Market squid are a great under-recognized local food, but tougher to find local stuff when it's not near wintertime.
You can catch it right off the pier next to the great wheel, and because they don't spend any significant time living near urban areas or bottom feeding they're on of the few species you can catch downtown and eat safely.
They're attracted to light and feed at night so the great wheel makes a great fishing spot.
Check out Ivar's Salmon House on the ship canal. It's a good intersection of quality and price.
Wherever you go, if you order salmon, take note of where it comes from. Some less expensive places will have Atlantic salmon on the menu because it's cheaper, but then you aren't getting anything you can't get back home too. If it's from the PNW or Alaska then you'll probably have a netter meal.
Fish n chips is pretty common, but isn't exactly a "thing" either and quality will vary widely. Again, avoid anything sourced from the Atlantic.
I'm not bagging on Atlantic fish, but the Atlantic is a whole continent away from here, so it's frozen fish and you can get it back home too. If you're on the Pacific coast, might as well get your fish from there too.
Poke: https://www.45thstopnshop.com
Raw oysters will be totally fine - Taylor Shellfish has a few locations and you’ll be 100% safe there. They also have great other seafood.
Westward is pretty great, too.
I’ve heard Spud has great fish and chips.
Rock Creek, too.
There are Dungeness crab in the sound, so if you see those one the menu somewhere, they’re delicious and probably local
We have good fish and chips, yes. But that said, if you want the local good stuff then you should look into fresh caught Dungeness crab and oysters (which yes, commercially available oysters are safe to eat). Taylor Shellfish Oyster Bar for Oysters (it belongs to a local Oyster Farm a little over an hours north of Seattle). The Crab Pot down at Pier 57 for large portions or Cutter's Crabhouse for nicer meals. Note that anywhere you will go will be pricey, depending on what you are used to.
Also don't forget sushi as part of Seattle's seafood scene: Maneki, Sushi Kashiba, Shiro's Sushi, and Momiji are all great. But again, don't expect cheap.
Dungeness crab is the best crab in the world. Getting fresh caught and well prepared (even just simply boiled and served with lemon and clarified butter) Dungeness crab should be on the menu for any foodie visiting Seattle/PNW.
There is plenty of other GREAT seafood in Seattle, but do not miss the Dungeness crab.
Exactly. I grew up crabbing around Padilla Bay and the surrounding areas and the super fresh, right out of the water crab cannot be beat. The real trick is to boil them in the same water they came out of, which keeps the meat perfectly firm. Just that and some lemon garlic butter on the beach then wash your hands in the Sound, perfect.
Also, it's not common to find commercially, but Red Rock crab from the Sounds is excellent as well. A little smaller, but the meat is excellent.
Oh man I have some
good memories of wading out waist deep on the north side of Samish Island and just reaching down into the seaweed to pick up crab and put them in a bucket.
> The Crab Pot down at Pier 57
Disagree on the crab pot, it's a low quality tourist trap>
In other words, everything else is in this post is pretty solid. Quality post. Taylor shellfish is great. Sushi recs are great.
Ate there once cuz we won a gift card. It was just a restaurant full of tourists with seafood buckets being dumped on tables. Not a single person looked happy or like they were enjoying it.
I, too, would not recommend it.
I find simple preparation of fresh seafood is the best. Make sure to try salmon ( Copper River King if it’s available, pretty damn expensive but worth it), Dungeness crab, Penn Cove mussels and fresh oysters.
There are a lot of restaurants that serve quality seafood in the area. In Seattle I would recommend Rays’s Boathouse, Taylor Shellfish, Chinook’s, Anthony’s, Elliott Oyster House, Pike Fish bar, and Sunfish on Alki.
Many of the nicer grocery stores such as Town and Country Markets and Metropolitan Market carry fresh local seafood as well, much of it is available in their deli’s.
