Patagonia Say’s “Eat This!” Wild salmon and soup that is.

After conquering the outdoor apparel market and providing fly fishers with some of the best wet-weather clothing on the planet, Patagonia and its founder, tenkara junkie Yvon Chouinard, are now on a mission to change the way we eat.

Their food program is called Patagonia Provisions and the sustainable, high-protein, chemical-free and organic foods they promote—wild Alaska salmon ($12) and whole-grain soup ($6.50)—are a perfect match for adventuresome fly fishers who spend all day on the water and require sustained energy. Bonus: it’s equally attractive on your family’s table and it’s a guide’s shore lunch solution.

Patagonia Provisions’ sockeye salmon comes ready to eat from a pouch and offers 40-plus grams of protein and only three grams of fat per six-ounce serving. Compare that with your go-to turkey sandwich that offers nearly the same amount of protein, but three times the fat. And that doesn’t even account for the sugar-laced, energy sapping bread you’ve squished the meat between, nor that heavy mayonnaise you smeared on when your better half wasn’t looking! My only issue with the salmon is it seems too salty. In the field, after hiking nine miles to a high mountain lake in the crags, that’s not an issue. You’ll need the sodium replacement. But, if you’re only stomping around on the banks of a low-elevation river, you might end up a little parched. Bring water. Lots of it.

Patagonia Provisions’ soup is made with dried organic vegetables and the Nepalese grain tsampa, which is first steamed and then roasted so the body can quickly absorb its nutrition. Both items can be prepared quickly, even in a downpour or a blizzard. Can you say JetBoil and hot shore lunch while fishing the Bighorn, Missouri, White, Sac, Clearwater or Hoh this spring? Can you say lightweight energy while backpacking for golden trout in the Winds or pulling a dawn-to-dusker on some remote river drainage full of bull trout and west-slope cutthroat? For more information and recipes visit www.patagoniaprovisions.com

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