Food and Drink

Market Fresh: Good time to get in on crab, rockfish and other seafood

This is a good week to think seafood.

Whether you want to fill the freezer or hit the grill one more time, there are lots of options.

The Alaska Marine Conservation Council has a Catch of the Season program offering king crab and rockfish to Alaska residents. Catch of the Season is a Community Supported Fishery that offers customers wild Alaskan seafood. Like Community Supported Agriculture, the CSF allows customers to order a "share" of the season's harvest from small-boat Alaska fishermen ahead of time. Catch of the Season is in its fifth year.

AMCC is partnering with Norton Sound Seafood Products and Kodiak Jig Seafoods this fall.

King crab is available for pickup in Anchorage, Homer and Fairbanks. In Anchorage, the 10-pound box is $250 and the 20-pound box is $480. In Homer and Fairbanks, the boxes are $260 and $500.

Rockfish is $65 for 5 pounds, $120 for 10 pounds and $240 for 20 pounds in Anchorage. In Homer and Fairbanks, prices are $70, $130 and $260.

More information and online ordering is available at akmarine.org. The deadline to order is Sept. 25, with Anchorage delivery on Sept. 30 and Homer and Fairbanks delivery on Oct. 2.

ADVERTISEMENT

If you can't wait, Dannon Southall of 10th & M Seafoods says there are plenty of options in the store this week.

"Seafood is still coming in strong even though the temperatures are dropping. We have seen fresh cohos as well as some fresh sockeyes, which is a treat in the middle of September," Southall says. "Fresh cod and halibut are still being caught in the Gulf (of Alaska), with fillets available.

And Arctic Choice will be at the South Anchorage Farmers Market on Saturday with a variety of seafood options.

"With the changing season, Arctic Choice switches gears at the market," says Kristy Schenk. "We continue to see fresh coho, which we bring to the market in a variety of forms, but the focus turns to the whitefish. As long as the weather stays good, we will start to see more rockfish, halibut and cod landings. These whitefish species, just like salmon, is excellent paired with the fresh veggies found at the market.

"Whitefish tends to pick up the flavor of what you cook it with and would be perfect paired with squash spaghetti, leeks, mushrooms and other vegetables. It's also that time of the year where a good cup of chowder or pho helps keep you warm."

From the markets

Arctic Choice will be joined by 25 or more other vendors at Saturday's South Anchorage Farmers Market.

A couple of highlights include Sweet Caribou with lavender milk-chocolate, pomegranate, chocolate raspberry, passion fruit, coconut chocolate, blueberry hibiscus and Earl Grey with honey-lemon buttercream macarons.

La Grassa will have hand-cut noodles; vegan herb strozzapreti; goat cheese, roasted corn and chive ravioli; and Alaska kale, ricotta and roasted garlic ravioli. They will also be at Wednesday's Center Market.

Wednesday's South Anchorage lineup includes: Glacier Valley Farm, Kenley's Alaskan Vegetables, Arctic Wonder Market, Stockwell Farm, Drool Central and Northern Flowers.

"The race to get everything harvested before the snow falls has been on for several weeks now, and here in the Valley farmers are all working every daylight hour to get the crops out of the ground," says Carol Kenley. "This is great for the markets as there is such an abundance to choose from, but know that it won't last for long. We have beautiful carrots, potatoes, beets, snow apple turnips, celery, leeks, garlic, cabbage and onions that are all at their prime."

Also look for spinach, kale and a few other items from Kenleys on Wednesday.

Anchorage Farmers Market

Sarah Bean of Arctic Organics says fall is getting serious. "No more pussyfooting around the field! We'll be the harvesting our hearts (and veggies) out," she says.

While the end of the growing season is close, Bean says there is still a taste of summer: "It's time to take advantage of the summer greens while they are still light and tender! This includes greens mix, chard, arugula, spinach. It's also time to enjoy the added sweetness that frost imparts to hardy greens like kale and collards, also Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower."

