Eagle Rock's Salmon Sausage Prepares For Retail Sales
By Margaret Bauman, Alaska Journal of Commerce

Fred West and James Gillespie of Eagle Rock's Taste of Alaska served up
samples of salmon chili at the Global Food Alaska-2007 Conference
and Tradeshow in Soldotna in June. The sampling attracted many potential
buyers. PHOTO/Margaret Bauman/AJOC

A versatile salmon sausage introduced at the Global Food Alaska - 2007
Conference and Tradeshow in Soldotna in June will soon be finding its way
onto menus from Prudhoe Bay to Birmingham, Ala.

Eagle Rock's Taste of Alaska is currently negotiating with Food Services of
America, one of the nation's largest wholesale food distributors, to carry the
product, said James Gillespie, chief operating officer for Eagle Rock.

"We call it sausage," Gillespie said with a chuckle. "It looks like a Jimmy
Dean sausage in a chub or a log, but that's a misnomer. We almost called
it "wild-caught ground salmon fillets with organic spice blend.'"

To introduce Eagle Rock's Taste of Alaska to potential buyers at the Soldotna
tradeshow, Fred West served up the product in salmon chili and salmon quesadillas. It proved a hit.

Trade show attendees appreciated that the sausage did not have preservatives and used organic spices.

Gillespie agreed.

"It is healthy, tastes good and I can see it as a huge staple in every retail store," he said. "There are no preservatives, no additives, no fillers. It is low sodium, gluten-free and dairy-free. It is kept frozen until the consumer buys it, thaws it and uses it. You can keep it in a freezer for up to a year because of the spice blend, but I don't think anyone will keep it (unused) for a year and have to worry about that," he said.

West, who ran the Tustamena Smokehouse in Soldotna back in the 1990s, said his company teamed up with a marketing and sales firm in Marbury, Ala., and did some research and development with the recipe, after testing it in several organic groceries.

"It allows salmon to be used for every meal of the day," said West. "You can bake it, fry it or grill it, just like fish. Kids love it and it's a healthy alternative [to red meat]."

Gillespie said the product, which will be produced in facilities on the Soldotna area, will use mostly top grade fillets of pink salmon, purchased through Salamatof Seafoods Inc. in Kenai. At present, the firm is purchasing organic spices grown in Oregon, but is also looking at possible purchase of organic spices grown in Alaska. Research has shown that pinks and chums best absorb the organic spices, he said.

Gillespie said the Alaska Marine Highway officials plan to include the sausage on their menu in salmon chili, quesadillas or salmon patties for breakfast in the morning. The company also plans to send Gillespie and a sales associate for a trip on the ferry system this fall to work with chefs on how to use the versatile product in their menus, he said.