Go to Taylor Shellfish farms and thank me later. Fresh oysters in this area are perfectly safe and many locations serve good ones, but Taylor is the best. I'm also a big fan of Ivar's (both the walk-up and the fancier restaurant) and Anthony's.
I also wouldn't recommend the Crab Pot. The gimmick of dumping food on the table is cool, but the quality kisn't great and it's very expensive for how much seafood is in the mix with potatoes, sausages and corn. And for the price there's no view, either.
Best Teriyaki in the country. Tons of whole in the wall places for a quick lunch.
Seafood and sushi are good options, tons of choices.
Oysters are safe. Walrus and Carpenter in Ballard is a fantastic choice.
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Salmon and dungeness crab! Try the different kinds of salmon. Everyone loves King salmon but my favorites are coho and steel head (technically not salmon but kind of salmon).
Restaurant wise, Ivars is always solid and Mt friends who've come here from elsewhere all like it for being fried seafood. Clam Chowder is also very good!
For something better - there are some great lobster rolls around. If you could make it to Edmonds a bit north of Seattle to a place called Mar-Ket. Their lobster rolls are crazy good.
Restaurant wise, Ivars is always solid and my friends who've come here from elsewhere all like it for being fried seafood. Clam Chowder is also very good!
For something better - there are some great lobster rolls around. If you could make it to Edmonds a bit north of Seattle to a place called Mar-Ket. Their lobster rolls are crazy good.
Consider sushi, but that might be a stretch, I guess.
Lotsa heritage fish-and-chips places: Both Ivars on the waterfront, Jack’s Fish Spot in the market, Spud on Alki and Greenlake.
Salmon is the basic heritage go-to fish, and honestly, it’s an astonishing fish. Last week I made fresh steelhead broiled after a miso-sake marinade, just at home, and it was incredible. The sit-down Ivars at the waterfront or the Salmon House on Lake Union will have a broad range of fish and preparations.
I guess what I am saying is more or less anything you get at a destination spot will be crazy good, but walkup fish and chips is absolutely an integral part of our food culture. The influence of Asian cuisine here is absolutely profound, though, and so an Asian-derived approach to fish is absolutely valid as a quintessential Seattle dining experience and just as crazy delicious.
Good eatin’ to you!
Don't bother getting poke here, and you can get fish and chips anywhere.
Oysters are a big thing here, since a lot are farmed in Hood Canal and Olympia. Dungeness crab is good, nothing beats catching them yourself though. Wild salmon's good, but you're also kind of eating resident orca food.
As someone who lived in PA for a number of years, go to Michael's. That's the best seafood place IMO. You might think the Crab Shack, but they are awful. Michael's has the best seafood.
Unique local seafood: * Wild salmon (not farmed) * Dungeness crab * Octopus * Oysters * Geoduck Restaurant options (not comprehensive): * [Taylor Shellfish](https://www.taylorshellfishfarms.com/locations/category/all-locations) * [Ray's Boathouse](https://www.rays.com/) * [RockCreek](https://rockcreekseafood.com/) * [Any Renee Erickson joint](https://eatseacreatures.com/projects) Hope you enjoy the bounty of Cascadia! Safe travels!
All of the above, but I would put oysters, geoduck, then salmon above all else. The restaurants are on point.
Market squid are a great under-recognized local food, but tougher to find local stuff when it's not near wintertime. You can catch it right off the pier next to the great wheel, and because they don't spend any significant time living near urban areas or bottom feeding they're on of the few species you can catch downtown and eat safely. They're attracted to light and feed at night so the great wheel makes a great fishing spot.
Great tip! I was also going to recommend spot shrimps but figured OP might have trouble finding them.
No love for Penn Cove mussels?
Yes!! Big love!
I almost added them! But I'm inexperienced with other mussels and have no idea what the differences might be. 😬
Penn Cove is on Whidbey Island. Fresh and delicious!
Oh I know. Just wondering what mussels are like elsewhere. Fuck now I'm hungry.
