We're sorry to say that we are out of dried salmon eggs until next season. Please check back in late July.
Dried Salmon Eggs are highly prized as a superfood by indigenous cultures
Although the word “superfoods” is a modern one, indigenous peoples in the past (and present) valued certain foods above others. In the cultures that had access to salmon, the roe, or eggs, was one of these foods.
Roe is one of the vital natural foods discussed in the writings of Weston A. Price, D.D.S. Fifty years ago, Dr. Price traveled the world to observe isolated indigenous groups living entirely on local foods. Almost every member of these groups displayed superb health, free of chronic disease, dental decay, and mental illness, and they produced healthy children with ease.
In a number of the indigenous cultures Dr. Price studied, roe had a prominent place in the diet. Dried fish eggs, including salmon eggs, were an important food in Alaskan Eskimo cultures, where they were recognized as vital for the growth of children and for reproduction. The Indians of the high Andes were willing to travel hundreds of miles to obtain fish eggs, which were liberally consumed by girls to prepare them for motherhood, and by women to reinforce fertility and childbearing abilities.
Dr. Price confirms the wisdom of the indigenous peoples who considered roe a superfood.
In his landmark book Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, Dr. Price writes: “A chemical analysis of the dried fish eggs that I brought to my laboratory from Alaska as well as of samples brought from other places has revealed them to be a very rich source of body-building minerals and vitamins.”
Roe is a rich source of vitamins A and D, omega-3 long-chain fatty acids, zinc, and other trace elements from the pure water in which the fish were caught.
It is also one of the few foods containing the vital catalyst that Dr. Price discovered and dubbed “Activator X,” a fat-soluble substance found only in organ meats and butter from animals raised exclusively on rapidly growing green grass, and in some sea foods including fish eggs. Activator X helps the body absorb and utilize minerals, and plays an important role in brain and nervous system development, rebuilding of body tissue, repair of teeth and bones, and sex hormone production.
From the best wild Alaskan sockeye salmon
Our salmon roe comes from wild sockeye salmon caught by independent fisherman Peter Knutson in the pristine North Pacific waters near Ketchican, Alaska.
Peter’s salmon is fresher and of higher quality than most commercially available salmon marketed by the big conglomerates. What makes Pete’s salmon so special is the way he handles each and every fish, with respect, care, and an eye for maintaining every last bit of quality.
Pete explains one reason why his fish are superior—freshness: “I’ve been working on the same stocks for 20 years, by the same beaches. I know my fish well. I can get the fish processed and on ice much faster—in 45 minutes, while it takes many large-scale processors two or three days.”
Our dried salmon roe contains no salt or preservatives. It is a beautiful deep red, smells of the ocean, and has a delicious, surprisingly mild taste.
Serving Suggestions
Our dried salmon eggs are best used as a garnish or an addition to other foods, like one would use bacon bits. Crumple them into bits or powder them in a food processor or spice mill, and add a tablespoon or more (depending on taste) to soups, salad dressings, and fish, grain, and vegetable dishes. They will add a nice bit of flavor and give any dish a wonderful nutritional boost.
Roe also makes a delicious spread when mixed in a food processor with sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil, miso if available, and dried spices such as garlic, oregano, basil, and chili pepper.
Pete Knutson—A Rare Breed of Fisherman
Even in the pristine waters off Alaska, small independent commercial fishermen have become a rare breed, largely squeezed out by the mass fishing operations of a few large corporations. And of the few surviving independents, Pete Knutson is one of the best, bringing integrity and personal responsibility to assuring his fish are of the highest quality available anywhere.
What distinguishes the salmon caught by Pete and his family from that sold by the large corporations?
Pete explains: “The most important factor is that we take personal responsibility for the harvesting, delivery, and sale of our catch. In contrast, corporate fish is harvested, transported, and processed anonymously by many participants, none of whom take full responsibility for the condition of the final product, most of whom are paid low prices and wages, and hence have little investment in the fish.”
The quality difference begins with Pete’s harvesting technique. He fishes with a small mesh net, which captures the fish with little injury. These fish are harvested one by one, immediately stunned and bled, and then gutted, cleaned, and immersed in a sub-freezing seawater solution, all within half an hour of capture. Pete’s fish hold has small compartments, so the salmon are not compressed during transport. And as soon as the boat gets to shore, the fish are rushed to the airport, where they are quickly air-shipped to Seattle. Pete’s labor intensive techniques not only treat the fish respectfully but also maximize freshness, preserve the intrinsic qualities of the fish and result in a firm, textured wild protein.
In contrast, fish harvested by corporate methods are captured hundreds and thousands at a time, and are subject to major bruising in the process. Because they are usually not immediately dispatched, these fish panic, resulting in lactic acid build-up in their muscle tissue that will start breaking it down. These fish are often not immediately refrigerated and are rarely processed on board the fishing vessel, and hence enter into a state of decomposition rather quickly. Sometimes they are dumped by the hundreds into large refrigerated settings where their core body temperature stays high, and they quickly start disintegrating, becoming soft from the inside out. After reaching shore, these fish are sometimes even trucked to Seattle, to keep costs low. Fish that were subject to these corporate methods may smell “fishy,” indicating that decomposition has begun.
Pete explains that his family’s philosophy is to “take less resource, focus on quality, and add maximum value to the final product. It is, to our minds, incumbent on us to link the consumer to the oceanic food chain in an environmentally ethical and respectful fashion.”
