The lack of access to our subsistence salmon is affecting how we conveying knowledge to the next generation. Climate change and overfishing has something to do with it. What concerns me most about making salmon head soup for medicine and well-being is the lack of salmon. We try to use accompanying ingredients in the soup that have lots of nutrients known to fight the cold and flu. And we make another soup with garlic, onions, potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, green onions and lots of bacon. First, we make ginger fish-head soup using coconut cream, ginger, garlic, shallots, spinach, kale and mushrooms. We’ll split the other half because we’re giving part of the broth away. We’ll freeze half of the broth for use later. From two heads we make both broth and soup because two heads can make a lot of broth. Tele Aadsen and Joel Brady-Power, my fisherman friends, have gifted us these king salmon heads. I separated the pieces around the collar and made sure to eat the eyeballs too.” “My garden was heavily producing herbs at the time. “I made my first batch last summer with fresh herbs I grew,” said Mya DeLong, a local Wrangell florist and fisherman on the FV Trendsetter. This way, we utilize almost all of the fish and minimize waste.” The whole fish is cleaned, the head cut lengthwise and set aside for fish head soup, and the body cut and salted for frying. The Balansags also said “Fish head soup usually goes together with fried fish. Growing up in the Philippines when money is hard to come by, it goes against the grain for Filipinos to waste food.” We don’t like throwing away a part of something we bought if we can still make something out of it. When it comes to eating a fish head, the Balansag said “Filipinos utilize almost every part of the animal when it comes to cooking.
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(Vivian Mork | For the Capital City Weekly) Not everyone has an appetite for dishes made with salmon head broth, but it is rich in vitamins. The heads would boil till cooked and then just before serving he’d add a can or two of canned milk. “He’d brown onions and celery, add water and fish heads. “My dad made fish head soup,” Wrangellite Heidi Armstrong said. So, preparing salmon head soup can be problematic for some. She was also disgusted by the fish heads I saved in the freezer. I once tried to make salmon head soup at a non-Native friend’s house but she got upset because she thought it stunk up her house. Many of my Native and Filipino friends eat the whole salmon head and some of my non-Native friends don’t. Some people simmer fish broth for four to five hours to use in noodle soup or other recipes or save it to drink for medicine later. I also remember her saying the eyes were a delicacy.” I remember there was seaweed, salmon eggs and she would eat it over rice with the broth poured on the top. “My Gramma was Sarah Pearl (Paratrovich) Wigg,” said Laura Gile. In a salmon head gifting economy, fishermen give elders salmon heads and in turn elders teach the art of making salmon head broth and soups and chowders from the fish heads. He always had a pot of salmon heads boiling on the stove.” He later gave the candy back to my mother.
#Fish heads fish heads eat them up yum full#
“When I was 5, I traded my grandpa all of my Halloween candy for a garbage bag full of salmon heads. “My grandpa Frank Young was Haida and a fisherman and local Wrangell barber born in Masset, B.C.,” said Twyla Ingle Olson, who was born and raised in Wrangell. Grandson Jonah Hurst examines a salmon head. Vivian Faith Prescott | For the Capital City Weekly That’s why I am here today, because of that generous little bird and fish soup. The bird did this every day until spring came and saved everyone. Instead of just leaving, the kittiwake brought back fish for the girl and she made soup with it. A young girl had a pet kittiwake and she decided to set it free.
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One year, winter lasted long and spring didn’t come soon enough and people were hungry. We have a story of a kittiwake (sea pigeon) that saved us and the people in the village. I’ve heard different versions of our T’akdeintaan story so forgive me if I get it wrong. And the salmon varieties all have different nutritional values.ĭespite colonization, salmon head soup has continued to be a staple in Alaskan Native diets. Wild salmon have significantly more vitamin D than farmed salmon. But note that not all salmon are the same. Omegas are important for fighting colds and flu and also the Vitamin D. Salmon head soup is a good food during the cold and flu season because of the large amounts of vitamins A, C, D, E and omega threes.
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Many Hoonah residents use this recipe to prevent flu and to lessen their flu symptoms. This is Hoonah elder Mamie Williams’ recipe for salmon head broth, commonly used in Tlingit culture to combat and prevent the flu.
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In my family, we drink this for medicine. We heat up a couple quarts of water in a large pot, add an onion and a salmon head and boil until the soup turns white.