It is said that we are creatures of habit, which is why I find it especially useful — not to mention fun — to really lean into transitions that bridge between the seasons. After all, I grew up in Miami, where the seasons always felt like four different versions of summer, a tropical continuum that was as pleasant as it was monotonous.
When I moved up to New York, I received a formal introduction to the seasons — but it was when I moved further up to Alaska, that life became a full-spectrum encounter with the seasons. What began as a sweet distinction between spring, summer, fall and winter became an epic interwovenness with the cycles of nature. Each span of time folding in on itself, at once blurring into the next one.
These days, wherever I may be, the turning of the leaves consistently depicts a certain going inward, a reconnection to the cozy, a moment to settle into the reality that the cycles are on the move in their natural flux. And what I choose to take in and feed my family as nourishment seems to be directly informed by the metaphorical warmth of the seasons’ ebbs, flavors and aromas that serve to match the moment. Here are some recipes that prove my point:
- Sheet Pan Salmon with Maple Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Wilted Spinach — As straightforward as a pair of jeans and a plaid flannel shirt, this is one of those cant-get-it-wrong recipes. Simple, robust and as healthy as it gets.
- Bok Choy Salmon Bowl with Maple-Mustard Glaze — Maple and Mustard are that sweet and sassy duo sure to surprise and delight the palate. Add wild-caught Alaskan salmon to that and you’ve got a bonafide triple-threat of flavor.
- Miso-Maple Sheet Pan Salmon and Winter Squash — Miso is known to be an umami all-star, and comingles perfectly here with the sweetness of the maple, salmon and squash acting as optimal vessels.
Hopefully, as you behold maple trees lighting up the deciduous woodlands in a blaze of red, it will make you crave the rich autumnal flavors of sweet and savory on everything, even — and especially! — with your wild-caught Alaskan seafood.
Live wild!
Monica
P.S. We’re very excited to be nominated for USA Today’s 2023 Reader’s Choice Award for Best Meat Delivery Service. As a member, we’d love your support to help us win! You can vote for us up to once a day at this link.
Pictured above: A sheet pan of sweet-savory marinated coho, burnished alongside sweet-savory winter squash.
