Fox Island Grilled Salmon Dinner

July 20, 2010
Fox Island Grilled Salmon Dinner - Kenai Fjords National Park Tour

The best way to see and enjoy the wonders of Resurrection Bay near Seward, Alaska, is to take a tour boat ride. Some of the tours are half day and give an opportunity to see the Resurrection Bay and wildlife, including whales, orcas, sea lions, otters, eagles and many other unique and exciting creatures. Some of the tours are all-day and offer views of glaciers emanating from the Harding Ice Field in the Kenai Mountains. It is all very exciting and in the brisk air of the Kenai Fjords appetites build. Some of the tour operators provide meals onboard the tour boats. One operator, Kenai Fjords Tours, offers a slightly different and unique service. They cater a meal at their wilderness lodge located on Fox Island located in Resurrection Bay.

The island, located about 12 miles from Seward, is named for the foxes that were raised there early in the last century. The islands made excellent habitat for the animals. The fur trade ended about 1930. Occasionally foxes are seen and I suspect they are descendants of the imported breeding stock. The imposing cliffs and pebbled beaches in protected coves made for a natural, wilderness fox farm.

The island is still in the wilderness. There are no power or telephone lines from the island to nearby Seward. Electrical power is supplied mainly by solar energy. Conservation is an important part of the island’s culture. Building materials for the large lodge and supplies for daily operation are brought by boat. Seasonal, the lodge provides limited accommodations for overnight stays for nature walks and kayaking. The main use of the lodge, however, is to feed the passengers on the Resurrection Bay tours. There are many boats, many tours, at staggered hours. The lodge is ready to feed the first tour for lunch and continue through the day and into the night (remember, in the summer it is daylight until almost midnight).

Considering the location, the limitations and that the majority of the workers are seasonal, they do an outstanding job. The facility is meticulously clean and neat, the people are neat, clean and courteous almost to a fault. As guests we see the table set for us. We troop through, eat our meal, enjoy the stint ashore and then leave. What we don’t see is the preparation before and the clean up afterwards. It all happens so seamlessly that we assume we were the only guests. I have to say, “Well done!”

That is where we went and how we got there. Let us look at the meal Kenai Fjords Tours provided. I am the tour guide for the family visits. As a result, I have been to Fox Island several times over the years. I remember the first time, maybe fifteen years ago. The entrée was grilled salmon. The chef was grilling the salmon as you walked by the large grill near the doorway. It was all very good, good enough that over the years we have returned with each family member that has come to tour Alaska.

This time I was pleased that they have broadened the menu. Don’t tell my Alaska buddies, but I am not particularly fond of salmon. The addition of prime rib was welcome news. The grilling is now done out of sight and presented at the buffet table. The first time through you are served the entrees, grilled salmon and prime rib. After the first serving, you can serve yourself to second helpings of your favorites.

First on the table are the salad and the rolls and butter. A mixture of salad lettuces and some shredded carrot sprinkles, it was crisp and fresh. The salad dressing is served in large, individual foil packets, more than ample servings, in the popular flavors. Corn on the cob was offered, steaming hot, cooked just about right. A large container of a rice pilaf-style dish provided the starch. Next came the grilled salmon, nice filets with near perfect grill marks. The next was the prime rib. It was prime rib for mass service. It was all cooked the same, about medium. If you liked rare you were out of luck but the medium was just enough to take away the red color.
The salmon and prime rib dinner is included in the price of the tour. On board the boat you are offered the option of adding a pound of Alaska king crab legs to your dinner. There is a premium for this at $15. When you pay for the addition, you are given a wrist band. Showing your wrist band at the end of the serving table was all you had to do to get your additional plate full of crab legs.

The salad greens were crisp and fresh. The packages of salad dressing were of sufficient size and provided ample dressing. Croutons, also offered on the service table, added to what was otherwise a basic salad. The salmon was cooked through, moist and flaky. The prime rib, as I have noted, was cooked medium. The meat was tender and had that great prime rib taste. All it needed was perhaps a pinch of salt.

The rice pilaf was fine, not overly flavorful, but adequate as a filler and cleans the pallet between bites of the entrees. The corn on the cob, half cob servings, was cooked but still crisp and not mushy like corn on the cob that has lingered in a pot of hot water until served. On your first trip through the serving line you are served. On subsequent trips it is self serve, an all-you-eat buffet.
Complimentary beverages are coffee, tea and lemonade. I believe beer and wine are available for an additional charge. A self-serve display case features pastries for dessert. During the meal, a National Park Ranger gives a multi-media presentation highlighting the history, geology and wildlife of the Kenai Fjords National Park area.

A beautiful location, with close family and friends, it was a well enjoyed meal that I will remember for a long time. I still marvel at how well it is all put together by the seasonal workers considering the location and the logistics of maintaining the remote wilderness lodge.

For additional information go to:

Kenai Fjords National Park

http://www.nps.gov/kefj/

or Kenai Fjords Cruises and Tours

http://www.kenaifjords.com/