America the Bountiful

[Capri] For the Upper Skagit Indian Tribe, salmon isn't just a food source.

Our culture and our way of life revolves around salmon.

The river is our life blood.

[Capri] It's a community builder.

It's something that we're missing in so many communities that we forget about taking care of our neighbors.

But that seems to be front and center here.

And here in Washington State, there's a melting pot of cultures.

We wanted to let people know about Pilipino cooking.

[Capri] Creating comforting dishes while ensuring that no part of the fish... See how beautifully simple.

These are beautiful.

Look at the color.

[Capri] ...goes to waste.

[cheering] Whoa!

Does this happen every day or just for you?

Oh no, it happens every day.

Yeah.

I'm Capri Cafaro and I'm on a mission to uncover the incredible stories of the foods we grow... ...harvest, create... ...and celebrate.

Beautiful, amazing meal.

So, I'm traveling America's backroads to learn our cherished food traditions... Whoa.

...from those who make them possible... Look at that.

...and are helping keep them alive.

There is so much more to learn.

Whoa!

[Capri] On "America the Bountiful."

[announcer] America's farmers have nourished us for generations, but today they face unprecedented challenges.

American Farmland Trust works with farmers to help save the land that sustains us.

Together we can work to keep America bountiful.

[Capri] Salmon have long been the symbol and life blood of the indigenous people who call the Pacific Northwest home.

King Salmon, or Chinook, begin their life in rivers and then swim into the ocean before returning to their place of birth to spawn each summer.

Every year, during this salmon run, members of the Upper Skagit Indian Tribe practice ceremonial fishing by drift net.

Tribal member Scott Schuyler has been fishing salmon for 40 years, having seen those rights taken away and subsequently reinstated by the state of Washington.

Today he's drift netting a portion of the river his ancestors have long fished with his daughter, Janelle.

This looks relatively complicated to me, a lay person, who's never caught a salmon.

But you are incredibly experienced when it comes to this drift netting which is a very specific type of catching salmon.

What's going to happen here today?

Well, we're here on the Skagit River.

There should be a lot of chinook out here which we're targeting today.

Chinook.

See, here I am calling it chinook.

King Salmon, right?

That's the premiere fish of our people.

The Skagit has taken care of our people since time and memorial and it's going to continue to take of it as long as we take care of the Skagit River.

And so, we're here to practice sustainable fishing and bring home some fish for our people.

And your daughter's here, I think, ready to rock and roll.

She's ready.

We're ready.

So, we got this big net.

What's going to happen next?

Well, we're going to lay the drift net out.

We got to get into place here, and there's locations that we know we can fish where there's no logs or rocks in the water.

I was going to ask, how do you know where the salmon are in the river?

Well, basically, historically, we know where the runs are, what time of year they're running.

Basically, there are salmon running year-round on the Skagit.

Okay.

And right now it is chinook.

We just got done with sockeye fishing.

And so it's just time and experience and our knowledge of the river.

So, let's get into place here.

Go ahead, Janelle.

We're ready to go.

All right.

I want to see how this goes down.

[Capri] How big is this net?

[Scott] It is roughly 50 fathoms, so that'd be 300 feet.

[Capri] Okay.

You mentioned that this is a sustainable practice.

Yeah.

What makes this drift netting sustainable and good for the ecosystems here?

Well, we basically fish in what we call harvestable fish to make sure there is a surplus available above and beyond what the Skagit needs for spawning.

So, let's keep an eye on the net and hopefully, we'll get a fish or two.

All right, well, with 300 feet of net hopefully there'll be more than a fish or two out there.

There's one right there.

I don't know if you can see-- [Capri] How can you tell?

[Scott] You see the corks that are bobbing right there?

[Capri] Yeah.

[Scott] Right in the middle there bobbing up and down, that means that they're there.

[Capri] Oh yeah, I see it.

[Scott] We had a load of fish already.

[Capri] Wow!

[Scott] Which is a good thing because we're fishing to put away salmon for our community.

[Capri] Right.

[Scott] And here we are the first-- Oh, that's a beautiful fish.

[Capri] Hey, hey.

[Scott] That is a beautiful fish.

