Do You Sell Sockeye Portions?

Over the years, I have been asked this question by many people. The short answer is: not at this time.

The long answer is that the company I fish for, Silver Bay Seafoods, can produce individually sealed sockeye portions (about one-third of a fillet) for me. I ordered some a few years ago to try, and honestly, I wasn't very happy with the quality compared to the whole fillets.

I think there are a couple of reasons for this. The fillets I sell are all processed and vacuum-packed in Alaska before being frozen. In contrast, the sockeye portions are cut in Seattle from previously frozen, glazed fillets. These fillets are partially defrosted for cutting, then re-glazed. This process degrades the meat, adds unnecessary glaze weight, and makes it difficult to achieve a proper vacuum seal.

Also, since individual vacuum packing is labor-intensive and labor is expensive in Alaska, Silver Bay only vacuum packs the highest-quality fish. Those are the most valuable, and they don't want to waste time and money packing lower-quality fillets individually. Based on what I tasted a few years ago, I suspect the fillets shipped to Seattle for reprocessing were not the same high grade as those packed in Alaska.

This kind of value-added reprocessing—cutting portions in other areas like Washington, Canada, or Asia—is extremely common with Alaska seafood. A lot of other companies' salmon, pollock, and cod are actually shipped frozen to Asia for portioning, then shipped back to the U.S. for sale.

The halibut, sablefish (black cod), and lingcod portions I sell—processed for me by Seafood Producers Co-op—are all cut, vacuum-sealed, and frozen in Sitka. That’s extremely rare, especially for sablefish, which is often frozen in Alaska as a headed-and-gutted fish, then defrosted and portioned in Washington or Asia before being refrozen. I take a lot of pride in knowing the portions I sell are processed and flash-frozen right here in Alaska.

Working at a seafood distributor in Florida last year really opened my eyes to how much our seafood is degraded as it’s moved around in search of cheap processing labor. It solidified my belief that maintaining a short value chain is critical to preserving quality. So, I’ve been reluctant to sell portions, even though I know they’re more convenient for many people.

That said, I’ve been talking with Silver Bay about the possibility of cutting and freezing portions in Alaska. They seem reluctant, but if I’m ever able to source sockeye portions that match the quality of the fillets and whitefish portions I currently offer, I will certainly make them available.