Our minds have been out to sea a little lately, thinking of our family’s boats fishing for halibut and black cod in the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea. Fall and winter fishing in Western Alaska is some of the hardest work we know and we’ve always felt it strange to go about life on land knowing fishermen are still out on the water, in the weather harvesting wild fish. They’re filling a mug with coffee and pulling on cold rain gear to pick another string while we’re pulling on PJs and getting tucked into bed earlier and earlier every night. Their hands grip knives and scrapers to dress halibut while ours chop carrots and onions for pots of fall soup. They ride the storms that blow in while we watch them from the stillness of shore. If you’ve spent time working on the water, maybe your mind plays this game too; playing a reel of the alternative at sea. Most of the time it makes us feel grateful that we’re safe on stable ground, but also so proud of our fellow fishermen out there doing the work.
We put this video together from clips the crew of the F/V Halcyon sent us from the Bering Sea and Dutch Harbor recently. Wishing fair winds and following seas in these final weeks of their season.
In honor of fall fishing, stormy weather and white fish, we wanted to share a halibut taco recipe with you from our cookbook, Harvest & Heritage. Halibut have such a sweet and delicate flavor – scrumptious grilled and wrapped up in a warm corn tortilla with a fresh herby pickled crunch and cilantro avocado crema. Thank you for eating wild Pacific halibut and supporting Alaska’s hardworking commercial fishermen, including the crew on our family’s boats who love what they do and are so proud to catch the beautiful fish on your table. Enjoy the recipe below and thank you for cooking with us!
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