If we were to pick a single icon of Western cooking, it would be wild salmon. For millennia they’ve journeyed from ocean to rivers—in some cases traveling more than a thousand miles—to spawn and die where they were born. And along the way, they’ve sustained both wildlife and humans. Salmon was once plentiful from California all the way to Alaska, but today Alaska is the one remaining Western fishery whose salmon populations are relatively healthy and abundant.

Want to try hooking your own salmon in Alaska? Get started at travelalaska.com. Then give one of our favorite recipes a try--pick up some salmon at your local fish market. Alaska fillets are not hard to find at most good grocery stores.