Honestly, I have never seen a fish that big.

[Scott] That is a beautiful salmon.

[Capri] Wow!

The Skagit River takes care of us and we need to take care of it.

How long have your community been fishing salmon in here in the Skagit River?

[Scott] Our culture and our way of life revolves around-- We're salmon central, if you would.

Again, the river is our life blood.

It's named after our people.

You know, we think in terms of generations.

I want the Skagit to continue to feed our people, my kids, their kids and young future generations.

It's important for us to continue to preserve our way of life.

We got a lot of fish already.

[Capri] Wow!

[Scott] Now, that's a big fish there.

That's probably close to 30 pounds.

[Capri] That's the biggest fish I've ever seen.

This is incredible.

How many pounds would you say this is, of fish.

[Scott] Well, I would say 150 or so.

[Capri] My goodness.

That would feed roughly 300 people.

[Capri] In just this short amount of time, you're going to be able to feed 300 people.

That's right.

[Capri] I can understand why you say this Skagit River takes care of you, and you need to take care of it.

[Scott] That's right.

[Capri] Scott and Janelle bring the salmon to the riverbank to bleed them and get them on ice.

This helps preserve the quality of the meat.

Scott plans to preserve much of the salmon by smoking and freezing them so members of the Upper Skagit Tribe will have fish over the winter.

Today, Scott plans to roast a number of them over the fire for the tribal elders.

He removes the filets, roe sacks, and heads for roasting.

What we're doing today is we're going to be barbecuing on an open fire pit, alder wood fire.

And we're going to be barbecuing on traditional iron wood which is what our ancestors used to use.

This wood if very durable.

Fire resistant.

And I've had the honor of cooking for our people for over 30 years.

I take it very serious and it is a real honor to cook for our people.

Well, it's an honor to join you in this process.

You know, something like this it's not like you can set the oven to 350 degrees.

-No.

-There's no real recipe.

How do you know that it's just right for salmon?

It's all in here.

You know from years of experience and cooking.

Well, I'm going to put these gloves on.

I mean, I don't have 50,000 filet under my belt, but I can help you a little bit today.

I'll save the stick for you because-- I have an idea but-- That's a good stick.

Yep.

You just kind of gently stick it in there.

This is fresh fish so it's really firm, so don't cut yourself.

Work it through the piece of fish and just stick it all the way through until you get to right about there.

So basically, we're going to have fish from here to there, just about 7 or 8 pieces.

Okay.

[Scott] But go ahead and grab yourself a piece of fish.

[Capri] All right.

Yeah, you got it.

See, you're already an old pro at this.

Oh yeah, well I have a good teacher.

All right, so how about I can kind of see from the history of this wood it's telling me a bit of a story.

[Scott] A little bit more.

Yep, there you go.

All righty.

Good, good, good.

[Scott] And then just move on to your next piece.

So basically, you want to end up with a stick that kind of looks like this.

All right.

Following your lead here.

Now, do you have to have a special occasion to have this kind of a salmon roast?

[Scott] Myself personally, I'll eat salmon 3 times a week if I could get away with it.

However, we don't have salmon all the time.

I can tell how significant this is and how special this is for your community, particularly because there was a period of time where this wasn't possible for you to do.

Yeah.

Yeah.

We went through a decades long period when the state of Washington decided that they were no longer going to honor the treaty that our ancestors signed with the United States, and made it illegal for people to fish.

And so, our people were getting harassed and arrested constantly.

And so, at the USP Washington case in which George Boldt reaffirmed that the treaty was valid and reaffirmed our rights to continue to practice our way of life, that's when we were able to legally fish again.

And it's still a struggle to this very day.

Sure.

Well, it makes it that much more, I guess, significant because you had to go without.

And it was taken.

It was pretty significant in my life because salmon has played such a role in my adulthood, if you would, over the years.

It's been good to return back to our way of life.

[Capri] Once the filets are all skewered, Scott seasons them with only sea salt before bringing them to the fire.

He also adds the roe sacks, back bones, and heads to the grill.

He lets the filets roast for 10 to 15 minutes before flipping.

So, let's see here, what do you think Scott?

