Recipe: Anne's Fisherman's Pie

(Ingredients may be varied to suit those on hand )

INGREDIENTS:
8 large potatoes
3-6 garlic cloves
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 Butter or olive oil
1-1/2 cup cream or Half & Half
3 cups chicken broth or fish stock
4 tablespoons Flour
1/2 cup fresh diced parsnips
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup frozen carrots
1/2 cup frozen baby limas
1/2 cup fresh broccoli or cauliflower
1/2 cup cut green beans
1 cup chopped portobello mushrooms
1/4 cup diced red pepper
1/2 cup flaked smoked salmon
1 cup salmon
1-1-1/2 cup scallops
2 cups halibut, rockfish or cod
1 cup shrimp, clams or crabmeat
Parmesan cheese
Fine bread crumbs

SEASONINGS:
1 Tablespoon fish sauce
1/2 tablespoon lemon grass
1 tsp tarragon
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp sage
2 tablespoons fresh fennel
1 tsp salt
2 tablespoons caper
1/2 tsp while pepper
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 tsp dill

INSTRUCTIONS:
Boil 8 large potatoes and mash with butter and cream. Season with salt & pepper - set aside.

In a large sauce pan sauté garlic cloves, 1/2 cup onion, 1/2 cup parsley or cilantro, 1/4 cup celery in 1/4 cup butter or olive oil (I use each).
Add (stir in) flour and cook on low until flour lightly bubbles.
Add 1 cup cream and 3 cups of chicken broth or fish broth, stirring to make smooth sauce.
Add 1/2 cup frozen peas and carrots, 1/2 cup baby limas, 1/2 cup broccoli, 1/4 cup cut green beans, 1 cup portobello mushrooms, 1/4 cup diced red pepper and seasoning.
Fresh scallops are added to simmer just till half-cooked - about 3-4 minutes.
Now add all the other fish flaked in approx. 1 inch pieces, stir all together.

Pour into large 13” x 10” x 3” baking dish (or equivalent).

Spread mashed potatoes over mixture.
Season with 1/4 tsp dill.
Sprinkle generously with parmesan cheese and fine bread crumbs.

Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes just to bubble or simmer. Turn off oven.

Feel free to substitute or vary basic quantities wherever necessary.

Serves 3-6 with left overs. Freezes well.

• Recipe courtesy of Anne Pennington, Juneau, AK

A Tradition of Alaskan Charters

Glacier Bay, Alaska, 2006

Ever since I was young, I can remember staring at the wall in our living room covered with framed pictures of calving glaciers and amazing views. I was in awe of my parents adventurous trip to Glacier Bay National Park, and have wanted to experience it myself ever since.

Alaska was more than I could have ever imagined, and even though we have over 500 pictures and 70 video clips, they just don’t do it justice. Having spent my entire life living in one house in New Jersey, to experience two weeks living on a boat traveling around Glacier Bay is something that will stay with me forever. We could have spent a month in the park and not have been able to do or see everything that we wanted to, but there were so many great experiences.

Being able to start a hike at sea level in the rocks at the bottom of a ridge and then ending up in 2 foot deep snow at the top was an adventure in itself, let alone glissading all the way back down. Getting up so close to the face of a glacier and hearing it crack and pop and watching it calve were surreal moments that not many people can say they have witnessed. Kayaking after dinner and staying out until 10:30pm without getting lost in the dark because of 19 hours of daylight was something all of us miss now that we’re home. But the most impressive experiences were all of our contacts with the abundant wildlife. Having lived in an area where all land is continually being developed and overdeveloped and the most exciting wildlife encounter is chasing the neighborhood raccoon away from your garbage, to see bald eagles as common as pigeons and otters just lounging on their backs in the water, was by far the most incredible undertaking. The black bears along all the shores, the young moose in Blue Mouse Cove, the mountain goats on the rocks, and the whales at Point Adolphus were just a few of our many encounters that have made me cherish wildlife more than I did before.


The trip was unforgettable and has had a positive impact on my views of the environment and nature. I hope to one day have my children experience the same with me, because despite worries of throwing each other overboard by the end of the trip, being there with my family made the trip that much more meaningful to me.


Amy Braunschweiger
Age: 19
August 7, 2006