They were the summers of my youth, the summers of life. I started working in Alaska in 1966 when I was just finishing my twenty-first year. When I came home to San Francisco just before the Fall to start school again, I was a father. That was my first year in Alaska. It would be fourteen more consecutive summers before I would see what would become my final trip to South Naknek in Bristol Bay, the salmon goldmine of the world.

“Pesa” connotes a clear, gingery broth that’s been simmered a while in tomatoes, onions and seasonings. The delicate, delightful ginger-lemony aroma blended with a bit of fish sauce, is the perfect base for a good seafood stew.

Lumpiang Tinapa with Salmon are crisp egg rolls filled with flaked smoked milkfish (tinapang bangus), cooked salmon, potatoes, green beans, garbanzos sautéed in garlic and onions. From our big Sunday suppers, I collect the leftovers; chop them up and make this delightful, crunchy pan fried egg rolls.

Banana leaves are often used in Philippine cooking. Banana trees thrive throughout Southeast Asia. Grilling fish wrapped in banana leaves is often a Filipino food favorite and yields one of the most flavorful and fragrant entrees. In this simple, easy to do recipe, the banana leaves sealed the ginger-miso flavors within the salmon and shrimps and resulted in a moist, superb seafood dish.