Fresh Shellfish from the Source
Want to visit the farmers that wake up on the night tides to bring you the perfect oyster, clam or geoduck? Check out these farms on and around Hood Canal!
You’ve heard it before – those dang months with the “r.” Well, technically local oyster farmers don’t agree, bivalves have a much longer season, Some of the best shucks are in May – but there is something to be said for a fall or spring oyster over a “peak of the summer” one. That’s why March and April are the perfect time to follow the shellfish trail and visit local farms that grow the food you love.
In Search of Perfection
Want to meet the farmers that wake up on the night tides to bring you the perfect oyster, clam or geoduck? Check out these farms on and around Hood Canal!
Capital Oysters & Seattle Shellfish
South Puget Sound | capitaloyster.com
5th generation oyster farmer, Tom Bloomfield, tide tumbles Capital oysters that are suspended off the ground. The growing process results in a smooth, super deep shell as each oyster captures the essence of the beautiful ocean waters, free of sand and zero muddy tastes.
Chelsea Farms & Olympia Oyster Bar
Chelsea Farms | photo:poppi photography
Eld & Totten Inlet
Chelsea Farms is a current working model of environmental sustainability. They have made a priority of farming the Olympia Oyster, a native oyster to Olympia, that was on it’s way to extinction. Specialties include their Chelsea Gem, Bonita, and Olympia Oysters, along with fresh clams and geoduck. Visit their Oyster bar in downtown Olympia to get the ultimate local seafood experience!
Let’s Go:
CHELSEA FARMS OYSTER BAR
222 CAPITOL WAY N, OLYMPIA, WA 98501
Phone: (360) 915-7784
Hours: TUES-FRI 11AM-9PM, SAT 10AM - 10PM | SUN 10AM - 9PM
menu
The Fjord Oyster Bank
Sea Nymph Oysters
Hoodsport & Hammersley | southsoundoysters.com
24341 N Hwy 101 Hoodsport | (360) 877-2102
For the last decade and a half the Hansen family has been raising oysters and clams on South Puget Sound's nutrient rich waterway, Hammersley Inlet. Through a tumble bag and a bag to beach process these oysters have distinct merrior as well as shape profiles resulting from their growth process despite being in the geographic. The tumble bag Hemingways have a sweet cucumber finish while the beach finished Sea Nymphs have a kelpy taste. Hemingway Sweets roll in deeper water and have a deep cup, sweet flavor and a full-body crunch. Hemingways (coined from Ernest Heminway's famous oyster quote) as well as Sea Nymphs, are available for raw and grilled preparation at their Hoodsport café and Oyster Bar, Fjord Oyster Bank.
Let’s Go:
Fjord Oyster Bank Oyster Bar
24341 N Hwy 101, Hoodsport
Phone: (360) 877-2102
Hours: THUR-SAT 10 AM-8PM, SUN10AM - 6PM | Closed MON-WED
menu
Hama Hama Oyster Farm
Lilliwaup, Hood Canal
A few years ago the Hama Hama Oyster Co opened their Oyster Saloon in Liliwaup. This high energy destination serves oysters pulled from the last tide and prepared to order with an ever changing menu of seasonal local ingredients. In their retail shop you can purchase a variety of their Hood Canal product including salmon and oysters smoked on site. Hama Hama is a 5th generation family run farm with a reputation for quality and environmental mindfulness.
Let’s Go:
HAMA HAMA OYSTER CO
35846 US-101, Lilliwaup, WA 98555
PHONE: (360) 877-5811
Spring Hours: Farm Store Daily 9:30 to 5:30
Oyster Saloon Check website for details
Shellfish is available in their retail store, Saloon and at parent restaurants throughout the Northwest. Product also available online and shipped directly to your home.
Olympic Oyster Co. & Mike’s Beach Resort
Eldon, Hood Canal
Third-generation farmers, Matthew and Sara are serious about producing some award winning oysters on site for market and available at restaurants as far away as New York. Guests staying on the active farm aka Mike’s Beach Resort have first dibs on some of the freshest oysters on the fjord!
Let’s Go:
Mike’s Beach Resort
38470 N US Highway 101, Lilliwaup, WA 98555
Phone (360) 877-5324
Waterfront cabins and rooms, with view of the canal.
