Pacific Northwest Cuisine - Wild Waters, Forest Pantry

The Pacific Northwest region celebrates pristine seafood and forest foraging. Cold, clean waters yield salmon, halibut, oysters, mussels, Dungeness crab, and geoduck. Coastal and Indigenous techniques—plank-roasting, smoking, and curing—remain foundational. Farm-to-table is a way of life: heirloom produce, artisan bread, and small-batch everything. Coffee culture, craft beer, and natural wine amplify the area’s ingredient-first ethos. Mushrooms (chanterelles, morels) and berries (huckleberry, marionberry) mark the seasons. Must-tries include cedar-plank salmon, salmon chowder, Dungeness crab rolls, oyster shooters, alder-smoked black cod, foraged mushroom toasts, and marionberry pie. Don’t overlook teriyaki and poke—Pacific Rim influences are part of the fabric.