Seafood Wine Magazine 2020

Bounty of the Sea:
A guide to Newport’s mouth-watering seafood
by Nancy Steinberg
While many visitors seem to focus on the “Wine” part of the Seafood & Wine
Festival, the outstanding selection of local seafood is worth the trip to the
festival as well. Here’s a checklist of some of the types of local seafood you’ll
find offered by the festival’s vendors. Get your seafood fix and try them all!
Dungeness Crab
Dungeness crab is the official Oregon state crustacean, and Newport has been
officially designated the Dungeness Crab Capital of the World. Luckily, you’re
here smack-dab in the middle of Dungeness season. At the festival look for crab
cocktail, crab dips, crab melts and other yummy ways you can eat this Newport
icon.
Salmon
Salmon is to the Pacific Northwest what lobster is to Maine: an iconic species
weighty with culture and history. The two most popular species here are
Chinook, otherwise known as king salmon, and coho, also called silver salmon.
How about smoked salmon or salmon jerky while you’re at the festival?
Pink Shrimp
Small in size, local pink shrimp are big on taste, as well as easy on the wallet.
Shrimp cocktail will be available at the festival, and look for them on salads and
in crepes as well.
Clams
Very low low tides, called minus tides, bring out clammers at many local
beaches. Razor clams are big and delicious (and harder to catch than any animal
without a backbone should be), and we have cockles, gapers, and butter clams,
clam fritters and Mo’s will be serving up its world-famous clam chowder at the
festival.
Oysters
The Oregon coast was renowned for its oysters for generations, but the native
oyster has been largely extirpated from local waters. Oregon Oyster Farms,
upriver from the Bayfront, now farms the briny treats. Find oyster shooters at
the festival, and while you’re here, you can also purchase oysters directly from
the farm’s retail outlet at about milepost seven on the Bay Road.