Editor’s note: This guide from guest writer Mike Still couldn’t come at a better time for me, as I’m getting ready to return to Alaska for the first time since 2005. I’ve taken notes, and I’m sure you will, too! For more of Mike’s writing, click here to visit his index page here at The Royal Tour, or click the links in this article to read more from his awesome blog!
If you love seafood, Alaska is not just a travel destination. It’s a pilgrimage. I’ve lived here for eight years and I still haven’t gotten used to the quality. Salmon pulled from the water that morning. Halibut so fresh it barely needs anything done to it. King crab that makes every other crab you’ve ever eaten feel like a consolation prize. The hardest part of eating seafood in Alaska is going back to eating it anywhere else.
This guide is for the people who want to eat as well as they sightsee. For the full rundown of where to go between meals, my guide to top destinations in Alaska covers the landscapes worth building your trip around.
The Best Seafood in Seward
Seward is ground zero for Alaska seafood. It sits at the edge of Resurrection Bay with Kenai Fjords National Park at its doorstep, which means the fishing is extraordinary and the restaurants know it. If you only eat at one place in Seward, make it The Cookery. Chef Kevin Lane is a James Beard semifinalist who has built a menu entirely around local sourcing: seafood from the bay, produce from nearby farms, foraged ingredients from the surrounding wilderness. It changes with the season because the ingredients do. Be prepared to wait for a table. It will not feel like a long wait once you’re eating.
For chowder specifically, the Breeze Inn Restaurant at the small boat harbor is the answer. It’s casual, it’s unpretentious, and the seafood chowder is the best in town. Sitting near the harbor watching the fishing boats while eating a bowl of chowder is one of those simple Alaska experiences that sticks with you. Seward also has a food truck scene worth exploring between activities. My full guide to things to do in Seward Alaska covers the town beyond just the food.
Halibut Cove: The Most Memorable Seafood Meal in Alaska
Near Homer, across Kachemak Bay, there is a restaurant you can only reach by ferry. The Saltry in Halibut Cove is that restaurant, and it is worth every bit of the effort to get there. The ferry ride takes about an hour. Once you arrive in Halibut Cove you have three hours to eat and explore before heading back. Order the oysters. Order whatever local fish they’re featuring. The menu is built around what’s available and what’s fresh, which in Halibut Cove means the quality ceiling is very high. This is not a restaurant you stumble into. You plan your whole day around it, and you don’t regret it.
Seafood on the Road
Most roadhouses offer at least one seafood option and they are surprisingly tasty. But if I have to recommend one salmon stop on the road then it’s got to be the Salmon Spot in Talkeetna. Their salmon burgers are the best and I’d rather have a salmon burger while driving than try and navigate a filet of something.
You’ll also see fresh seafood for sale at food trucks, roadside stands, and just about every restaurant. Small harbors and local processors sell direct to the public in ways that would be unusual anywhere else. If you’re driving the Kenai Peninsula, watch for signs for fresh-caught fish. Buying directly from a fishing family and cooking it yourself at your campsite or cabin is one of the more authentically Alaskan things you can do.
Restaurants Worth Knowing About
Anchorage doesn’t have the same immediate access to the water as Seward or Homer, but the seafood that makes it to the city’s better restaurants is still exceptional. Altura Bistro has received multiple James Beard semifinalist nods for chef Nathan Bentley’s tasting menu, which leans heavily on Alaska ingredients including local seafood. It’s the kind of meal that reminds you that fine dining and remote wilderness are not mutually exclusive.
The James Beard Foundation has recognized several Anchorage restaurants in recent years, which says something about how seriously the city’s chefs take local sourcing. Whisky & Ramen has a nomination to its name and while it’s not a seafood-focused restaurant, it’s one of the best meals in the city – full stop. 49th State Brewing is worth a stop for the views and the reliable food, and Tutka Bay Lodge near Homer has been nominated for outstanding hospitality if you want a full immersive Alaskan lodge experience built around local food.
What to Order and What to Skip
A few honest notes after 8 years of eating Alaskan seafood:
Salmon is everywhere and the quality varies. Wild-caught sockeye and king salmon are exceptional. Farmed salmon labeled as Alaskan is not the same thing. Ask where it came from.
Halibut is Alaska’s most underrated fish and the cheeks are like filet mignon. If a menu has fresh local halibut cheeks on it, order it.
King crab is the trophy but Dungeness crab is often a better value and nearly as good. Don’t overlook it.
Clam chowder is a benchmark dish. Every seafood town in Alaska has a version. Seward’s is excellent. Judge a restaurant by its chowder and you rarely go wrong.
Alaskan seafood is one of the best reasons to visit and one of the hardest things to leave behind. Plan your trip around it and everything else falls into place. Start with my guide to Alaska road trip planning to figure out which part of this enormous state you want to eat your way through first.
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