My what big salmon you have!

After our morning in Ballard, we went to Gas Works Park, previously seen in this post. By this time, it was definitely getting hot, but we all had a nice walk about and/or relax in the grass. In the evening, we made a trip to Whole Foods for some shopping and a light dinner before my parents headed back to their hotel to get ready for their early morning flight.

We are a family that loves to eat crab! On the east coast we had blue crab. I remember getting them fresh somewhere near D.C when I was little. They'd come with a big scoop of Old Bay seasoning, and we'd take them home, steam them, and spread some newspaper on the kitchen table and dig in. Here, we dig in to dungeness crab! They're bigger and more fun to eat! The last time the family was here, we bought two fresh crabs and cooked them at home. This time dad got us two pre-cooked ones which my brother and I heated up and chowed down on after our parents left. Num num num! and the carnage in the compost bin...



The next day we went downtown and made our way to all the outdoor shops; REI, Feathered Friends, Columbia, and Patagonia. Somewhere in there, we stopped at Whole Foods for lunch (we love Whole Foods). Oysters were one dollar each. We tried to buy just two of them, but the guy said, "I'll just give them to ya." So we each got a free oyster! Then Tom wanted more, so he ordered six more. It was a bit much.



After lunch we went back to Pike Place to look at salmon again. Oh, we do love our salmon. You just can't get it this fresh in Ohio. Copper River salmon was still too expensive, so we just looked. We were also nervous about ruining a $30 piece of salmon if we did buy some.





smoked salmon...which we happily sampled. so good!


We felt defeated by not finding my brother some frozen king salmon, and also because he couldn't try some Copper River salmon. So we got a piece of fresh king salmon for dinner, and experimented with some new cedar planks. I also made apple pie, but it took so long to make, it didn't come out of the oven until 11:30pm. Oh well, it was good for breakfast. It was a lovely little mini-holiday with the family.

Fisherman's Terminal

On Sunday two weekends ago, we went to the Ballard farmers market. There wasn't too much in season that I usually buy. I can only eat so much brussel sprouts and asparagus. I can't wait until berries and cherries are in season! We were mainly looking for fresh frozen salmon, which I had definitely seen there the week before. My brother wanted to take some back to Virginia with him, and he wanted the kind that was fresh frozen and vacuum packed. Alas, on this day we didn't see much frozen salmon. So we then headed to the nearby Fisherman's Terminal, where I read that you can buy good fish. I'd never been there, but I've been wanting to check it out because I love the Deadliest Catch, and some of the boats on the show are moored here. The monument below is the Fisherman's Memorial.



We had a fresh fish lunch at Chinook's, which had a great view of the boats.



The Sea Star was on a few episodes of the first season of the Deadliest Catch. You can tour the boat for $10 or visit the gift shop on the boat for free, which is what we did. Two crew members were working in the shop, one of which I recognized from the show :-) We didn't do the tour, but I would pay money to tour the Northwestern boat though. I was still kind of excited to see one of the Deadliest Catch boats, even though it wasn't on the show much.



More big fishing boats...


Alas, again...no luck on the frozen salmon. I'd see signs in Ballard pointing to Loki Fish at the Fisherman's Terminal where you can buy flash-frozen fish straight from their boat, exactly what we wanted! But they were not there that day either. hmmm, out fishing perhaps? I do want to go back and find them because I love the idea of buying fish right off the boat from the people who caught it. I remember buying fresh fish and chips from a boat in Hobart, Tasmania...mmmm, so good.

Afterwards, we made a trip to Costco to get some Copper River sockeye salmon that we had seen there day before. at $19.99/lb, it was ten dollars cheaper than every other place. We were just there the day prior, but we didn't buy any because we were going to be out all day away from a fridge. So we went back the next day to buy some, and it was gone...all of it. Completely gone, like it was never even there. Boo...salmon fail.

Okay, so I guess that week was the very first Copper River salmon of the season, so it was all expensive and everyone wanted some. I just now got back from Costco and got some for $9.99/lb. Yippee! Salmon for dinner.

Pike Place

After we returned from Bainbridge Island, we walked to Pike Place from the ferry terminal. Pike Place was crowded! We just happened to be there during the Seattle Cheese Festival, which was a delicious event to happen upon. We tasted some cheese, most of them were of the pungently tasty variety. With the perfect weather, cheese festival, cruise ships in port, and general weekend crowds, Pike Place was hoppin'. There was plenty of fish being thrown at "the place where they throw the fish", aka Pike Place Fish Market. Copper River salmon season had just started; I think the first catch had just arrived the day before, according to the local news. The season only lasts 3-4 weeks, and foodies go crazy for this stuff every year. From what I've read, salmon from the Copper River in Alaska is fattier and tastier than most other salmons, and from what I've seen, its colour is more pronounced. I'm yearning to try some, but I just can't afford it this year. At $30-$40/lb it's quite pricey, though apparently a bit cheaper than last year. I think a good smoked wild Alaska king salmon is one of the most delicious things on earth...yes, even better than bacon (and, better for your heart!) So I'm really curious to see how one of my favorite foods can taste even better than it already does.

Mmmm...dungeness crab. I like those, too. See this is the reason I wanted to move here.

Ballard Locks and Fish Ladder

Sunday we went to the Ballard Locks to see the salmon ladder -"built to allow salmon to pass between fresh and salt water" without going through the locks.


leaping salmon