Oh, we're getting real close.

Let's let that cook for a bit longer on that side.

But let's take a look here and see what we've got going on.

Oh, that's looking primo.

So, this is basically almost ready to put into a pan, and I'll show you how to do that.

We'll start getting a pan ready.

So, if you want to gently grab the first piece of fish.

All right.

I want to try to keep them-- Give it a little wiggle.

Do a little wiggle.

There you go.

At this phase, we put it on the bottom of the pan.

[Capri] Bottom of the pan.

Skin side down?

[Scott] Skin side down.

We want to get the presentation right.

And move on to your next piece.

There you go.

[Capri] There you go.

[Scott] We're looking good.

I mean, that looks scrumptious.

I mean, these look perfect.

These look absolutely perfect.

[Scott] Yep.

Your ancestors are definitely looking out for us today.

They are.

I think they'll be pleased with our cook today.

That's a beautiful looking fish.

Oh, wow.

[Capri] Once the pan is full, Scott adds water, covers with tin foil and puts it back on the grill for 15 to 20 minutes so the fish finishes by steam and retains its moisture.

Once the head, back bones, and roe sacks are finished, the salmon is brought to the community hall to share with tribal members in a program called Feed the Indian that ensures elders have free access to healthy ancestral foods.

Tell me more about what else is on the plate because this is not just salmon.

Well, we have basically the full meal deal, if you would.

We have my wife's famous fry bread.

[Capri] Can't wait.

[Scott] We have our salmon.

We have some wild rice, and Jennifer's elk roast.

[Capri] Can't wait for that.

[Scott] We made some seafood chowder and of course we have shellfish and huckleberries and basically, we have the full spread here for you.

That is unbelievable.

Can we dig in?

Yes.

All right.

By the way, these clams are local too and that is part of our staple.

So, this is just how you eat all the time?

No, we try to cook for the elders at least once a month, again, got to feed the Indian, feed our souls, feed the wellbeing.

I mean, I'm telling you this is the best salmon I have ever, ever had.

Why, thank you.

And I can also see why it only needs a little bit of salt because it is so flavorful and so flaky that it doesn't need a lot of extra bells and whistles.

No, it doesn't.

This made me realize how lucky I am to have you as a father that makes the salmon and her fry bread.

[Scott] Yes, you've been blessed.

[Capri] Yeah, right.

You all come together to feed the community, to respect the elders.

It just shows-- I feel like it's something that we're missing in so many communities that we forget about taking care of our neighbors.

Yeah.

But that seems to be front and center here.

That's tribal country, a very central part of the family gatherings, taking care of your community.

Yep.

We serve salmon so often, right?

The only thing we're missing, I wish I had some crab.

We'd have crab.

Well, I said I wanted more food.

I mean-- I have to tell you second time here, you have to eat the fish eggs.

Okay.

That's a deal.

That's a deal.

[Capri] The Upper Skagit aren't the only cultural group in Washington to consider the roe of the salmon a delicacy.

The Japanese call the eggs Ikura, and they hold a central place in their culinary tradition.

Chef Mutsuko Soma has brought that tradition from Japan to Seattle where she serves a buckwheat soba noodle dish with ikura at her restaurant, Kamonegi.

It's the only restaurant in Seattle that makes soba noodles from scratch.

A time and labor-intensive process that Mutsuko learned from her grandmother.

She also makes the Ikura from scratch, which begins by putting the egg sacks in warm water to clean and separate them from the scheme, the membrane that holds the eggs in place.

Now, is this something that you learned to prepare when you were home in Japan?

[Mutsuko] Uh-huh.

This is traditional way.

This is the traditional way.

Well, that makes me excited because I love to know the traditional way to prepare something.

So now you can get these, right?

Yeah, yeah.

Okay, I can see.

I can see that.

How to do it fast.

Okay yeah, show me.

I like using this kind of a rack.

Some people use tennis racquet.

A tennis racquet?

Oh, my gosh.

This looks like a cooling rack for cookies.

Yes, it is.

Hey, it's doing double duty.

It's easy to separate.

Easy to separate.

But you make it look easy.

Let's see how easy it really is.

