Flashes of Silver: Sockeye Fishing on the Kasilof River

Driving into the campground feels like driving to Disneyland. You can feel the weight of the humid air and taste the salt from the coastal shoreline. Motifs of fishing and boating are sprinkled along roadways and intermingled with the themes of the coffee, camping, and fish cleaning services offered near the public beach. The lanes designated for RVs are lined with blue or white braided mooring lines. The ice truck buzzes with electricity as the compressor pushes the chilly air into its box. The beach is a spit of muddy, sandy space that points out into the salty water of Cook Inlet. Long arms of metal reach out into the river, where the ends are submerged and appear endless. A few small vessels dance up and down the river seeking the treasure of the season as sparks of light flash from the nets of those fishing along the sandy trenches.  The war on dwindling food stores starts here, where another battle is happening just below the surface. 

Fish are a major part of the natural diet for cultures spanning Alaska. As salmon fight their way upstream to spawn, Alaskans catch the fish to feed their families and communities. The meat taken from the salmon is smoked and dried, canned, fried, boiled, or cured. Salmon offers many options for how to prepare it. Storing it is also crucial. Making salmon last throughout the year can be the difference between being hungry and having needs met. 90% of rural Native communities near natural watersheds utilize salmon as a staple in their diet; of those communities, 80% use salmon as a primary source of protein. Salmon is deeply intertwined with the lifestyle and cultures of Alaska's Native Population.  Dry fish, smoked salmon, and canned salmon are extremely important to Alaskans because they are shelf-stable. Without access to affordable power, or without power at all, stockpiling shelf-stable foods is imperative for quality nutrition year-round. 

When cleaning your catch, you really should either have some experience with cleaning fish or someone near you who can walk you through it. But if you're like me and you do things with just a little research, here is a quick start guide: 

-I like to gut my fish at the source and leave it for the other species that can use it (crab, bottom feeders, crustaceans,  and seagulls).

-Then I like to cut the fins off the belly with my knife (ulu or filet). This leaves the fish in a state where everything is usable and easy to work with when you get to a place where you can clean and package the fish for long-term storage or immediate use.

-When you are done with the first bit of cleaning, you will absolutely want your fish on ice. I prefer to drain the melted ice and refresh it as needed until I am ready to get deeper into cleaning the fish. You should have the fish on ice through all out-of-water steps.  

-I use a vacuum sealer like the FoodSaver line. These are fairly inexpensive and reliable. The bags are also available in larger chain stores and on Amazon.

-I start with the fish lying flat and cutting the head of the fish away from the body. I cut along the bony-like structure called the operculum. I follow that structure from the area above the head down to the bottom of the jaw. Doing this on both sides removes the head cleanly and without wasting any meat. If you are fishing in Alaska and do not want the heads, the Alaska Native Medical Center will take donations of fish heads. They use it to make fish head soup, a favorite for locals across the state and customer-owners who are actively in inpatient status.

-After the head is removed, I lay the salmon on its side with the darker back of the fish to me. I take my ulu or filet knife and put it parallel to the table, resting on the Dorsal fin (the larger fin on the back of the salmon). You can use a clean rag or paper towel (above or below) to keep the salmon from slipping. I cut firmly along this line of the fish using the bones along the back from head to tail. You can leave the area extending to the tail fin attached to the tail. This is especially helpful if you plan to smoke your salmon in bulk; if not, you can cut the meat from the tail. Do this from back to belly, and note that the lateral line bones will need to be cut through. These bones are small and fairly easy to cut through. They can also be removed from the fillet with pliers or fish tweezers.

-Flip the fish and repeat the process of cutting the second fillet from the salmon skeleton.

-If you want to do the tail-attached method for efficient smoking, cut the spine and leave both fillets attached to the tail. 

-After both fillets are removed, I like to take a spoon and scrape any remaining meat from the bones. This can go directly into a vacuum bag and be used for salmon burgers, ground salmon, salmon cakes, or any recipe calling for small salmon pieces. 

Watch a short video HERE.

Salmon from Alaska may be world-renowned, but here our world revolves around it. Without our salmon, we would need to replace a large portion of our food. Use as much of your catch as possible, donate what you don't want to use, and practice ethical fishing. Stewardship belongs to everyone who relies on these sterling fish for subsistance and nourishment.