Thousands of miles away from any significant sources of pollution, Alaska´s waters are among the cleanest in the world. A marine habitat is this pure provides a seafood harvest remarkably free of contaminants. Wild Alaska cod is a prime example of the quality fish harvested from a truly pristine environment. These fish are wild-caught after being allowed to mature at their own pace while feeding freely on their natural diet.
The superior flavor and texture of Alaskan seafood is recognized throughout the world. But perhaps not everyone makes the connection between the superiority of the product and the unique environment that nurtured its development. The delightful flavor of wild Alaska cod, as with other Alaskan seafood, is a direct result of feeding on marine organisms which are the natural food supply for that species. Prized all over the world, the texture of wild Alaskan fish is the result of annual migrations in the cold North Pacific.
As soon as spring comes upon us nature begins to deliver her abundance. But when thinking of wild foods most people tend to be reminded of Autumn and the wild fruit and mushroom harvest available then.
This is probably because many people are almost entirely ignorant of wild greens. The wild plants that can be harvested (often in your own back garden) and consumed.
Those wanting to use more wild-sourced ingredients in their cookery often ask questions like ‘where do I find recipes for …such and such…’. Whilst it’s true that many recipes for wild ingredients do exists and there are large sites catering for precisely this market, the real key to using wild-sourced ingredients in your cookery is to understand those ingredients.
Just like most good cooks will know that you can substitute plain flour with baking powder added for self-raising flour or you can substitute marjoram for oregano or turkey for pork, using wild ingredients is simply a process of knowing your ingredients and their characteristics. Once you know an ingredient, what it tastes like and how you can used it then you can simply substitute the wild ingredient in a normal recipe.
For example, young dandelion leaves are quite like bitter salad leaves. You can use them directly in any recipe calling for radiccio or endive. As salt counteracts bitterness in any food you can also blanch dandelion leaves in salted water and use as a spinach alternative.