How Alaska eats: Build your own ‘secret’ salmon spread recipe (and other food news)

Alaskans know how to eat. Find another place where people are better at DIY food — hunting it, fishing it, picking it; schlepping it on airplanes, ATVs, snowmachines, kayaks, in backpacks; butchering it, cleaning it, smoking it, freezing it, preserving it. You can't. To eat at our tables is to understand our culture. (Home cooking is another area where we excel.) This new newsletter is a place for all things Alaska food. Send your feedback, Alaska food ideas and questions!

Newsletter 5: Shhh. It's a secret.

When I put out the call over the last few weeks for salmon spread recipes, I got dozens of great ones. I also got a good number of coy messages saying, "I'll never tell." So many, in fact, I'm starting to believe there's like a whole Skull and Bones-style "secret" salmon spread recipe society. I want in. And I want you to be in too. Secret salmon spread recipes for all!

So, I built a super solid base recipe and, through manipulation, bartering and coercion, I collected a list of "secret" ingredients. Now you have the building blocks for an awesome recipe you can make all the time and refuse to talk about. You're welcome. (My secret salmon spread recipe is in there. Share it freely.)

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Meanwhile, if you're in the market for a nice weeknight dinner with a side of sass, you might try this Maya Wilson rosemary honey-mustard chicken with peaches number. (Just don't be calling it "man-pleasing chicken.") If you want to talk to her about this and any other topics, she's signing her cookbook on Saturday at Barnes & Noble in Anchorage at 1 p.m. (Oh, and she and I got a hello in the New York Times food newsletter this week! Maya's soup recipe floats all boats.)

Meanwhile, our restaurant reviewer Mara Severin waded into some deep water, coming up with a guide to the best burgers in Anchorage. Give it a read and tell us if you agree. (I'm a little sore Lucky Wishbone didn't make the cut.)

Tegan Hanlon, writer of outdoor stories, is looking for your recommendations when it comes to camp food. If your recipes aren't secret, mind sharing with fellow campers?

[Find more recipes and food news in the ADN Food and Drink section]

And, shoppers in the crowd, our market column has tips on how to get you some Bristol Bay salmon and what you'll find at this week's farmers markets.

In other news, our virtual recipe test kitchen is looking at fish pie recipes and, on Facebook, we're talking about how village cooks make doughnuts. Join us?

Here's hoping a lot of people ask for your secret recipe. See you next week.

ALASKANA RECIPE: CHOOSE-YOUR-OWN-ADVENTURE ALASKA SALMON SPREAD