A couple of Cordova drift gillnetters who have been successful marketing their catch are again offering gourmet dining and cooking options for their salmon and spot prawns.
Drifters Fish entrepreneurs Nellie and Michael Hand are presenting their Spring Equinox Seafood Series in Washington from March 19-22, which includes dinners at Seattle restaurants featuring their harvest and a cooking class on Vashon Island.
For those not living in the Seattle area who want to join in the fun they also offer a collection of recipes on their website to prepare at home.
The Hands created Drifters Fish in 2014 to sell the fish they were catching on their gillnetter direct to friends and family in the greater Seattle area.
“Now we both run two different boats that supply the fish that Drifters Fish markets, and [we] operate a retail and wholesale business that ships our catch nationwide,” she said.
Nellie Hand created the series in 2019, when she worked with Seattle area chefs to share creative recipes for their frozen fish to inspire customers for the upcoming fishing season.
“This Spring Equinox Seafood Series is a continuation of that original inspiration, to work with chefs in the Seattle area to share our catch and enjoy wild caught seafood together,” she said. “These events will showcase our wild caught Copper River sockeye and coho salmon as well as spot prawns we caught in Prince William Sound.”
Such events are a rewarding way for her to connect with longstanding Seattle customers and new customers in the Pacific Northwest, she said.
“The overall benefits of Drifters Fish are connecting with the folks who are eating our fish, cooling it at home with their families and sharing it with their neighbors,” she said.
Hand added that direct marketing their catch is tough work, from long days of fishing to long hours in front of the computer building the business and relationships it takes to sell their fish. She said she is grateful for the support of continuous relationships with several restaurants that serve their fish and loyal customers who continue to purchase their catch year after year.
Their company sells sustainable wild-caught Copper River and Prince William Sound salmon, Alaska spot prawns and occasionally halibut, black cod and rockfish, including fresh frozen fillets, tinned smoked salmon, and a variety of smoked salmon products.