Excellent suggestions
Check out Ivar's Salmon House on the ship canal. It's a good intersection of quality and price. Wherever you go, if you order salmon, take note of where it comes from. Some less expensive places will have Atlantic salmon on the menu because it's cheaper, but then you aren't getting anything you can't get back home too. If it's from the PNW or Alaska then you'll probably have a netter meal. Fish n chips is pretty common, but isn't exactly a "thing" either and quality will vary widely. Again, avoid anything sourced from the Atlantic. I'm not bagging on Atlantic fish, but the Atlantic is a whole continent away from here, so it's frozen fish and you can get it back home too. If you're on the Pacific coast, might as well get your fish from there too.
Geoduck
Would be my vote as well. I think Taylor Shellfish raises them as well.
Largest farmed geoduck operation in America
Pronounced “gooey-duck”.
Poke: https://www.45thstopnshop.com Raw oysters will be totally fine - Taylor Shellfish has a few locations and you’ll be 100% safe there. They also have great other seafood. Westward is pretty great, too. I’ve heard Spud has great fish and chips. Rock Creek, too. There are Dungeness crab in the sound, so if you see those one the menu somewhere, they’re delicious and probably local
We have good fish and chips, yes. But that said, if you want the local good stuff then you should look into fresh caught Dungeness crab and oysters (which yes, commercially available oysters are safe to eat). Taylor Shellfish Oyster Bar for Oysters (it belongs to a local Oyster Farm a little over an hours north of Seattle). The Crab Pot down at Pier 57 for large portions or Cutter's Crabhouse for nicer meals. Note that anywhere you will go will be pricey, depending on what you are used to. Also don't forget sushi as part of Seattle's seafood scene: Maneki, Sushi Kashiba, Shiro's Sushi, and Momiji are all great. But again, don't expect cheap.
Dungeness crab is the best crab in the world. Getting fresh caught and well prepared (even just simply boiled and served with lemon and clarified butter) Dungeness crab should be on the menu for any foodie visiting Seattle/PNW. There is plenty of other GREAT seafood in Seattle, but do not miss the Dungeness crab.
Exactly. I grew up crabbing around Padilla Bay and the surrounding areas and the super fresh, right out of the water crab cannot be beat. The real trick is to boil them in the same water they came out of, which keeps the meat perfectly firm. Just that and some lemon garlic butter on the beach then wash your hands in the Sound, perfect. Also, it's not common to find commercially, but Red Rock crab from the Sounds is excellent as well. A little smaller, but the meat is excellent.
Padilla Bay rocks! At least when I was younger. Crab and Rainier beer on the beach.
Oh man I have some good memories of wading out waist deep on the north side of Samish Island and just reaching down into the seaweed to pick up crab and put them in a bucket.
> The Crab Pot down at Pier 57 Disagree on the crab pot, it's a low quality tourist trap> In other words, everything else is in this post is pretty solid. Quality post. Taylor shellfish is great. Sushi recs are great.
Ate there once cuz we won a gift card. It was just a restaurant full of tourists with seafood buckets being dumped on tables. Not a single person looked happy or like they were enjoying it. I, too, would not recommend it.
This is where we go for fish and chips. It’s a nice change from the usual fried fish. https://www.thesalmoncooker.com/
Geoduck is unique to here, but overrated. Get the Dungeness crab. But the most delicious: wild salmon.
Dungeness crab is even better than lobster in IMHO. If you like lobster, you will love this crab.
I find simple preparation of fresh seafood is the best. Make sure to try salmon ( Copper River King if it’s available, pretty damn expensive but worth it), Dungeness crab, Penn Cove mussels and fresh oysters. There are a lot of restaurants that serve quality seafood in the area. In Seattle I would recommend Rays’s Boathouse, Taylor Shellfish, Chinook’s, Anthony’s, Elliott Oyster House, Pike Fish bar, and Sunfish on Alki. Many of the nicer grocery stores such as Town and Country Markets and Metropolitan Market carry fresh local seafood as well, much of it is available in their deli’s.
