About Regional Flavor
Silky Dungeness crab, local oysters, hearty chowder, fish ‘n’ chips and even extraordinary tuna (cooked in the can) make a trip along Oregon’s coast a seafood lover’s dream. It’s also a land of good berries, reflected in pies and cobblers, and of hazelnuts, which you’ll find on salads, in pie crusts, and even in milk shakes! Coffee consciousness is elevated, the good lattes accompanied by scones and croissants and cakes and cookies to write home about.
Oregon Regional Specialties
Fish and Chips
At seafood joints all along the Oregon coast, "fish and chips" is not just one thing. Fry-kettle chefs offer salmon, tuna, oysters, calamari, and – best of all – snow-white, cream-fleshed halibut. With French fries or an onion-ring upgrade, it's one of the nation's great seafood meals.
Chowder
Oregon chowder, featuring clams and nuggets of potato, ranges from rib-sticking to elegant and usually is subtly flavored with smoked bacon or salt pork. It is thick enough that when it is served with a pat of butter on top, the butter forms a pool that does not blend until it is stirred in.
Crab Louis
Dressing is important in Crab Louis (or, if you wish, Louie). It is mayonnaise, cream, lemon juice, and red chili sauce, usually with green onions and spice. But of course, what matters more is the crab. Fresh Dungeness crab makes all the difference. No one knows for sure where the Louis formula was created, or by whom, but food historians generally agree that the genesis of the "King of Salads" was sometime early in the 20th century, in either San Francisco or Seattle. And while it is available in restaurants all around the country, it is at its best in the Pacific Northwest.