Kayak Transport Company

Top 10 Things We Like to Eat On a SE Alaska Kayak Mothership

No. 5 Coho Salmon.  Alaska is all about the salmon and there is plenty to go around.  The silver (coho) salmon come in with a bang in June and July.  The catching is fun and the eating is delicious.  There is no bad way to cook salmon although I think that we have come close.  One of our first years in Alaska we were so overwhelmed by the quantity of salmon that we had caught that after several weeks of salmon we got a little creative on how to fix it.  Salmon hash may have been my worst effort ever.

Don't worry...

     

This ain't gonna happen on our boat!

Top 10 Things We Like to Eat On a SE Alaska Kayak Mothership

No. 6  Smoked Halibut.  We invented this.  OK, we were not the first people to smoke their halibut.  But, we invented our recipe and, believe me, it took a couple of bad batches to get the right amount of sugar with enough salt to brine it.  I am not sure why smoked salmon is so common (we do that too) but smoked halibut is not.  It's good.  It's terrific on a sandwich or just to take a hunk along in your lunch bag and eat like jerky. 

First you gotta' catch that bad boy!  It helps to read the book...

 

Top 10 Things We Like to Eat On a SE Alaska Kayak Mothership

No. 7  Dungeness Crab.  OK, this could easily be our number one thing to eat but this Top Ten thing is not any any particular order.  We do pretty well with catching these guys.  I got skunked once last year but we knew we were in an area that was not known for them.  On most trips we know right where to go.  Earlier in the year is better but, we have filled the traps in August.  There is nothing like it...

Top 10 Things We Like to Eat On a SE Alaska Kayak Mothership

No. 8 Yellow Eye.  There are many reasons not to catch yellow eye.  Most importantly they are a non-pelagic fish which means they are easily fished out in a given area.  Also, they grow very slow and can live very long lives.  We are told that some we have eaten were 150 years old!  We do not target them but we occasionally catch one when fishing for halibut.  Our reaction...oh darn...but, yum.  The problem is that once they are hooked and brought to the surface they will die if you release them.  So, only one thing to do.  Enjoy!

Top Ten Things We Like to Eat on a SE Alaska Kayak Mothership

No. 9  Spruce Tip Jelly.  We learned how to make this from our friends in Dora Bay.  There is no shortage of Spruce in SE Alaska so the trick is to pick them at the right age - young.  The next hurdle is getting the boiled spruce tips to turn to jelly and not boil over and start the stove on fire.  Don't ask how we know all of that!  The unsolved mystery is why does the mixture turn from green to a beautiful pink.  The end result is delicious even if it remains a syrup.  But, the jelly is even better.

 

Top 10 Things We like to Eat on a SE Alaska Kayak Mothership

  No. 10  Lingcod.  These big guys (with mouths you could fit a basketball in) are great to eat and easy to catch.  The problem is they are a little too easy to catch and the stocks are down.  So, there are limited opportunities.  We know the spots.  Last year we had a chance and caught two in 15 minutes.  The meat is big white flaky chunks with no bones.  Among other dishes we make a great ceviche. 

 

US to CN to US

Want to see the Inside Passage?  We are old hands at it now with over 25 roundings of Cape Caution under our belt.  It is a wonderful week with a magnificent collection of sights and scenery.  The trip takes a little over a week and is not for folks who want to paddle every day as we have a lot of ground to cover and we motor extensively (see Schedules and Fares for a list of our kayak trips.)  We recommend this trip to people who want to see the Inside Passage from a small boat.  Lots of relaxing time along the way.  We especially recommend this trip to people who may want to do it in their own boat some day, as we have lots to share.

There is much history to be seen and experienced from George Vancouver's adventures to the Gold Rush to the Ripple Rock Explosion.

Contact us if you want to come aboard...

 

Butedale...an abandoned town along the way.