Originally Posted by
jackal
I'm not sure which agency enforces the "Wild Alaskan," er, "appellations" (for lack of a better term), and/or what specific verbiage is protected. I'd investigate, except that I never buy prepackaged/processed fish. My pecking order for good Alaskan fish is thus:
1. Properly cooked and consumed at a good restaurant (no self-respecting Alaskan restaurant serves anything other than fresh Alaskan fish). One of my faves: Simon and Seafort's halibut cheeks, braised in a beurre blanc sauce
The halibut stuffed with crab is awesome also. Definitely worth the price.
Originally Posted by
jackal
I do seem to recall finding out recently that a lot of Alaskan-caught fish is processed in Asia. Apparently, it's cheaper to ship it over and process it there and ship it back because of the much lower cost of labor. I believe it's still caught in Alaskan waters and by Alaskan fishermen, though, but I'm FAR from an expert in these matters.
You are correct. A lot of our fish goes east for processing before it hits our stores. King crab goes south to be processed (mostly in the SEA area) before being shipped back up.
Just be careful when ordering fish, especially salmon. Most restaurants will try to foist off farmed salmon. They do that with a lot of species, tilapia, trout, catfish, etc. I try to avoid farmed fish on principle. I actually had a waiter apologize to my party at Mesa Grill at Caesars Las Vegas in January for having to try to sell farmed salmon to Alaskans. Way not cool......