A Crab and Seafood Tasting at the James Beard House
I have always loved seafood - wild caught, natural and sustainable seafood is delicious and a great source of protein and nutrients.
Not long ago, I attended an Alaska Crab and Seafood Tasting at New York City's James Beard House. The tasting was hosted by Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute and the Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers. During the event, we learned about Alaska’s dedication to sustainable seafood, what life on an Alaska Bering Sea Crab boat is like, and what it takes to harvest some of the best crab in the world. We also had the opportunity to taste the different species of Alaska crab – king, snow and Dungeness - to get a better understanding of the various flavor profiles. And, we sampled an array of wild Alaska crab and seafood appetizers, followed by Alaska King Crab Bisque and an Alaskan Crab Boil.
Here are some of our photos - enjoy.
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- Here I am with the event’s visiting chefs from Alaska – Chef Lionel Uddipa from Salt in Juneau, Chef Aaron Apling-Gilman and Chef Jason Porter, both from Alyeska Resort in Girdwood. Chef Uppida is the newly crowned King of American Seafood.
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- The event was held at the James Beard House, located in the former townhouse of celebrated cookbook author and television personality, James Beard. More than 20 dining events are held at the James Beard House each month to showcase culinary artists from around the world. (Photo by Ester Segretto)
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- Every table setting included bibs and seafood shell crackers.
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- The menu included an array of Alaska crab, as well as wild Alaska salmon, oysters, and halibut. Nearly 95-pecent of the wild salmon harvested in the US comes from Alaskan waters. (Photo by Ester Segretto)
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- The night kicked off with a side by side tasting of Alaska King, snow and Dungeness crab – everything was so fresh. (Photo by Ester Segretto)
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- The red king crab, also called Kamchatka crab or Alaskan king crab, is a species of king crab native to the Bering Sea. The red king crab is the largest species of king crab and can reach a carapace width of up to 11-inches and a weight of 28-pounds.
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- Snow crabs are also harvested in the Bering Sea. Bairdi Snow crabs are full of sweet, snow white meat. They make an excellent choice for a crab feast or dinner gathering.
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- The Dungeness crab, is a species of crab that inhabits eelgrass beds and water bottoms on the west coast of North America. It typically grows to nearly eight-inches across and is a popular seafood prized for its sweet and tender flesh. Its common name comes from the port of Dungeness, Washington. (Photo by Ester Segretto)
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- Here, the event’s photographer, Ester Segretto, is taking a photograph of me taking a photograph of Kevin holding an Alaska king crab. (Photo by Ester Segretto)
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- Here is the actual photo of Kevin holding a King crab – look how big it is.
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- This is Susan Marks, sustainability director with the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute. She explained that Alaska is the only state with sustainability written into the constitution. In Alaska, they only harvest the amount of seafood that the environment will allow in order to continue to produce seafood for generations to come.
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- Crab legs were cracked and shelled for visitors to sample. (Photo by Ester Segretto)
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- Meanwhile, in the kitchen, chefs are cooking and preparing their seafood appetizers. (Photo by Ester Segretto)
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- This pot is filled with crab legs. (Photo by Ester Segretto)
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- This is buttered Alaska King crab with butternut squash purre and shaved foie gras torchon by Chef Lionel Uddipa.
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- Here’s a platter filled with Alaska Oysters Oscar with king crab, beef fat hollandaise and tarragon pickled asparagus by Chef Jason Porter. (Photo by Ester Segretto)
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- This is King crab stuffed beef tenderloin with asparagus, béarnaise and king crab by Chef Aaron Apling-Gilman. (Photo by Ester Segretto)
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- And here is cured Alaska salmon with pumpernickel sill, creme fraiche and meyer lemon by Chef Uddipa.
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- Also served – King crab stuffed Alaska halibut crudo on a pickled spruce tip by Chef Aaron Apling-Gilman.
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- There were lots of tasty hors d’oeuvres passed to all the guests. (Photo by Ester Segretto)
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- This dish is called Tracy’s King Crab Bisque – from the popular Tracy’s King Crab Shack in Juneau. (Photo by Ester Segretto)
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- And, of course, every table enjoyed delicious Alaskan Crab Boil made by all the chefs. (Photo by Ester Segretto)
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- Here I am with Tyson Fick, from Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers. He educated us about the various species of Alaska crab. It was a fun and informative event. (Photo by Ester Segretto)
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