Taylor Shellfish
South Puget Sound and British Columbia
Stop in at Taylor Shellfish’s headquarters and visit their market near Shelton. Taylor’s specialties include the famed Kumamoto (sweet fruity flavor) and the Virginica (Crisp, briny, and buttery). The company has been farming oysters on Puget Sound since the 1890’s when great-grandfather Justin Taylor began farming Olympias. Five generations later, the company’s product line includes worldwide export of geoduck, clams, and mussels along with oysters.
Let’s Go:
TAYLOR SHELLFISH RETAIL STORE
130 SE Lynch RD Shelton WA, 98584
PHONE: (360) 432-3300
Hours: Open for Monday - Sunday: 10am - 6:00pm; Closed all major holidays
Shellfish is also available at one of their many locations throughout NW Washington. Product also available online and shipped directly to your home.
The Elusive Geoduck : Reviled and Reveled
This large saltwater clam derives its common name, geoduck, from a Nisqually word which is said to loosely translate as “dig deep.” Don’t let their awkward looks deter you. Prepared right, this misunderstood bivalve is versatile and utterly delicious.
This large saltwater clam derives its common name, geoduck, from a Nisqually word which is said to loosely translate as “dig deep.” Don’t let their awkward looks deter you. Prepared right, this misunderstood bivalve is versatile and utterly delicious.
The geoduck is native to intertidal and sub-tidal waters from Alaska to California. With a shell that ranges from just 6 – 8 inches, the long siphon, or neck, makes it the largest burrowing clam in the world. In fact, a geoduck’s neck can be as long as three and a half feet in length. So large that even from when it is small as an inch, it cannot be withdrawn into the shell.
Geoduck attain maximum size at age fifteen, but are one of the longest living animals in the world. The typical lifespan of a wild geoduck can range to 140 years. The oldest being recorded at 168 years. Buried three feet deep in mud or sand, once they make it through their fragile adolescence, these giant clams do a fantastic job of keeping safe with their thick unpalatable skin.
Farmed geoduck
It takes about six years to raise a farmed geoduck to market. Beginning life in a hatchery tank, the small seed (about one inch long), are “planted” in the soft sand in the intertidal and protected with PVC tubes. The covered tube keeps them safe from predators until they are large enough to dig deeper.
Natural beds of geoducks grow on many of Washington’s public beaches with Puget Sound and Hood Canal containing the most abundant populations available for public digging. The best places to see experienced diggers capturing these big clams are at the Duckabush and Dosewallips State Park on Hood Canal. If you can’t harvest your own, head over to one of the restaurants and markets listed below or order fresh online.
Preparing Geoduck
Preparing a geoduck can seem overwhelming but it is surprisingly simple:
Boil a pot of water and prepare a bowl of ice water large enough to fit your geoduck. Using tongs, immerse the whole clam in the hot water for about six seconds.
Immerse it in the ice bath for about the same amount of time. Holding the shell with one hand, run the blade of your knife along the inside of the shell and extract the body from the shell.
Grasp the tough outer tube that surrounds the siphon meat and pull. The hot water and ice bath will have effectively separated the thick skin from the tender neck meat.
Discard the bulbous stomach and your efforts will be rewarded with tender meat from the body and the tougher but just as tasty meat from the siphon. The siphon meat is often ground to make chowder or patties.
Prepared Geoduck: tide to table
Just like being elusive to catch, geoduck can be difficult to find at restaurants. Fortunately in Washington some of the biggest producers of geoduck also have their own restaurants that they can supply this year round delicacy.
Here are a few South Puget Sound farmers that really know their Ducks:
Chelsea Farms and Oyster Bar
222 Capitol Way N
Olympia, WA 98501
Phone: (360) 915-7784
Chelsea Farms first made their mark on Olympia’s map in 1987 when Linda and John Lentz started their adventures in sustainable shellfish farming. Their legacy continues with the next generation, Shina and Kyle.
