In advance of the commercial salmon fishery openers in the summer of 2025, Alaskans and visitors to the state continue to show a preference for wild Alaska sockeye salmon entrees on Anchorage menus.

Granted, the share of salmon sold in Alaska is tiny overall in domestic and overseas markets. However, demand from residents and visitors alike has been steady to date, with no signs of slowing down.

Anchorage restaurants with wild Alaska seafood on the menu are finding on average that upwards of 50 percent of locals and 75 percent of visitors are ordering wild Alaska seafood entrees and that price to date has not been a factor.  Meanwhile how salmon prices will play out as major commercial salmon fisheries begin opening in late May and June is still anyone's guess, as well as how restaurant menu prices may be adjusted.

"There are so many factors at bay," said Gunnar Knapp, professor emeritus of economics at the University of Alaska Anchorage Institute of Social and Economic Research.  "How do consumers feel, if they have enough money, and are they cutting back on spending?  Sockeye is a relatively high price (fish)," he said.  "In any given year, a lot of things affect the price in different ways. 

"The value of the dollar has come down, which could be good for export markets. On the other hand, there is the whole tariff thing, which is uncertain at this time. In general, the keyword is uncertainty," Knapp said.

On a recent overcast spring day in Anchorage, with temperatures in the 40s, lunchtime diners at Alaska Chopped & Chowdered, which opened 14 months ago in the city's Spenard area, were mostly enjoying wild Alaska seafood dishes, including the Salmon Bliss Bowl of cubed, seasoned, and seared Copper River sockeye salmon.

The chowder, at $8 a cup and $12 a bowl, described on the menu as "a comforting bowl of warmth that transports you to the shores of New England, is the most popular menu choice, said chef Dawn Beardsley, who owns the restaurant with spouse Charles Beardsley. And yes, they are New England-sourced clams, in a medley of diced tomatoes and onions, roasted corn, and potatoes.

The salmon bowl, at $31, is a mix of warm Copper River sockeye salmon and jasmine coconut rice, with fresh avocado slices, and a spicy mango salsa. 

Wild Alaska sockeye salmon is a best seller at Orso, an upscale dining spot in downtown Anchorage. "People come here for the seafood, especially tourists," said lead host Dayton MacPherson.

Seafood entree prices at Orso range from $32 for the grilled Alaska sockeye salmon with creamy polenta and Mediterranean tomato olive salsa to fresh halibut with harissa seasoning, a mango-pineapple salsa, and spinach couscous, at $42.

Kincaid Grill, in midtown serves only fresh Alaska seafood, said interim manager Aaron Holmes. "All of our fish is pan seared.  Sockeyes are not an option here. "Our chef prefers kings and kings only" he said. A current Alaska wild salmon entree, with Parisian style gnocchi, asparagus, and roasted red pepper yogurt is priced at $46, while the Alaskan halibut with gnocchi, chevre cream zucchini noodles and pistachios runs $36. "Tourists eat a lot of halibut," he said.

At Jens, in midtown, chef-owner Nancy Alip serves only fresh fish in season.  "We are just finishing the (Southeast Alaska) salmon troll season, serving citrus buttered salmon with balsamic veggies," she said.  Jens also features fresh Alaskan halibut sauteed with mushrooms and garlic in a white wine butter sauce.

At Fletcher's at the Hotel Captain Cook, named for the man behind the historic mutiny on the Bounty, grilled Alaska salmon with grilled broccolini and roasted fingerling potatoes costs $36, while seared Alaskan halibut comes with citrus chive butter, grilled broccolini and roasted fingerling potatoes for $38. Menu prices here are also never a problem, staff said.

At Simon & Seafort's Saloon and Grill, a more elegant dining experience with a view of distant bluffs overlooking Cook Inlet, diners expect freshness and price is not an issue, staff said.

Alaska catch entrees including wild coho, king and sockeye salmon in season, as well as halibut dishes, paired with a spring vegetable couscous grilled, baked, pan seared and blackened, with entree prices ranging from $33 to $54. 

"Some people are more inclined to have what they want, no matter the price," said Chef Budda at Glacier Brewhouse, where grilled salmon and herb-crusted Alaska halibut prices are $44.95 and $42.95, respectively, for entrees.

The summertime demand for salmon and halibut in season also prevails at more casual dining spots.

Manager Chelsea Decerding at 49th State Brewing in downtown Anchorage agreed that prices were not inhibiting guests from ordering seafood. "They come in knowing what they want," she said. "Tourists ask for the seafood side of things," she said. 

Grilled sockeye salmon with jasmine rice, roasted broccoli, and an herb vinaigrette, at $24, is very popular at the Spenard Roadhouse, where upwards of 50 percent of locals and 75 percent of visitors order wild Alaska seafood, according to wait staff.  Alaska salmon burgers, at $24, are served on a ciabatta bun with a side of carrot and radish slaw, pickled cucumber, and green curry aioli (a garlic and olive oil sauce). Diners can also opt to add wild Alaska salmon to any salad for $12.50.

At The Deck at Lake Hood of the Lakefront Hotel, where diners get to watch dozens of float planes taking off and landing on the lake, wild Alaska salmon and Alaska halibut are also top menu choices. Dinner options include salmon entrees at $36 a plate with rice pilaf, seasonal vegetables, and a citrus hollandaise sauce, and crab stuffed halibut, at $42, with rice pilaf, seasonal vegetables, and a dill cream sauce.  Wild Alaska salmon and halibut here, too, are the most common choices of visitors to the state, said Felicia Sarris, head of operations for the hotel.

These and other Anchorage area restaurants featuring seafood are busy these days, with the tourist season just beginning.

Restaurants are busier now than they were two weeks ago, said Tito Marquez, at 10th & M Seafoods, a leading wholesale and retail market with two shops in Anchorage.

10th & M was selling fresh whole troll-caught king salmon from Southeast Alaska to area restaurants in early May for $18.95 a pound, and for retail buyers, a Mother's Day special of $22.95 a pound for halibut fillets. The shop anticipated selling 4,000 pounds of halibut fillets within just a few days, Marquez said.