alaskan salmon bake

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OK, bad news first.  I don't have a recipe for you today.  I know I haven't posted one in a while, or posted anything for that matter, but I've been busy being out of town, on vacation, in Alaska.

For whatever reason that state needs to be italicized when being introduced.  I know it's just another state.  Hell, I know at least half a dozen people who grew up there, but I still hold on to the stereotype of mysterious, untouched land filled with dangerous wild animals; thick, dark forest; uncharted, ice-covered territory.  It's the kind of place suited for burly, bearded people wielding hatchets and living off the land, not a place to be taken lightly.

Well, as it turns out, my idea of 'what Alaska is like' may have been a bit over-dramatic.  A scrawny girl used to city living can do just fine there too.  She can relax and have fun, even.  Sans burl and beard. 

One of the highlights from my trip to The Last Frontier, was the incredible seafood at the Gold Creek Salmon Bake, just outside the capital city of Juneau.

Those filets you see there are King salmon, highest on the food chain and by far the most delicious.  Our chefs for the evening did an incredible job grilling these chunks of fatty fish which they then brushed with a sweet, brown sugar glaze.   

We were also treated to steaming hot, homemade clam chowder and an array of picnic-style sides like coleslaw, baked beans, pickles, cornbread and pasta salad.  I personally ommitted the last two but was still uterly satisfied with the meal I devoured at that table in the chill twilight.

My sweetheart and I both went back for seconds.

The site of our salmon bake was littered with old, rusted machinery, once used during the gold strike that gave Gold Creek its name.  As we sat and munched on our meal, we were free to let our minds roam to times when gold-fevered men and women searched the creek for shiny, chunks of metal that would aid their transformations from rags to riches. 

I was in love with the old-timey atmosphere nestled there between the giant pines.  We walked the grounds feeling the freedom of vacation and the excitement of the adventure that our traveling would bring us. 

The crisp cool air, the scent of BBQ, the chorus of water rushing over rocks all around us.  We were finally here.  Finally in Alaska. 

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