Other items include leeks, red onions, tomatoes, red bell peppers, scallions, carrots, beets, red and green cabbage, fennel, celery, kohlrabi and plenty of other freshly harvested produce.

The Persistent Farmer, Rob Wells, expects to have a nice selection of dahlia blooms at the market and also at the Center Market on Wednesday and at the South Anchorage markets with other vendors.

Center Market: Alex Davis will be at both markets this week with an expanding list of produce that includes four colors of carrots, a variety of beets, Brussels sprouts, kale, tomatoes, cabbage and collard greens. He also has pork items including chops and sausage, fresh eggs, barley items and pie.

Farm 779 will have a full lineup of whole food probiotics at this week's markets. "We are moving toward the season of high sugar and simple refined carb intake," Julie Meer says. "This practice makes whole food probiotics a vital part of your diet today. Old style lacto-fermented whole foods digest starch and sugar in the digestive tract." Among Farm 779's options are nondairy coconut kefirs, kraut, kimchi, beet kvass and ginger kombucha.

ADVERTISEMENT

Sweet Caribou will be at Wednesday's market with rose lychee, maple bacon, blood orange (dairy-free), Mexican hot chocolate, pomegranate dark chocolate, chocolate vanilla, passionfruit and Earl Grey with honey-lemon buttercream macarons, along with cupcakes and bar cookies.

Spenard Farmers Market: Rene Haag of the Spenard Farmers Market knows that the market season is getting short, with two more Saturdays in Spenard. "The days are getting shorter and fall is in the air," she says. "Stop by Saturday … and get your fresh Alaska grown veggies under the windmill." Among the vendor highlights are: smoked cod, Brussels sprouts, beats, garlic, cabbage, leafy greens, carrots, honey, fruity jams and jellies, infused vinegars and several craft vendors.

Steve Edwards lives and writes in Anchorage. Contact him at akmarketfresh@gmail.com.

Alaska farmers markets

Monday in Palmer: Depot Farm Market, noon-6 p.m., Palmer Depot

Tuesday out of town: Eagle River Farmers Market, 3-7 p.m., VFW Post Parking Lot, Eagle River; Farmers Fresh Market, 3-6 p.m., Kenai Peninsula Food Bank, Soldotna

Wednesday in Anchorage: Alaska Pacific University Farmers Market, 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m., APU campus in front of Grant Hall; Center Market, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., The Mall at Sears, Benson Boulevard and Denali Street; Northway Mall Wednesday Market, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Northway Mall; South Anchorage Wednesday Market, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Dimond Center

Wednesday out of town: Homer Farmers Market, 3-6 p.m., Ocean Drive; Tanana Valley Farmers Market, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., 2600 College Road, Fairbanks; Wasilla Farmers Market, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Nelson and Weber streets intersection

Thursday in Peter's Creek: Peter's Creek Farmers Market, 3-7 p.m., American Legion Post 33, Old Glenn Highway

ADVERTISEMENT

Friday in Willow: Willow Farmer's Market, 2-7 p.m., Mile 68 Parks Hwy.

Saturday in Anchorage: Anchorage Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Central Lutheran Church, 15th Avenue and Cordova Street; Center Market, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., The Mall at Sears, Benson Boulevard and Denali Street; Muldoon Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-2p.m., Begich Middle School, 7440 Creekside Center Drive; South Anchorage Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., O'Malley Sports Complex at the corner of Old Seward Highway and O'Malley Road; Spenard Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Spenard Road and 26th Avenue

Saturday out of town: Central Kenai Peninsula Farmers Market, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Kenai Spur Highway and East Corral Street, Soldotna; Homer Farmers Market, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Ocean Drive; Kenai Saturday Market, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Kenai Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Center; Tanana Valley Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., 2600 College Road, Fairbanks

Sunday in Fairbanks: Tanana Valley Farmers Market, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., 2600 College Road

Steve Edwards

Steve Edwards lives and writes in Anchorage. He writes the Market Fresh column weekly and can be reached akmarketfresh@gmail.com.

ADVERTISEMENT