We’ve Just Learned How to Go Fishing From Home. Thank Alaska Gold Seafood.

November 6, 2024

In partnership with Alaska Gold Seafood. Editor’s Note: We only select and work with partners that meet our quality standards, so you can rest assured we only endorse products we believe in.

“Eat more fish,” they say. “It’s good for you!” they say.

However, as with many things today, we’ve discovered that even “healthy” choices come with nuances—especially as it surrounds sourcing and quality, which affect both our nutrition and environmental sustainability.

As more and more people turn towards fish for cardiovascular health, reduced inflammation, and healthy fats, the demand for fish has skyrocketed, placing heavy pressure on both the fish market and the environment.

Farm-raised fish can contain chemicals, pollutants, and other health-harming pesticides while wild-caught fish can, if overfished, disrupt marine ecosystems.

What’s a person to do to eat well, feel good, and help the planet?!

Companies like Alaska Gold Seafood are taking a totally different approach to this whole “fish crisis” as a fishermen-owned co-op (more on that later). They seek to provide consumers with the highest quality product straight from Alaskan waters while also giving back to their fishermen and the environment.

We weren’t sure about getting fish delivered to our home, but we had the opportunity to try their Alaskan Sablefish (Black Cod) from the comfort of our own kitchen, and transparently, our minds were blown (and even changed).

Alaska Knows Good Fish

If you’ve watched The Deadliest Catch, then you know that Alaska has a lot going on when it comes to fishing.

Since 1944, Alaska Gold has been bringing “sea-to-table” quality fish to the homes of many while adhering to some of the highest quality fishing standards in the business. As a fishermen-owned co-op, Alaska Gold looks to support the actual producer and fishermen by ensuring that they get all of the profits from the business (as opposed to distant shareholders).

Thanks to this business model, the coastal communities of southeast Alaska, which are home of some of the richest waters on the planet, are able to self-sustain while continuing to provide a bounty of next-level quality fish to the fish-obsessed.

Beyond their focus on the workers who supply all of their fish, Alaska Gold prioritizes sustainability above all else. All of their fish are wild and line-caught to treat both the fish and their ecosystem with the utmost respect (which directly affects the quality and taste of the fish, by the way).

In the hopes of maintaining integrity-forward practices that will last for generations to come, Alaska Gold adheres to fishing practices that benefit the ocean and local fishing communities, including science-based management, careful harvesting by hook and line fishing methods, and ocean conservation efforts.

A Cod-Led Experiment

When our Black Cod arrived, we were somewhat taken aback by the sheer volume of our fish bounty, which was about 11-15 pieces of singularly packed Sablefish straight from Sitka, Alaska. “This could last for weeks! Months!” we screamed. Everything arrived surrounded by ice, so its quality wasn’t compromised for even a second, and into the freezer it went.

At first, we wondered how in Cod’s name we would get through this much fish. As usual “salmon” people, this was going to be a shift… but what a good shift it was.

Upon first defrosting, we would have never known that the fish had ever been frozen—its freshness completely maintained. We kept things simple with an Asian-inspired sauce, served alongside roasted veggies, and it was truly one of the best pieces of cod we’ve ever tasted.

In general, Sablefish (aka Black Cod) is a very rich, oily fish loaded with heart (and brain)-healthy omega-3s. Each 6-ounce portion has 90% of the daily recommended amount of vitamin D you’d need in your diet, so we didn’t need much convincing that cod was going to be a total slay at the dinner table.

It was buttery, smooth, flaky, rich but light at the same time, and absolutely delicious. What was so impressive was the incomparable quality that came from out of state. There was nothing fishy about Alaska Gold’s Black Cod, and it was incredibly versatile for an array of sauces and dishes. 10/10, no question.

BRB: Gone Fishing

Op! Feels like we’ve got a live one!

Alaska Gold’s Black Cod was genuinely one of the best “catches” we’ve ever tried. While the price feels a bit steep at $145 for 11-15 pieces (you can get up to 60 pieces, if your freezer is big enough), the quality is unparalleled. We’ll take it one step further and say that the price isn’t even that different from what you’d pay at your local grocery store, and at that point, you’re getting fish that’s been previously frozen and out of season.