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This month I celebrate my two-year anniversary of living in Juneau! I love Juneau. It's an amazing place to live. The mountains on one side, the ocean on the other and forest so green right in the middle; a simple paradise!

I have learned a lot living here. I've learned Juneau is a very artistic town and the first Friday of every month is the night here. I've learned that there is an iconic boot that represents Southeast Alaska. I've learned that Southeast Alaska is called Rain Country for obvious reasons, and that this is one place where the weather can quite literally change in five minutes.

I have also learned that there are traditional recipes that a cook like me must learn in order to move from Cheechako to "local" status, including venison chili, halibut cheeks, smoked salmon dip and Halibut Caddy Ganty.

Salmon and halibut are staple foods in these parts. I can cook up some tasty salmon and have a variety of halibut dishes, but the Caddy Ganty was one that eluded me. Truthfully, I didn't know this halibut dish even had an official name. I'm not sure what a Caddy is, or a Ganty for that matter, but I do know that when they're combined they make a pretty darned tasty dish.

I have eaten Caddy Ganty at parties and at friends' houses, but I wasn't quite sure what was in it (other than halibut) nor how to make it. I just knew it was made slightly differently each time.

On my recent trip to Gustavus all was revealed. After my fantastic trip to Glacier Bay, our group was graciously hosted at the Gustavus Inn for dinner. Caddy Ganty was the main course. At that particular time, I didn't know the creamy halibut bore this name, so I was a little uncertain as to what I'd be eating for dinner. However, being raised as the polite southern belle that I am, I didn't refuse and graciously accepted a heaping serving.

Caddy Ganty is really good. I mean seriously, fantastically good. It starts with a perfect fish, halibut, and adds all kinds of creamy goodness and then viola! You have an amazing entrée that just about anyone will love, even dyed-in-the-wool fish haters.

In my last recipe I shared Gustavus Inn's superb rhubarb pie recipe. They have very kindly allowed me to share their Caddy Ganty recipe as well. Thank you, Dave and JoAnn Lesh.

This week's disclaimer: Everyone seems to do their own thing with this recipe, like adding jalapeños, or cheese. I say go for it! Whatever you and your family like makes it all the better.

I learned a lot on that trip: about glaciers, how to kayak, that rhubarb pie doesn't disgust me, and that the creamy halibut dish I had eaten several times actually has a name. But most of all, I learned that the people of Glacier Bay Lodge, Gustavus Inn and the town of Gustavus are warm, friendly and know how to eat. My kind of people!

This week, I present to you a recipe rich, creamy and delicious.

Halibut Caddy Ganty

Our most frequently requested recipe. Sally Lesh, founder of Gustavus Inn, collected this recipe. "A neighbor brought it in to me one day written exactly as her husband had written it, as it was told to him by a fisherman from Pelican, AK, who got it from Caddy Ganty herself." So here it is:

2 pounds halibut, fresh or defrosted

white wine to cover

sourdough bread crumbs

Mix together:

2 cups sour cream

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup finely chopped onions

paprika

Take 2 pounds of filleted halibut cut into pieces approximately 1" thick and 3" x 3" in and put into a bowl, lightly salting and pouring the wine over each layer until the fish is all in. Cover the fillets, cover and set in a cool place to marinate for two hours.

Drain the fillets and pat dry with paper towel or cloth, then roll in dry bread crumbs (we use dried homemade sourdough bread and grind the crumbs in the grater of our mixer). Place the crumbed fillets in a single layer in a lightly buttered baking dish which can be brought to the table, and cover with the following topping:

Mix sour cream, mayonnaise and chopped onions and spread thickly on top of the fillets in the baking dish, smoothing it out to the edges so the fish is covered completely. Sprinkle the top with paprika and bake at 350 degrees for twenty to thirty minutes or until light brown and bubbly and an instant reading thermometer reads 125 degrees in the thickest part. Serve at once.

Kelly Moore, a.k.a. Midgi, writes and cooks from Juneau. Visit her blog, www.mealswithmidgi.com, for additional stories and recipes. She may be reached at midgi@mealswithmidgi.com.