Why wild Alaska salmon deserves a place on your plate

Fresh, flavourful and responsibly fished, this world-famous salmon offers a wonderful way to bring something special to your weekly meals

When you’re cooking for your family, you want to use ingredients that tick a lot of boxes, and there are few that are as hard-working as Alaska’s wild salmon, making it the perfect go-to for dinnertime throughout the year.

Here’s what makes it so great…

Wild salmon flourish in Alaska

Alaska’s icy-cold North Pacific waters are some of the cleanest in the world and are home to one of the largest and healthiest populations of wild salmon.

Late May marks one of the most exciting moments in the food calendar: the start of the wild Alaska salmon season. Running through to September, it’s the peak time for salmon fishing in Alaska, when the five major species – King (or chinook), Sockeye (red), Coho (silver), Keta (chum) and Pink – are harvested.

Prized for its naturally firm texture, vibrant colour and distinctive flavour, Alaska salmon is one of the most sustainable sources of protein and is particularly unique because it’s an all-wild harvest. The fish consume a natural, nutrient-dense diet and are harvested at sea, which means they develop high-quality meat that’s rich in omega oils, protein, antioxidants and essential vitamins, including B12 and D.

Making the most of Alaska salmon

Whether you’re reaching for a can, choosing frozen fillets or picking up something fresh from the fish counter, you can add wild Alaska salmon to a wide range of seasonal dishes. You could flake it through a citrussy salad, pair it with noodles or rice, or serve it with roasted vegetables for a mouthwatering summer meal – the possibilities are endless, whatever the occasion.

While the majority of Alaska salmon is caught between May and September, flash-freezing technology helps lock in its quality, so you can enjoy it all year round. And the new Alaska Airlines daily, year-round flight from Seattle to London has created an additional route for it to reach British plates. This means fishermen can catch the fish in season, then send it by air cargo, ready to be served at UK dinner tables faster than ever before.

An industry hooked on sustainability

Since 1959, Alaska has had sustainable fishing written into its constitution, requiring fisheries to adhere to the sustained yield principle. Today, Alaska fisheries are managed through a science-based system designed to protect fish stocks, ecosystems and the fishing communities that depend on them.

Those communities are at the heart of every catch. Alaska’s commercial fisheries support many multi-generational fishing families and provide an economic boost to rural coastal communities.

Meet the people behind the catch

Of course, some of Alaska’s fishermen come from outside the community. Thea Thomas grew up in urban Portland, Oregon, with no connection to commercial fishing or the sea. After leaving college with a master’s degree in biology, she came to work with friends at a salmon cannery in Chignik for the summer and never left. She went on to use her degree to work for the Prince William Sound Aquaculture Association in Cordova.

“Behind every wild Alaska salmon is a story of dedication, expertise and care, from the people out on the water to the communities who depend on the harvest,” Thea says. “It means food lovers around the world can enjoy Alaska seafood knowing it has been responsibly fished, with future generations in mind.”

“Fishing is a rare lifestyle where you can learn a really specific set of skills, continue to make a living with those skills and raise your kids in the same environment,” she adds. “It’s also a way of life built on real respect for the ocean and the resource it provides. In Alaska, sustainability is not just a value we talk about, it’s part of how fisheries are managed. That gives fishermen like me a huge sense of pride and responsibility.”

A sea of choice

In addition to the five species of salmon, Alaska seafood offers something for every taste and cooking method, including several varieties of whitefish and flatfish. It’s widely available through major supermarkets and restaurants, whether you’re buying wild Alaska pollock in family favourites such as fish fingers, or enjoying premium Alaska sablefish, also known as black cod, which is popular on Asian restaurant menus.