Into the Wild

Alaskan river trip nets gourmet seafood
By BARB FORD
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Like many of you, my husband and I love to take river trips and enjoy spending time out on the water here in Tennessee.

But Chris and I recently traveled more than a thousand miles to Alaska, where we met Mark LaPorte, a Tennessean who is a great river guide and quite possibly the best chef Tennessee has ever produced.

As part of a trip purchased at last year's March of Dimes Celebrity Chef's Auction in Nashville, Mark and his wife, Jenna, volunteered to be hosts for a day trip down the Kenai and Russian rivers in Alaska last month. This dynamic duo share a passion for great food, a love for the great state of Tennessee, a true volunteer spirit and even a love for wild and scenic rivers - things we hold dear as well.

The LaPortes are originally from Tennessee but now live in Anchorage. In true Tennessee volunteer spirit, Mark and Jenna took a three-hour tour and turned it into a week of adventure, friendship and fine food. Their two young children joined in the fun as well.

Our first night included gathering by the campfire at Alaska's famous Russian River Campground for traditional Tennessee doughboys - known here in 'Boro camp cuisine as "biscuits on a stick." They have taken this to a new art, with three-quarter-inch dowels so everyone could roast biscuits perfectly. Once golden and crisp on the outside, the doughboy is removed and filled with homemade strawberry jam or honey. This may win out over s'mores as a new favorite fireside dessert.

The next day, we joined the LaPortes for a trip down the Kenai River on their raft. This venture included a glimpse of "combat fishing" on the Russian River and a gourmet riverside lunch. Imagine watching Bald Eagles soar in a blue sky, Grizzlies fishing for Salmon and towering mountain tops covered in snow - all entertaining you during a relaxed float down a wild river.

The views and company alone made for a great day, one that really didn't require food to succeed. But the fabulous food added so much to the trip.

Although cooking has nothing to do with his day job, Mark is an amazing chef, and lunch was no quick sandwich on a sand bar - it was a meal to rival many five-star restaurants. While we relaxed and learned a bit about Salmon fishing, here's what popped out of Mark's cooler for an afternoon of fabulous scenery and sheer gluttony:

Avocado boats with Alaskan Shrimp Louie

King crab cakes with raspberry chipotle sauce
Grilled venison tenderloin
Grilled fresh red salmon fillets
Bayou shrimp and rice
Grilled fresh vegetables

Obviously, it wasn't just lunch. It was a feast that we'll remember for a long time. And the whole thing was topped off with riverside seating in traditional University of Tennessee lawn chairs, served up with fly fishing lessons and a river filled with Salmon running upstream.

If you want a river feast of your own, Mark and Jenna suggested trying the recipes below.

Even if you aren't planning a trip to the river, any of these recipes are sure to be a hit with seafood lovers at home, or even on your next camping trip. Just remember - fish, crab and shrimp need to be kept cold in transit. So be sure to pack everything on ice in a good cooler for the trip.

Here are the recipes.

Mark's Riverside Crab Cakes

1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup minced jalapenos (seeds and stems removed)
1/4 cup each diced red, yellow, green and orange bell peppers (or one cup
mixed colors of bell peppers)
1 cup diced white onion
3/4 cup chopped green onions
1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp. lime juice
6 Tbsps. mayonnaise
1 egg
1/2 Tbsp. seafood spice (like Old Bay Seasoning)
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. hot pepper sauce
2 lbs. crab meat (shredded king crab works well)
2 to 3 cups panko (Japanese-style bread crumbs)

In a large skillet, saute jalapenos, peppers, and onions until cooked but
firm. Remove from heat and stir in minced garlic. Place in a bowl and
refrigerate until the mixture is cool. Once the mixture is cool, add the
lime juice, mayonnaise, egg, seafood spice, mustard and hot pepper sauce.
Drain crab meat and gently fold into mixture, careful not to break up the
meat. Add about 2 cups of the panko. You want to squeeze a ball of the crab
cake mixture without seeing too much moisture or they will fall apart. At
this point, you can chill the mixture in a zip-top freezer bag for transport
to your picnic or grill site. At the site, butter and heat a griddle over a
medium flame. Form the crab mixture into 2- to 3-ounce balls and flatten
into discs. Crust the cakes with more panko. Cook the crab cakes on the
griddle until golden brown, flip them over and grill the other side until
they are cooked through. Serve hot with Raspberry Chipotle Sauce, which you
can make by adding chipotle hot sauce to raspberry preserves, or buy
ready-made at the grocery store.

Bayou Shrimp

1 medium onion, chopped
1/3 green pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1 cup cold water
1/2 cup tomato paste
1 1/2 tsp. cider vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup instant rice
4 oz. small, uncooked, deveined shrimp

Saute onions, green pepper and garlic in butter (or margarine). Gradually
stir in water, tomato paste, cider vinegar and salt and pepper. Bring
mixture to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Add
instant rice, then cover and cook for 5 more minutes. Next add shrimp cook 3
to 4 additional minutes, or until shrimp is done.

Riverside Salmon

4 8-oz. salmon fillets
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp. butter
1 lemon, sliced
Aluminum foil

Make a foil boat and place a salmon fillet in, skin-side down. Spread butter
and brown sugar over salmon. Place lemon slices over fillet. Repeat for each
fillet. Cook on the grill for 8 to 10 minutes, or until salmon is moist and
flaky. Skin will stay on foil when salmon is served.

Shrimp Louie in Avocado Boats

3 firm (but ripe) avocados
3 cups cooked small to medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup ketchup
Lemon or lime juice
Sea salt to taste

Take the cooked shrimp and mix it with mayo, ketchup sea salt, and a dash of
lemon or lime juice. Halve each avocado, remove the pit and put in a scoop
of the shrimp mixture.

Barb Ford of Murfreesboro is a food columnist and former chef.