So, is this a popular-- This Ikura, is it popular in Japan?

It's super popular.

[Capri] Super popular.

Now what?

Now, there's still more here right.

I think so.

Few more.

Yeah, so just-- Ah ha.

Yeah.

Again, no wasting.

Yeah.

Just keep sack out.

Now we can combine this guy too.

Okay.

May I?

[Mutsuko] Yes, please.

All right.

[Mutsuko] See how beautifully separated.

[Capri] These are beautiful.

Look at the color.

The Ikura, the eggs here are just-- It seems very firm.

They're like little pearls.

Like salmon pearls.

Like boba tea.

Boba tea, yes it's like boba.

[Mutsuko] Now we're going to cure.

Okay.

I like using a mixture of soy sauce, [inaudible] and sugar.

[Capri] Okay.

And for I think for umami, dry seaweed.

[Capri] Right on top of that seaweed.

When did you learn how to make this?

From my mom.

From your mom.

How old were you?

Seven.

Seven?

Yeah, I got to say a lot of American pallets, many 7-year-olds wouldn't be nearly as sophisticated.

But the fact that you're introducing this to a wider audience is great.

Now what?

Just wait for overnight.

That's it.

All right, so we're going to wait overnight and then what?

So, I make Ikura soba.

Okay.

Now, this is right up my alley.

Because soba noodles are absolutely fantastic.

Where did you learn how to make soba noodles from scratch that really laborious process?

My grandma used to make soba noodles.

Really?

When's the first time you had those?

Like two, one.

[Capri] Oh, yum.

All right.

-Seaweed.

-Seaweed.

[Capri] More Umami.

And now what-- This is Shiso leaf.

What is that?

What kind of leaf?

-Shiso.

-Shiso?

It's like a Japanese basil.

Ahh let me smell that.

Grated [inaudible].

This is now my bowl, I just-- This is very earthy.

I love that.

Do you like spicy?

This will be okay.?

I love spicy, yes, bring it on.

[Capri] Wasabi mountain.

[Mutsuko] Yeah, I had to make-- This is cucumber.

[Capri] Cucumber, yeah.

This is Dycon sprout.

Okay.

Chopped green onion.

Always a good touch.

And now.

Now.

-Ikura.

-Ikura.

[Capri] I'm going to eat the salmon eggs.

Look at that.

I feel like you're creating art here.

And this is a Tasche and soy sauce.

Okay.

Okay, that's it.

I feel like umami is the word to describe all of this.

You have these fresh buckwheat soba noodles.

The Ikura, which I feel like I need-- Always ikura.

I got a couple in there, but I feel like I need a better way to access them then chop sticks.

Maybe I'm not good enough for the chop sticks.

Ikura catcher.

Ikura catcher, okay.

That's what I needed.

Come to me, Ikura.

Mmmm.

Ikura is so nice.

I was going to say, it almost like, pops in your mouth.

It pops in your mouth and it's the soy sauce and the herbs that you have, the garnish is more than garnish to me.

I think it brings out the flavor of the Ikura.

The soba noodle process is so labor intensive.

It takes such a long time but still you do it.

You make it from scratch, by hand every day.

Why is that important to you to continue that?

Because like, soba in Japan does it too, so I need to keep tradition going.

Yes.

Makes sense.

No shortcut.

No shortcuts.

No shortcuts for you, and it shows.

[Capri] While salmon eggs are the star of the Mutsuko's soba dish, it's another lesser utilized part of the salmon that takes center stage at Pike Place Markets Oriental Mart, the collar.

Leila Rosas showcases salmon collar in her Sinigang, a traditional Filipino sour soup.

She sources the fish from her market neighbor, Pike Place Fish Market, famous for the fish mongors fish throwing prowess.

How long have you been working with these guys?

Oh, Sam how long have we been working together?

I don't know, 20 plus years.

I've known Sam since he was like, this small.

Twenty plus years.

Maybe 30.

Yeah 30 or 40, yeah.

How good is it to have this right here in your back yard?

My gosh-- Whoa, whoa, whoa.

Whoa!

Does this happen every day or just for you?

Oh no it happens every day.

