BOSTON, MASS. - (May 16, 2024) - Legal Sea Foods today announces diners in the Boston area will be among the first in the nation to have a taste of wild-caught Copper River King Salmon fresh from the Gulf of Alaska.

Each year during a short window of time starting in May, wild Alaska Salmon migrate upstream to the Copper River on an epic journey. These salmon, known as Copper River Salmon, become a highly seasonal catch, traditionally available to diners along the West Coast.

To celebrate the arrival of this coveted catch, Legal Sea Foods head of culinary Brian Doyle is preparing a special menu that highlights the unique, full-bodied flavor of wild-caught Copper River King Salmon.  Legal Sea Foods Harborside will kick off the event with a VIP dinner Saturday, May 18, centered around the “First Fish”.  The experience will start with: Copper River King Salmon Crudo from the raw bar, followed by cold smoked salmon appetizer with Osetra caviar and basil crème fraîche. The main course will feature grilled Copper River King Salmon with fresh morels, spring peas and potato.  Beverage director Christian Gianaris has teamed with organic winery, Bethel Heights, for wine pairings to match the robust flavor of the salmon, including small batch Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the wine club portfolio. Bethel Heights wines hail from Oregon’s Eola-Amity Hills region and hold the esteemed Salmon-Safe certification since 1997.

The journey of Copper River Salmon to Boston starts with a small fleet of independent fishermen on two-man boats in the ocean gulf where the Copper River meets the Pacific in southcentral Alaska. The salmon is then brought to the area within 24-48 hours through a partnership with Copper River Seafoods, Alaska Air Cargo and North Coast Seafoods. . Copper River Salmon holds third-party certifications from the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), Alaska RFM, and Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch.

When:                    First Fish Dinner May 18, invitation only

Copper River King Salmon Menu Features at select locations – begins Monday, May 20, 2024 (TBC) while supplies last / at select locations only

What:                     Copper River King Salmon Menu Feature and Wine Pairing

• For a limited-time, Boston-area residents will have the opportunity to try wild-caught Copper River King Salmon fresh from the Gulf of Alaska at local Legal Sea Foods locations.
• The arrival of the Copper River King Salmon will be celebrated with a menu feature and wine pairings from organic winery, Bethel Heights.

Where:                  Boston Area Legal Sea Food Locations

About Legal Sea Foods

Established seventy years ago as a fish market in Cambridge, MA, Legal Sea Foods has evolved into a culinary institution along the East Coast. Operating 26 restaurants, its own production facility, and an innovative eCommerce platform, shop.legalseafoods.com, the brand has solidified its position as a leader in the seafood industry. Committed to a sustainable future and renowned as pioneers of quality and safety in seafood, Legal Sea Foods blends the rich heritage of New England’s coastal fishing industry with a modern approach, reflecting its progressive home. The iconic tagline, “If it isn’t fresh, it isn’t Legal!”, underscores its unwavering commitment to seafood excellence.

Serving over 40 varieties of fresh fish and shellfish year-round, Legal Sea Foods menu highlights quintessential New England fare including the iconic New England Clam Chowder—recognized as a menu staple served at nearly every Presidential Inauguration since 1981. Beyond culinary excellence, Legal Sea Foods actively engages with local communities, forging partnerships with organizations to address pressing issues such as ocean conservation and community welfare. To learn more about Legal Sea Foods, visit legalseafoods.com.

About PPX Hospitality Brands
PPX Hospitality Brands is a Boston-based hospitality group that includes The Smith & Wollensky Restaurant Group, The Strega Group and Legal Sea Foods Restaurant Group. To learn more, visit PPX Hospitality Brands.

About Copper River

Copper River Seafoods was established in 1996 in Cordova, Alaska – home to Copper River Salmon- through the collaborative efforts of Scott Blake and three fellow multi- generational fishermen. Their vision was clear: to establish a homegrown Alaskan company dedicated to preserving not just their way of life and local communities, but also the precious bounty of Copper River Salmon and all of Alaska's wild seafood.

Copper River Seafoods operates a year-round processing facility and cold storage in Anchorage, as well as primary processing facilities in Cordova and Naknek. The company also operates buying stations statewide in locations such as Homer, Kotzebue, Seward, and Whittier. With a workforce comprised of hundreds of Alaska residents, Copper River Seafoods not only provides employment but also extends essential services and support to commercial fishermen throughout the entire state. At peak seasons, Copper River Seafoods directly employs nearly seven hundred people and provides service and support to commercial fishermen throughout Southcentral, Southwest, and Far North Alaska.

About Alaska Air Cargo

Alaska Air Cargo serves over 100 destinations in North America with an extensive network and more than 1,200 daily flights. Providing a variety of reliable shipping services, Alaska Air Cargo utilizes a fleet of 737 freighters serving 20 communities in the state of Alaska as well as offering belly cargo service on a fleet of over 300 passenger planes serving the Continental U.S., Canada, Hawaii, Mexico and Costa Rica.

About North Coast Seafoods

Founded in 1957, Boston-based North Coast Seafoods is a family-owned, quality-obsessed American seafood company committed to providing a consistent supply of the highest caliber, sustainable seafood from local communities around the globe. Partnering with restaurants and retailers around the United States, North Coast is dedicated to “sharing the joy of extraordinary seafood”, while remaining “anchored with integrity”.

North Coast is a direct-importer and first-receiver, partnering directly with their trusted network of fishermen to source the absolute highest quality, “top of the catch” seafood, processing in our own state of the art facilities, and distributing to our customers. This approach exemplifies Vertical Integration in Seafood, allowing North Coast to maintain rigorous control of quality, from dock to door.

Our longstanding, deeply-anchored relationships with our partner fishermen, like Copper River, are what allow us to pass along consistently top-tier quality to our restaurant partners, like Legal Sea Foods.

About Bethel Heights

Bethel Heights Vineyard is a multi-generational family estate established by the Casteel family in 1977 in the Eola-Amity Hills of Oregon’s Willamette Valley.  Ben Casteel became Bethel Heights’ second generation winemaker in 2006. Over the years the Estate has grown to eighty acres of mature vines, all organically farmed, now including the adjacent Justice Vineyard and Lewman Vineyard.

Geologically complex hillside soils, directly impacted by the powerful Aeolian winds that define the Eola-Amity Hills, yield highly energized wines with firm backbones, depth of character, and distinctive personalities. Fourteen different bottlings of Pinot noir and Chardonnay each year barely begin to tell the tale.

Media Contact:
David Prather
Zeno Group for Legal Sea Foods
david.prather@zenogroup.com