Seafood in the Mountains

By Dana DuGan

Step right up for your Balimong, Bawal, your Padi Padi, Kuwe and Tengiri!

Although they sound like exotic new skis or the latest names in mountain bikes, they are fish. Yes, fish. And they are all available way up here in the mountains if you know where to go. 

The valley’s seafood stock has risen as our collective communal tastes and demands have increased. But how does all that seafood reach us, and just how fresh is it?

“The level of consciousness has really stepped up the quality,” said Roger Roland, longtime owner of Sushi on Second in Ketchum. 

Roland, who has been bringing seafood into the valley for nine years said, “There are many variables to getting that fish fresh on the 
diner’s plate.”

For him, getting the best quality at the best price is all about trust. 

Roland has worked on his relationships with the many purveyors of seafood in the Pacific Rim, going so far as to visit the firm True World Foods in Japan. It’s important to deal with purveyors directly, he said. So, when he tells them now that he wants No. 1 grade sashimi tuna, as a customer who regularly goes through 150 to 200 pounds of tuna a season, they accommodate him.

Also bringing in high quality seafood to the valley are retailers Hana Sushi and China Pepper, both in Ketchum.

Bob Stiles, owner of Hana Sushi, uses wholesalers Mountain Pride of Ketchum, because “they are the best,” he said. There are some types of fish they can’t get, and, in that situation, Stiles calls on wholesalers International Marine in Los Angeles—an operation he has worked with for 23 years. 

Different fish are handled in different ways, Stiles pointed out. Some fish like eel are flash frozen at the docks, then flown to Salt Lake City, and then on to Hailey. Other fish like tuna cannot be frozen.

They are stored in an ice-cold brine on board. When in port, the tuna is “bled,” a careful process of removing the blood from the fish. If not done properly, much of the fish is lost. Stiles added that once the fish is “cut,” there is about a three-day window to get the fish to the consumer.

Roland of Sushi on Second and Stuart Siderman of Mountain Pride buy from several companies doing business in San Francisco, Alaska and Seattle. 

The process is carefully choreographed. 

Netted at sea, the haul is packed right on the boats in wax or foam containers with ice-gel packets placed both inside and around the fish, then bubble wrapped. In some cases, a floatplane picks up the catch and delivers it right to an airline such as Southwest, Horizon or Alaska Air, which then flies it right to Boise or even Hailey.

Also importing seafood in the valley is Flown in Fresh Fish in Bellevue.

“If it walks, swims or crawls in the ocean, we can get it for you in 72 hours,” Steve Hogan boasts. 

Hogan, a trained chef, joined forces with longtime Alaskan fisherman Mark Scheving in 1995 to create Flown in Fresh Fish. 

In their case, the fish is purchased directly from independent fishermen along the West Coast and in the South Pacific. Over the years and through their various connections, they have developed long-term relationships with fishermen, shippers and customers.

Flown in Fresh Fish makes two trips weekly for fresh catch to distribute to customers in Boise and the Wood River Valley. Its owners also maintain radio contact with boat captains to keep them informed of orders as they come up.

“It’s a totally hands-on approach,” said Scheving.
Last fall, Hogan and Scheving opened their own seafood restaurant, Chester & Jake’s in Bellevue. At this small, casual spot—named for their dogs—Hogan and co-chef Humberto Herrara create a constantly changing menu made of fresh items, as well as their signature dishes of halibut and chips and seafood chowder. 

Suddenly, diners are being exposed to exotica such as large spotted prawns, Bawal, Padi Padi and Kuwe. 

For Hogan and Scheving, it’s about knowing the history behind every fish a customer buys—what boat it came off, where it was caught and how long it’s been out of the ocean.

So stick to fresh. And stick to the mountains, where sophisticated visitors and residents alike are raving about the surprising quality of the valley’s seafood. Put a conch shell to your ear—you’ll hear them. •

Grilled Wild Pacific 
Salmon With Chanterelles, Sun-Dried Tomatoes 
and Basil

1½-pound salmon fillet
salt and cracked pepper to taste
¼ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons fresh minced garlic
2 teaspoons fresh minced shallot
1 ½ cups fresh chanterelles or other fresh 
mushrooms
2 tablespoons chopped sun dried tomatoes
½ cup dry white wine
¼ cup minced fresh basil
½ cup heavy cream
4 basil sprigs

Cut the fillet on a diagonal into four pieces, rub with olive oil, season with salt and pepper.
Heat grill to medium-high. Place fillets on grill for 2-3 min. per side.
While fish is cooking, heat sauté pan, add 1 tablespoon butter and sauté shallots, garlic and sun-dried tomatoes.
Cook 2-3 minutes and add white wine, let simmer 1-2 minutes more, add cream, let cook to thicken 2-3 minutes. Add fresh basil.
When sauce is reduced and fish is firm to touch, remove fish to warm plates, spoon sauce over fish and serve with favorite side dish. Garnish with basil sprigs.
Recipe courtesy of Chester & Jake’s