Okay Sam, we'll...

I'll see you in 5 minutes.

Sounds good.

Next time I want to see a flying fish, I know where to come.

Gotcha.

Thanks Sam.

Thank you, guys.

[Capri] Leila sources the rest of the ingredients for her sinigang from other market vendor friends.

Everything is local and incredibly fresh because of the relationships she's built over the past three decades here.

Along with her salmon collar sinigang, today she's decided to prepare fried salmon collar with vinegar and sweet chili sauce.

Okay, so you're going to have to walk me through it because I have never had anything like this before.

[Leila] Okay.

[Capri] I'm so excited to try this Filipino cuisine and how you use salmon in your recipes.

So, which one do you want me to start with?

This one.

This is the easiest one.

It's really good.

This is a sweet chili sauce.

But if you want to do it really the Filipino style, it's with the vinegar.

Okay, get in there.

So, just try a little bit of splash just so you can try the ends of it.

What is the best way to eat this?

What am I doing here?

You're doing it.

You're doing great.

I'm doing good?

Oh yeah, just like fried chicken.

I was just going to say-- It's like a chicken wing.

We don't cook this all the time.

This is like gold here.

Just for me, because I'm special.

That's good, yes.

So, tell me what makes the salmon collar special?

Why does it work for this kind of preparation?

Because it's so fresh.

It's good, you know, and it's like butter.

It's like butter when you taste it.

It is like butter.

And then you get to the skin.

I love the skin.

The skin is good.

So, when we get all the big collars like that size, I put it aside and then I deep fry them so it's not all the time.

But otherwise, everything goes into the salmon collar sinigang.

The sinigang, let me-- So, the sinigang is clearly famous to this place.

Yes.

So, obviously this is something that is really important.

I've never had this.

So, explain to me how you make it and what I'm going to be tasting here.

So, if you make this at home, just get a pot, put water in it, let it boil.

And then add your vegetables: tomatoes, jalapeno, the green onions, and the regular onions.

Then put the fish.

I'm going to give this a try.

Mmm.

Oh wow.

That's interesting because first of all, you can taste how fresh the salmon is.

There's no fishiness.

I can taste the jalapeno now.

It's not cut up, but it clearly permeates this broth.

The broth is a little sour.

What's that all about?

So, we cook it in a camaron soup base, and in this one, I use a couple of packages of your favorite, whatever your favorite camaron soup base that you want to use.

Would you consider this comfort food?

Oh, yeah.

This is great if you have a hangover.

It's great if you're breastfeeding.

It's great if you're sick.

When did you start to make this?

Is this something you made at home growing up in the Philippines?

No.

So, when I first opened this in 1987, we wanted to let people know about Filipino cooking.

[Capri] Sure.

And see, you know what we do with the ingredients that we sell.

So, this started out as a demo kitchen.

I demonstrate how to cook Filipino food and there was like, a mirror there and people were sitting here and you could see what I'm doing.

That's a great idea because you're educating folks on how to utilize the ingredients.

Exactly.

And then I would give them a sample of what I made.

But then everybody started coming, same people, and I start giving the same sample and so someone said, "Why don't you "try cooking your food and selling it and let people know all the ingredients that you use?"

It's a wonderful way to bring together the flavors of Washington State, the Pacific Northwest and your native Filipino flavors together.

Yes.

Yes.

Do people recognize that?

Do they see those two things coming together?

They do.

They do.

And you know, just because it's just so easy if I run out, I'll just call the fish guys, they'll run it over here without me going over there.

Well, they know you.

Oh yeah.

Yeah.

And I take care of them.

[Capri] Whether feeding colleagues that have become close friends, or tribal elders, salmon offers Washitonians something more than a delicious and nutritious wild resource.

It's a fish that allows them to share their culinary heritage with all who visit.

And to show each other just how much they care.

But why take my word for it, when you can come experience it for yourself.

America The Bountiful is waiting for you and me.

For more information visit Americathebountifulshow.com.

[announcer] America's farmers have nourished us for generations, but today they face unprecedented challenges.

American Farmland Trust works with farmers to help save the land that sustains us.

Together we can work to keep America bountiful.