Seafood from Alaska satisfies TC appetites

Food

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Mike Ennenga and his wife, Maura, sell frozen seafood that Mike, an Alaska commercial fisherman, caught. Several area restaurants are serving his catch, which the couple also sells at farmers markets. Record-Eagle/Jan-Michael Stump

September 6, 2010

By VANESSA McCRAY vmccray@record-eagle.com The Record Eagle Mon Sep 06, 2010, 07:14 AM EDT

TRAVERSE CITY — Mike and Mo Ennenga are a fishing family.

But the fish Mike catches aren't from nearby lakes and rivers. The long-line fisherman works the waters of the Bering Sea, and the fish, flash-frozen at sea, is sent to Traverse City.

The Traverse City couple's company, Alaskan Premium Seafoods, supplies seafood to local restaurants and sells it at The Mercato farmers market at Grand Traverse Commons and area stores such as Oryana Natural Foods Market.

Halibut, Pacific cod, octopus, Dungeness crab and many types of salmon are among the seafood items they offer. Mike has been a commercial fisherman in Alaska for about 20 years. The company began selling locally this spring.

"People haven't been exposed to higher-quality seafoods," Mike said.

The company already attracts a number of regulars, some of whom fill coolers with fish to take back to their downstate homes. The Ennengas also plan to form a CSF, a community-supported fish program similar to farm-share programs.

Mike hails from a small town in Iowa and studied electrical engineering, but the office job he landed in Seattle wasn't what he wanted. He quit and decided to go fishing. Mike researched vessels, found a good fit and became a fisherman. He still uses his engineering skills on the boat, which has a crew of about 20. Fishing trips may require a month or longer stay on the boat, during which time Mike and Mo communicate through e-mail. He returns to Traverse City throughout the year, including a long stay in July and August.

"I'm the fish wife," laughed Mo.

She's also a fish champion. During an August market day at the Commons, Mo opened a cooler and pulled out packets of seafood, explaining the attributes of each.

"You can treat those like scallops — butter, lemon, garlic," she said, of the delicate halibut cheeks that can be pan seared.

Mo praised the sustainability of the long-line fishing method, the advantages of the at-sea flash-freezing process and the "traceability" of their product. "You know he caught the cod," she said.

One of the area restaurants that uses Alaskan Premium Seafoods is Frenchies Famous, located on Randolph Street in Traverse City. The coffee shop and eatery's French Clements moved from Seattle and missed certain food specialities of the region. He brought his coffee but needed a trusty seafood source.

The restaurant's fish tacos use the cod, which holds up well for that preparation, and salmon goes into an omelette dish. Clements has a strong preference for Pacific Ocean fish, and the Ennengas' fish takes him back, at least culinarily, to his West Coast days.

"For me, when you start a restaurant, you have to look at how do you want to please people," Clements said. "It was just a perfect product. It works really well."

The following recipes are courtesy of Alaskan Premium Seafoods, via the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute:

Catalonian Cod Soup

1½ lbs. Alaska cod fillets, fresh, thawed or frozen

⅓ c. pine nuts or slivered almonds, toasted

4 large garlic cloves, minced

2 c. chopped onions

1 T. olive oil

1 large pinch saffron or 1/2 t turmeric

1 can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes, drained

2 cans (14.5 oz. each) fat-free chicken broth

⅔ c. dry white wine (or additional 1 c. chicken broth)

½ c. chopped fresh parsley or 2 T. dried parsley

4 slices Italian bread, cut into bite-size pieces and toasted or 1½ c. croutons

Cover cod in microwavable dish. Cook frozen cod fillets on medium-low (30 percent power) 10-15 minutes or fresh/thawed fillets 4 minutes, or just until slightly cooked. (Fillets will finish cooking in soup.) Break into 1-inch pieces.

In food processor or blender, grind nuts and garlic to a paste. Coat 5- to 6-quart stockpot with nonstick cooking spray. Cook onions in olive oil in stockpot over medium heat until lightly golden. Add garlic paste, cod, saffron, tomatoes, chicken broth, and wine. Cook uncovered over medium heat until simmering, about 10 minutes. Simmer gently 5 minutes more. Stir in parsley and bread and cook 3 minutes. Serve hot. Makes 4 servings.

Sriracha Spread Alaska Salmon

1 c. cilantro leaves

2 T. sriracha sauce (Thai chili sauce)

1½ T. fresh lime juice

1 T. peanut oil

4 salmon steaks or fillets (6-8 oz each) fresh, thawed or frozen

Sea salt, to taste

Heat oven to 350°. In a mini-food processor or coffee grinder, mix cilantro, sriracha sauce, lime juice and peanut oil.

Rinse any ice glaze from frozen salmon under cold water; pat dry with paper towel. Place salmon portions on a spray-coated baking pan; season with sea salt. Spoon and spread cilantro mixture onto salmon. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes for frozen salmon or 10 to 15 minutes for fresh/thawed fish. Cook just until fish is opaque throughout.

Variation: For a thicker spread, use 2 T. mayonnaise instead of peanut oil. Makes 4 servings.