The Underwater Guide to Seattle Seafood
At the first Christmas the Denny Party spent in Washington after landing at Alki Beach in 1851, the Indigenous locals shared clam juice with the underprepared newcomers who had no milk for their children. Seafood had nourished the people of the Salish Sea for thousands of years, salmon forming the backbone of Indigenous culture while clams, cod, and oysters rounded out a rich buffet.
In 1938, one big fire and a gold rush later, a man named Ivar Haglund opened a sightseeing aquarium on Pier 54, along with a fish-and-chips stand to feed the customers—an eatery that evolved into Ivar’s Acres of Clams, billed as “where clams and culture meet.” Almost a century after that, vessels still stream in and out of Fishermen’s Terminal, and the sight of fishmongers tossing salmon is shorthand for a city built around the water.
It’s not just that our sea life tastes good, though the buttery salmon fillet and the tangy native oyster obviously leave their marks on the palate. And no one who’s ever sampled the springy saltiness of a geoduck ceviche can forget the experience. It’s that catching this bounty, sharing it and selling it, has defined the city for generations. Seattle has always meant seafood.
Image: Sarah Flotard
The St. Jude Is One of Seattle’s Last Commercial Tuna Boats
How a grizzled Seattle fisherman found himself trolling for tuna in the South Pacific and selling straight onto the dock.
by Eric Nusbaum
Image: Sarah Flotard and Suzy Bichl
We Should All Respect the Geoduck
Wait, stop laughing. This behemoth of a clam is serious business.
By Allison Williams
Image: Jane Sherman
Sea Change: How and When Washington’s Catch Ebbs and Flows
Smelt to sea cucumbers, canned salmon to jigged squid, the fish and other seafood we take from Puget Sound and Northwest waters are ever-changing.
By Allison Williams
Image: Sarah Flotard and Suzy Bichl
Salmon’s New Symbolism
King (or Chinook) salmon is part of our heritage. On the plate, it gets complicated.
By Allecia Vermillion
Hama Hama Oyster Company turns oyster tasting into an event.
Image: Amber Fouts
Forget Wine Tasting. Try Oyster Tasting.
Washington’s shellfish is as distinct as its grapes, and Hood Canal is developing a whole industry around it.
By Allison Williams
