SEATTLE, May 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- More than
16,000 pounds of fresh Copper River salmon arrived in Seattle on a fish-filled Alaska Airlines plane
touching down at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport shortly after
6:30 a.m. this morning. Today
officially marks the beginning of the summer salmon grilling season
that is anticipated by seafood lovers throughout the Pacific
Northwest and beyond. In total, Alaska Air Cargo has three more
flights scheduled throughout the day to bring in an additional
48,000 pounds of salmon to market.
"Alaska Airlines plays a significant role in supporting the
Alaska seafood industry, which is
recognized worldwide for its sustainable fishing practices," said
Jason Berry, managing director at
Alaska Air Cargo. "Our Cargo employees are working around the clock
to ensure we deliver the first catch of the coveted wild Copper
River salmon to market, often within 24 hours of being pulled from
the water."
Every year Alaska Air Cargo partners with the state of
Alaska's three largest seafood
processors, Trident Seafoods, Ocean Beauty Seafoods, and Copper
River Seafoods to bring the coveted fish to Seattle and Anchorage, Alaska, where it will then be
delivered to restaurants and grocery stores throughout the Pacific
Northwest, and across the country.
Ninth annual Copper Chef Cook-off
The season's first
fish, a 45-pound king salmon donated by Trident Seafoods, will
become the catch of the day for three Seattle chefs competing for the best salmon
recipe in the ninth annual "Copper Chef Cook-off." The chefs
competing this year includes defending champion John Sundstrom, chef-owner, Lark, Slab
Sandwiches + Pie, Southpaw Pizza, Executive Chef Paul Duncan of Ray's Boathouse and Executive
Chef Chris Bryant of Wildfin
American Grill. In an "Iron Chef" type competition, the three
culinary elites will have 30 minutes to prepare and serve the
freshly caught salmon to an audience of Alaska Airlines customers.
Oregon winery Erath will provide
wine pairings to accompany the dishes prepared during the cook-off.
Seattle culinary giant and
competition veteran John Howie and
Ken Carson, the field announcer for
the Seattle Seahawks and Seattle Sounders, will co-emcee the early
morning event.
The winning Copper River salmon recipe will be announced on the
airline's Twitter account @AlaskaAir. Salmon lovers are encouraged
to share their favorite ways to eat Copper River salmon by tagging
@AlaskaAir and using the hashtag #iflyalaska.
Fish fanatics who want to recreate the dishes can download the
chef's recipes at
https://blog.alaskaair.com/2018-copper-river-salmon-recipes-copper-chef-cook-off
and can learn more about some of the people of Cordova, Alaska that help to power the Alaskan
fishing industry on the Alaska
blog at
blog.alaskaair.com/alaska-airlines/copper-river-salmon-2018.
Editor's note:
Photos from the event will be available for download on the Alaska
Airlines blog: blog.alaskaair.com.
Alaska Air Cargo transports more than 170 million pounds of
cargo annually—including seafood, mail and freight —and operates
the most extensive air cargo operation on the U.S. West Coast of
any passenger airline.
Alaska Airlines and its regional partners fly 44 million guests
a year to more than 115 destinations with an average of 1,200 daily
flights across the United States
and to Mexico, Canada and Costa
Rica. With Alaska and
Alaska Global Partners, guests can earn and redeem miles on flights
to more than 900 destinations worldwide. Learn about Alaska's award-winning service at
newsroom.alaskaair.com and blog.alaskaair.com. Alaska Airlines,
Virgin America and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group
(NYSE: ALK).
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SOURCE Alaska Airlines