-ordering now is possible. These are the richest salmon in the world. The Kings (Chinook) are very expensive and the Sockeye (Reds) are not far behind. I suggest the sockeye. I would give the season a few weeks for the prices to stabilize, then order.

http://www.copperriverseafoods.com/pre-order-wild-copper-river-sockeye-salmon-8-oz-portions-5-lbs-fresh/

https://www.nytimes.com/1998/06/03/dining/wild-alaskan-salmon-glory-days-are-here-for-next-two-weeks-copper-river-salmon.html

You can get some game meats at Red Dog Saloon in Juneau. Recommend having King Salmon - you won't go back to Atlantic or Sockeye after it. Sockeye is what they export.

Don't eat bear, moose or caribou in Ketchikan. It's the salmon capital of the world! In May, you should be able to find King Salmon. Real Alaskans do eat things like hamburgers - at the Burger Queen in Ketchikan. I know locals will go to the Bar Harbor Restaurant and Annabelles. The Alaska Fish House is popular with tourists but not sure how many locals eat there. The restaurant in the Cape Fox Hotel just above Creek Street is also a place locals will go. These places are all within walking distance of the cruise ship docks.

Look for the "King" Salmon - not much of that gets shipped to the lower 48. You won't want to go back to Sockeye.

i use yelp to find restaurants in towns we visit

In my he three ports you are visiting I do not know of any restaurants that have on their menu what you are looking for. You will primarily find Salmon and crab . In Juneau I hear everyone rave about Tracy’s crab shack. However, it is really expensive and I have not gone. Skagway, I always go to Skagway Brewery. Good beer and good food. Enjoy your cruise.

Not sure what happened KENN....got an email notification that you replied to this...interesting answer...however it didn't appear HERE...it DID say 2 answers, mine, and then nada...this will make 3...another glitch??

Gonna answer by not answering...we made that trip, and all it proved to me was to see/experience Alaska, taking a cruise isn't how to do it. We're glad we made the trip, seemed like a big deal, but now we'd have to plan something a bit more authentic. Didn't have to go to Alaska to eat bear meat..did it right around here....explains why our forefathers probably had bad attitudes most of the time. And carried a lot of tooth picks..We have moose, mostly protected, and as for caribou? where was it yesterday? Mebbe ol KENNICOT can chime in...