Plan your next coastal adventure around Oregon’s dynamic new seafood trail.
Here’s a surprising statistic from the Oregon Ocean Cluster: More than 90% of the seafood eaten in Oregon is imported, even though some of the country’s most prized sustainable seafood, like Dungeness crabs, pink shrimp, albacore tuna and groundfish, are harvested in nearby waters.
The new Oregon Coast Seafood Trail aims to change that. Built around the idea of “Oregon-landed” seafood — catch delivered to an Oregon port — the trail stretches from Astoria to Gold Beach, connecting visitors with vetted seafood markets, dockside retailers, fish shacks and restaurants committed to serving local seafood. Along the way, it introduces the fishing families and coastal communities that make it all possible.
Here’s how to support the fishers and small businesses working to keep Oregon seafood on our tables — be sure to check the trail for updates, as more businesses are added.
Fish Shacks and Brewpubs on the North Coast
Located on historic Pier 39 inside one of Astoria’s oldest waterfront buildings, OleBob’s Seafood Market feels like a step back in time. Fourth-generation fisherman Bill Hagerup keeps live Oregon Dungeness crab in an aquarium-size tank alongside whatever the season brings: salmon, lingcod, rockfish and more.
After wandering the windswept beaches and ethereal remains of the Peter Iredale shipwreck at Fort Stevens State Park, fuel up at Battery 245 Brewing in nearby Warrenton. The tiny town’s first brewpub pairs craft beer with Oregon-landed seafood from local boats. Order the rockfish ceviche or seared-albacore tostadas alongside a hoppy pint.
In Cannon Beach, commercial fisherman Jay Beckman has spent nearly five decades fishing Pacific waters, supplying his family-owned Ecola Seafoods Restaurant & Market with fresh salmon and seasonal catches. The beloved institution is known for overflowing seafood baskets. (Learn more about Beckman’s story here.)
You’ll want a hearty meal of locally caught fish and chips after your fishing charter trip in Pacific City, so head for West Fish Co., a seafood market with an outdoor food cart open for lunch and early dinner, serving up beer-battered fried rockfish caught by dory fishermen who launch their boats off the beach a few blocks away.
Fish Tacos, Tostadas and Ceviche on the Central Coast
Join the locals at Squatchsami Outpost in Lincoln City, a laid-back cafe now located across from Siletz Bay. The playfully named spot turns out comfort food including grilled-rockfish tacos and seared halibut with Creole remoulade. Bring a cooler to take home fish from nearby Barnacle Bill’s Seafood Market, whose proudly worn slogan, “Unchanged Since 1949,” says it all.
In Newport, home to Oregon’s largest commercial-fishing fleet, grab a table at Local Ocean, the beloved waterfront restaurant celebrated for its direct relationships with fishers and postcard-worthy views of Yaquina Bay’s working docks. Look for seasonal specials like albacore-tuna tostadas and coho salmon puttanesca.
Just down the road, Sal de Mar brings fresh energy to the city’s dining scene. At the ocean-blue seafood trailer, chef Enrique Sanchez Rodriguez — formerly of Local Ocean — serves elevated dishes with seafood sourced close by, including saffron–chile de árbol fish stew, citrus-bright ceviche and fish tacos finished with charred jalapeño-lime crema. “We want to keep the local economy strong by buying local product,” he says.
Restaurants and Fishmongers Along the South Coast
On Reedsport’s riverfront, Kismet’s Landing sources nearly 90% of its seafood straight from boats in Winchester Bay. Chef Rob Chester lets the catch shine in smoked-fish platters, batter-fried black cod and sushi rolls filled with albacore tuna. Line cook Wyatt Roelle spends as much time on the family fishing boat as he does in the kitchen, harvesting tuna alongside his father, Patrick, owner of Fishpatrick’s Specialty Canned Tuna. (See the Roelle family in action here.)
Nearby in Winchester Bay, you’ll find a marina-side food truck, Blue Box Seafood Company, which opens seasonally in a festive atmosphere on the water, complete with an outdoor beer garden, live music and lawn games. It specializes in local albacore sushi and sandwiches stuffed with Dungeness crab, tuna salad and pink shrimp.
In Coos Bay, Little Fish Seafood market champions small-boat fishers while doubling as a casual lunch spot. Grab a table on the patio for ahi poke or smoked-salmon spread, and take in one of the city’s coastal murals, a giant crimson Pacific octopus. Before heading out, stock up on Chinook salmon or yellowtail rockfish for dinner.
Farther south in Port Orford, tour Oregon’s only dolly dock, where cranes hoist fishing boats from the water — a setup found nowhere else in the state. Afterward, buy seafood directly from local boats at the seasonal, open-air Port Orford Seafood Market, then head up the hill to the Galley, operated by Port Orford Sustainable Seafood, for specials like miso black cod bowls and citrus-kissed ceviche.
About 30 minutes south in Gold Beach, Fishermen Direct Seafood overlooks the Rogue River. Owned by five commercial-fishing families, the market stocks fresh and smoked seafood, plus cans of hook-and-line-caught albacore tuna and Chinook salmon to take home.
– By Kerry Newberry
– Top photo courtesy of Local Ocean
in Food & Drink