By Linda Lowry
Get ready to dive into a culinary delight! From November 18 to 23, Seattle celebrates the third annual Bristol Bay Salmon Week, organized by the Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association (BBRSDA). This event celebrates wild sockeye salmon from Bristol Bay, Alaska, the largest source of wild sockeye salmon in the whole world. This fishery provides over half of the global demand for sockeye salmon.
Fifty local restaurants showcase their unique takes on sockeye salmon throughout the week, highlighting its incredible versatility and rich flavor. Among the notable participants are the elegant Market, the cozy and rustic The Walrus and the Carpenter, the innovative Sushi Kappo Tamura, the welcoming Restaurant Homer, the fresh and contemporary Local Tide, and the beloved Ivar’s. Diners enjoy a remarkable array of unique salmon dishes thoughtfully crafted for this occasion, creating unforgettable dining experiences.
I visited one of the participating sites, Pancita, and tried their salmon Aguachile. This rich,
flavorful dish featured the famous Bristol Bay sockeye salmon, fermented plum agachile, plum, cucumber, pepicha oil, and avocado with two maize tostadas. It's a dish filled with flavor and heat! Janet Beccera, the head chef at Pancita who grew up in Kent, was recently nominated for the James Beard Foundation Award for Emerging Chef 2024 and has truly created a culinary delight.
This year, the Bristol Bay fishery is seeing an astonishing return, with over 50 million fish migrating upstream. Fishers, using age-old hand-harvesting techniques, are yielding more than 30 million wild sockeye salmon, solidifying the fishery as a vital economic cornerstone. It supports over 10,000 jobs and contributes to a billion-dollar annual economy. The striking salmon runs, turning the rivers and streams of Bristol Bay into a sea of red, are crucial not only to commercial and sport fishing but also to the rich, millennia-old traditions of Alaska Natives.
“Bristol Bay Salmon Week provides an incredible opportunity to showcase these remarkable fish that contribute to feeding communities around the globe,” says Lilani Dunn, executive director of BBRSDA. “It also serves as an essential platform to advocate for the enduring protections that Bristol Bay needs against threats such as the proposed Pebble Mine. We invite Washingtonians to explore our partner restaurants, deepen their knowledge about Bristol Bay, and indulge in the sumptuous flavor of wild sockeye.”
In addition to celebrating the fish and the passionate individuals who harvest them, Bristol Bay Salmon Week highlights the looming threats facing this crucial fishery. Despite being rebuffed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency, the proposed Pebble Mine remains a significant long-term risk. A dedicated coalition of commercial and sport fishermen, Alaska Natives, business owners, chefs, and restaurateurs continues to rally for comprehensive protections from Congress.
The Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association (BBRSDA) is a fishermen-funded organization focused on enhancing the value of the Bristol Bay fishery through education and outreach. For more information, visit bbrsda.com.
Photo & Video Credits: Bristol Bay Salmon, Linda Lowry, Sarah Coen.