For a true oyster lover – the purists, if you will – just thinking of eating fresh oysters can induce instant recall of the cucumber-fresh, briny meat fairly smacking of the sea and tangy minerals.
However, lovers of shellfish seem to be divided on the issue of whether oysters are better cooked or raw. I have concluded that categorically there are those who hate oysters and won’t eat them in any form, there are those who will eat oysters only if cooked, and then there are those who enjoy oysters on the half shell or really any… read full article

Few seafood delicacies draw such unanimous praise as the Dungeness crab. Named after the town of Dungeness on the Olympic Peninsula where the first commercial harvesting of this crab was done, it is the only commercially important crab in the State of Washington’s territorial waters. While crab measuring 10” across the back have been taken off the coast of Washington, the crab seldom exceeds 8” and averages just under 7” of shell width. The Dungeness crab has white-tipped claws and a brownish shell.

A versatile delicacy, succulent Dungeness crab has a distinctive, yet delicate and faintly sweet, buttery… read full article

Glistening midnight blue mussel shells attached to rocks and pilings are a common sight here in the Pacific Northwest with low tide revealing layer upon layer of these enchanting little morsels – so healthful, versatile, and readily available! Harvest these little gems in the Winter and Spring when the water is good and cold. You need but a sturdy knife and a bucket! The ideal size for mussels is 1 ¾” – 3” in length. There is some controversy as to how to preserve mussels after harvesting, but I am of the school that nothing works better than… read full article

March finally arrives – the first whisper of Spring! It is barely warm outside, but already nature’s patience has come to an end. No season for skeptics – be awed by the show! The enchantments of Springtime are many – to include asparagus.

Perhaps the most prized and luxurious of all the world’s vegetables, it is actually the young shoots of a perennial plant that appears in the first warn, wet days of Spring. Thick, thin, green, violet, white – tame or wild – asparagus is great either raw or slightly cooked. Fabulous when bright green and crisp… read full article

When thinking back over some of our most memorable meals, we all recall certain dishes that were so gratifying, so fragrant and pleasing, that their recollection sends us right back to that place in time. For me, the traditional soup pot simmering on the stove stirs up childhood memories of a simpler time.

Soup is, by its very nature, eccentric: no two are ever alike. Light and pretty, silky and creamy, subtle or stalwart, hot or cold, thick or thin – soup embraces variety. But, when I think of soup, it is thick, warming, and consoling – a… read full article