Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/599676
6 4 | t h e c l e v e r r o o t "Kirsten likes to be all neat and shape them into quenelles," Mandy says, referring to her mother, Chef Kirsten Dixon, who is working as her sous chef for this session, "but I like to make them free form." We are at Tutka Bay Lodge, which overlooks an inlet of Kachemak Bay—a 40-minute floatplane flight south of Anchorage—learning more about Alaska seafood and how to prepare it. But almost as important as the seafood itself, at Tutka Bay, the Dixons and their guides wouldn't think about meal planning without first forag- ing in the dense woods and along the rocky seashore for ingredients to accompany the bounty from the nearby oceans and rivers. For example, we dip Mandy's rich crab beignets into an aioli spiced with dried sea lettuce, a type of seaweed. And the salt used to season the beignets was a few days ago ocean water that has since been dried and harvested in Tutka Bay's greenhouse. Open Kirsten's and Mandy's Tutka Bay Lodge Cookbook (Graphic Arts, 2014), and you'll find recipes for sweet and spicy pickles made from bullwhip kelp, jelly made from salmonberries, sea lettuce relish, wild mushroom sauces, and desserts and salads which utilize a variety of Alaskan berries. Alaska Alaska Alaska Alaska Alaska's remote Tutka Bay Lodge is accessible only by boat or float plane. Floatplane from Anchorage arrives with new guests at Tutka Bay Lodge. Tutka Bay guide instructs visitors in what to look for in forest foraging.