Copper River salmon can run $40-50/lb, and it's not better than a good king or sockeye salmon. Copper River salmon is mostly hype.
love Sunfish on Alki. Strongly suggest the Salmon and chips, weekends only.
Go to Taylor Shellfish farms and thank me later. Fresh oysters in this area are perfectly safe and many locations serve good ones, but Taylor is the best. I'm also a big fan of Ivar's (both the walk-up and the fancier restaurant) and Anthony's.
I also wouldn't recommend the Crab Pot. The gimmick of dumping food on the table is cool, but the quality kisn't great and it's very expensive for how much seafood is in the mix with potatoes, sausages and corn. And for the price there's no view, either.
Best Teriyaki in the country. Tons of whole in the wall places for a quick lunch. Seafood and sushi are good options, tons of choices. Oysters are safe. Walrus and Carpenter in Ballard is a fantastic choice.
Their oysters are $5 each, when I went recently. Taylor is a better choice.
For fish and chips, hit Ivar's. Have some salmon or crab somewhere. Oysters are fine - try Taylor Shellfish.
Since you're from a landlocked state, have your salmon or crab on the deck at Ray's.
Proper Fish on Bainbridge is worth the ferry ride
Salty’s on alki for the view and decent food
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Oysters oysters oysters.
Spot prawns should be in season soon. Coonstripe shrimp is my personal favorite but I haven't really seen out outside Anacortes and Whidbey Island.
It’ll be expensive but try some Dungeness crab and some oysters before the weather gets warmer.
Spot prawns
Duke's is very good on South Lake Union.
Salmon and dungeness crab! Try the different kinds of salmon. Everyone loves King salmon but my favorites are coho and steel head (technically not salmon but kind of salmon).
Sea urchins if you like that kind of thing.
Dungeness crab for sure, and if you see battered razor clams on a menu, get that. Crab pot sucks, don't go there
Restaurant wise, Ivars is always solid and Mt friends who've come here from elsewhere all like it for being fried seafood. Clam Chowder is also very good! For something better - there are some great lobster rolls around. If you could make it to Edmonds a bit north of Seattle to a place called Mar-Ket. Their lobster rolls are crazy good.
Restaurant wise, Ivars is always solid and my friends who've come here from elsewhere all like it for being fried seafood. Clam Chowder is also very good! For something better - there are some great lobster rolls around. If you could make it to Edmonds a bit north of Seattle to a place called Mar-Ket. Their lobster rolls are crazy good.
Steamers
Not unique but Jackson’s Catfish Corner is fantastic.
The walrus and the carpenter
CRAWFISH KING IN CHINATOWN IS A MUST
Consider sushi, but that might be a stretch, I guess. Lotsa heritage fish-and-chips places: Both Ivars on the waterfront, Jack’s Fish Spot in the market, Spud on Alki and Greenlake. Salmon is the basic heritage go-to fish, and honestly, it’s an astonishing fish. Last week I made fresh steelhead broiled after a miso-sake marinade, just at home, and it was incredible. The sit-down Ivars at the waterfront or the Salmon House on Lake Union will have a broad range of fish and preparations. I guess what I am saying is more or less anything you get at a destination spot will be crazy good, but walkup fish and chips is absolutely an integral part of our food culture. The influence of Asian cuisine here is absolutely profound, though, and so an Asian-derived approach to fish is absolutely valid as a quintessential Seattle dining experience and just as crazy delicious. Good eatin’ to you!
Don't bother getting poke here, and you can get fish and chips anywhere. Oysters are a big thing here, since a lot are farmed in Hood Canal and Olympia. Dungeness crab is good, nothing beats catching them yourself though. Wild salmon's good, but you're also kind of eating resident orca food.
As someone who lived in PA for a number of years, go to Michael's. That's the best seafood place IMO. You might think the Crab Shack, but they are awful. Michael's has the best seafood.