Black Cod with Wild Mushrooms and Kale over Creamy Grits

Thrive this fall with good fish

We went down to take some photos in the harbor last week of new Salmon Sisters products and took shelter from the cold wind on the Stanley K, our family’s 58 ft steel boat. It’s tied up for the winter in Homer, but its galley was warm and inviting on one of the first snowy days of fall. So many days of our lives have been spent fishing, cooking and enjoying meals together with our crew on this boat and it made us think of seasons past, wrapping up our season long lining in the Aleutians this time of year.

Long lining for black cod, or sablefish, is just wrapping up in Alaska. One of our family’s boats has been fishing for them out west this fall season, braving some big building storms and hauling in these gorgeous fish from way down deep. They live in depths of 700-3,000 feet and undertake migrations of up to 1000 miles. Black cod are prized for their rich, buttery texture, which makes for amazing smoking, baking, or slow roasting. Anyone who has eaten black cod knows the decadent whitefish is nicknamed “butterfish'' for a reason. Black cod’s high fat content contributes to its velvety texture.

Alaska locals are crazy about smoking black cod, and for good reason. Their flesh is so oily and rich, a little smoke on top gives it a truly breathtaking flavor. Our family usually enjoys black cod marinated in teriyaki or miso and grilled or baked and served with steamed white rice and bok choy. When we were working on our cookbook, The Salmon Sisters: Harvest & Heritage, we wanted to include a black cod recipe that pulled in some less common flavors –– something new for the Alaskans cooking with this book! The dish we landed on was black cod with wild mushrooms and kale over creamy grits; a true harvest meal using common fall ingredients.

We hope you enjoy this recipe, which can also be found on page 179 of our cookbook. Also see below for a few notes from Alaskan women on how they best thrive in the fall season – some important themes of slowing down, balancing darkness and light, creativity, and gathering together. We hope you’re settling well into this seasonal transition and find some time to cook some nourishing meals to share with your friends and family.

Thank you for being here and cooking with us. Our small team is busy preparing for the holiday season ahead, as well as slowing down into these darker days to play on the beach and do fun art projects. We’ve had our first snowfall and folks in town have already pulled their skis out! The trees on main street are lit. The waves are big and the winds are strong. We’re heading into winter! Take care everyone.