Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute Releases Seasonal Harvest Guide to Inspire Home Cooks and Foodies

Commemorating the start of Alaska halibut and black cod harvest seasons this Saturday, March 14, Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) today released a Seafood for All Seasons guide to help home cooks integrate seafood into their culinary repertoires throughout the year.  Seafood for All Seasons illustrates the wide array of wild and natural Alaska seafood including whitefish like halibut and black cod (also known as sablefish), five types of salmon (king, sockeye, coho, keta and pink), and shellfish such as crab (king, bairdi, snow and dungeness) and spot prawns. 

Nearly 60 percent of the nation's seafood comes from Alaska and is offered frozen, canned, smoked and fresh year-round.

• Frozen: All Alaska seafood varietals are always available frozen and are rapidly chilled and flash frozen at the time of harvest to maintain the highest quality and maximize purity and taste.
• Canned and Smoked: Canned and smoked varietals are healthy and economical options sold year-round.
• Fresh: The fresh Alaska seafood season kicks off with halibut and black cod harvests, followed quickly by the summer salmon season starting mid-May.

Alaska Halibut and Black Cod – Harvest Season Opens This Weekend  Alaskan waters are home to over 95 percent of Pacific halibut and over 70 percent of the black cod harvested in the United States. For the 2015 fishing season, the Statewide Total Allowable Catch (TAC) limit for Alaska halibut is 21.215 million pounds, up from 19.705 pounds in 2014, and TAC limit for black cod is 25.848 million pounds. Like all species of Alaska seafood, Alaska halibut and black cod are wild and sustainable, as mandated by the Alaska Constitution and Alaska's science-based fishery management practices are considered a world model.

Culinary Creations – Alaska Seafood Recipes, Cooking Tips and more  Seafood can be prepared in as little as 15 minutes for a quick, easy and healthy weeknight meal.  Knowing the texture and flavor profile of each species makes recipe pairing simple. Alaska halibut is known for its mild, sweet flavor and firm texture which shines when grilled, roasted, sautéed, or poached. With its snow-white fillet, perfect flake, and velvety texture, Alaska black cod is great when roasted, sautéed, poached, or smoked.  Hundreds of recipes, cooking tips and technique videos are available atwww.wildalaskaseafood.com.