Newsletter Home     Industry Bite     Wild Watch     Featured Articles     Recipe of the Month     Send Us Your Ideas Alaska Black Cod and Halibut Harvesting Season Opens March 5 The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has just announced that they will open the season for Wild Alaska Black Cod and Halibut fisheries on March 5, 2006. As the availability approaches, chefs that know about the succulent, luxurious taste and velvety texture of Alaska Black Cod -- rich in heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids -- are already creating recipes in anticipation of this "caviar" of fish. Likewise, chefs will be contemplating dishes for Halibut, the "steak of seafood," with its mild, slightly sweet flavor and firm, flaky texture. The simultaneous season opening of the Halibut and Black Cod fisheries make this an exciting time of year for menuing seafood options. Foodservice professionals also know that this seafood with superior taste and firm flesh is developed as a result of eating a natural marine diet and living a natural lifecycle in the cold pure waters of Alaska. Alaska's consistently wild and abundant stocks of Black Cod, Halibut and all Wild Alaska Seafood are due to effective and precise management. Alaska is the only state in the nation whose constitution mandates that all fish shall be utilized, developed and maintained on a sustainable basis. Strict quotas and fishing regulations ensure that Alaska will have an abundance of seafood for years to come. Limits are precisely calculated to keep the world stocked with a continuous, ever-replenishing supply of seafood the way nature intended it. Indeed, Alaska is considered a model of sustainability for the world. Celebrated Chefs Featured in a New Alaska Black Cod Recipe Brochure The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute continues to support the efforts of foodservice operators with the release of the Wild Alaska Black Cod recipe brochure. The recipes contained within this beautifully executed brochure were created by some of America's most distinguished chefs, and complement perfectly the velvety, delicate texture and rich, luxurious taste of Alaska Black Cod. The cold, pure waters and natural environment of Alaska produces the world's largest Black Cod population, thanks to tight regulations to ensure sustainability. This fishery's carefully managed season opens on March 5th. This brochure features chefs such as Laurent Tourondel of BLT Fish who shares the secrets to his acclaimed Black Cod Marinated with Acacia Honey; and Mark Lippman of Ocean Drive who offers his Alaska Black Cod "San Sebastian." Mai Pham of Lemon Grass provides the Asian accent with an Alaska Black Cod with Ginger-Lime Sauce; and D'or Ahn's Rachel Yan offers her decidedly creative Alaska Black Cod Poached with Mustard Bread Pudding. Other wildly inventive creations by Francois Kwaku-Dongo, L'Escale Restaurant, Amanda Freitag of Sette Enoteca Cucina and Jerry Traunfeld of The Herbfarm fame are also included in this beautiful chef-to-chef recipe collection. These chefs have discovered that the high fat content of Wild Alaska Black Cod has created an incomparable mouth-feel and extraordinary rich flavor. These characteristics make it a versatile fish that lends itself to a variety of cooking methods and flavor treatments. Also known as Sablefish, the soft, tender meat melts in your mouth. Many are surprised to learn that Black Cod is not really cod at all, but a member of the North Pacific Anoplopomatidae family of fish. Wild Alaska Black Cod also has a beautiful flake, which slides apart perfectly. The extraordinary qualities of Wild Alaska Black Cod are attributable to their natural life cycle…swimming free in pure, icy Alaska waters eating only a native marine diet. Only nature can create this sublime complement of features and benefits in one fish. Chefs and customers alike will be further compelled to serve and eat this fish knowing that it comes from the sustainable fisheries of Alaska. To order a copy of the Alaska Black Cod Recipe Brochure (Part Number 39-013) contact the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute at 1-800-806-2497. Click Here to Check Out the Alaska Black Cod Recipe Brochure Waitstaff Become Alaska Seafood 'Experts' to Raise Customer Awareness The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute has just added new waitstaff tips to their merchandising materials in an effort to help operators drive Alaska Seafood sales. "Cheat Sheets" have been developed for Wild Alaska Black Cod, Crab, Cod & Pollock and Scallops to complete their species educational materials for your waitstaff. Each piece is designed to support your "frontline" in enticing customers to order Alaska Seafood. Flavor and texture profiles, nutritional attributes and benefits, and facts on sustainability all help your servers raise customer awareness about the benefits of wild and abundant Alaska Seafood. These training materials reinforce the messaging that the cold, pure waters and the natural environment of Alaska produce seafood of the highest quality, with the firm texture and superior flavor that is prized by chefs everywhere. With Americans spending over $50 billion on seafood - 64% of that at the foodservice level - ASMI has always recognized the importance of supporting operators and chefs through innovative recipes and product usage tips and techniques. Over half of the seafood harvested in the U.S. is from Alaska, where tight regulations ensure the sustained abundance of this prized natural resource. Consumer awareness of this is higher than ever. Recent research indicates that consumer seafood consumption is up 58% from two years ago; and 77% of those polled said they prefer seafood caught in the wild. ASMI continues to assist foodservice industry leaders maximize the popularity of their seafood menus with innovative programs. These "Cheat Sheets" are specifically developed to assist your waitstaff target the dynamic attitudes and preferences of the foodservice patron. To order the waitstaff tips contact the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute at 1-800-806-2497. Click Here for Wild Alaska Black Cod, Crab, Cod & Pollock, and Scallop Waitstaff Tips International Boston Seafood Show Visit the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) at the International Boston Seafood Show, March 12-14, 2006, in booth 528! Drop by the ASMI booth to discuss how ASMI can support you.