Taylor Shellfish Retail Store and Oyster Bars throughout WA
130 SE Lynch RD Shelton WA, 98584
PHONE: (360) 432-3300
Hours: Open for curbside pick up Monday - Sunday: 10am - 6:00pm; Closed all major holidays
Taylor Shellfish Farms harvests their own farmed geoduck from the Puget Sound. At their oyster bars across the state, diners can sample fresh geoduck sashimi with sesame ginger lime dressing. The giant clam is also used in Taylor Sheellfish Farms’ Northwest Chowder. Product also available online and shipped directly to your home.
Fjord Oyster Bank Restaurant
24341 N Hwy 101, Hoodsport
Phone: (360) 877-2102
Hours: THUR-FRI 5PM-8PM, SAT & SUN 1PM - 7PM | Closed MON-WED
The Fjord celebrates the recipes of Xinh Dwelley who was known for her acumen with geoduck. Available at the restaurant are sashimi, geoduck wontons, fritters, geoduck chowder, and ceviche. The Fjord sources their geoduck from commercial farmer on Harstine Island.
Fresh Shellfish from the Source
Want to visit the farmers that wake up on the night tides to bring you the perfect oyster, clam or geoduck? Check out these farms on and around Hood Canal!
In Search of Perfection
Want to meet the farmers that wake up on the night tides to bring you the perfect oyster, clam or geoduck? Check out these farms on and around Hood Canal!
Chelsea Farms & Olympia Oyster Bar
Chelsea Farms | photo:poppi photography
Eld & Totten Inlet
Chelsea Farms is a current working model of environmental sustainability. They have made a priority of farming the Olympia Oyster, a native oyster to Olympia, that was on it’s way to extinction. Specialties include their Chelsea Gem, Bonita, and Olympia Oysters, along with fresh clams and geoduck. Visit their Oyster bar in downtown Olympia to get the ultimate local seafood experience!
Let’s Go:
CHELSEA FARMS OYSTER BAR
222 CAPITOL WAY N, OLYMPIA, WA 98501
Phone: (360) 915-7784
Hours: TUES-FRI 11AM-9PM, SAT 10AM - 10PM | SUN 10AM - 9PM
menu
Hama Hama Oyster Farm
Lilliwaup, Hood Canal
A few years ago the Hama Hama Oyster Co opened their Oyster Saloon in Liliwaup. This high energy destination serves oysters pulled from the last tide and prepared to order with an ever changing menu of seasonal local ingredients. In their retail shop you can purchase a variety of their Hood Canal product including salmon and oysters smoked on site. Hama Hama is a 5th generation family run farm with a reputation for quality and environmental mindfulness.
Let’s Go:
HAMA HAMA OYSTER CO
35846 US-101, Lilliwaup, WA 98555
PHONE: (360) 877-5811
FALL Hours: Farm Store Daily 9:30 to 5:30
Oyster Saloon Thurs - Mon 12:00 - 5:30 (Closed Tuesday & Wednesday Starting 9/5)
Shellfish is available in their retail store, Saloon and at parent restaurants throughout the Northwest.. Product also available online and shipped directly to your home.
Olympic Oyster Co. & Mike’s Beach Resort
Eldon, Hood Canal
Third-generation farmers, Matthew and Sara are serious about producing some award winning oysters on site for market and available at restaurants as far away as New York. Guests staying on the active farm aka Mike’s Beach Resort have first dibs on some of the freshest oysters on the fjord!
Let’s Go:
Mike’s Beach Resort
38470 N US Highway 101, Lilliwaup, WA 98555
Phone (360) 877-5324
Waterfront cabins and rooms, with view of the canal.
Taylor Shellfish
South Puget Sound and British Columbia
Stop in at Taylor Shellfish’s headquarters and visit their market near Shelton. Taylor’s specialties include the famed Kumamoto (sweet fruity flavor) and the Virginica (Crisp, briny, and buttery). The company has been farming oysters on Puget Sound since the 1890’s when great-grandfather Justin Taylor began farming Olympias. Five generations later, the company’s product line includes worldwide export of geoduck, clams, and mussels along with oysters.
Let’s Go:
TAYLOR SHELLFISH RETAIL STORE
130 SE Lynch RD Shelton WA, 98584
PHONE: (360) 432-3300
Hours: Monday - Sunday: 10am - 6:00pm; Closed all major holidays
Shellfish is also available at one of their many locations throughout NW Washington. Product also available online and shipped directly to your home.