Seafood is a delicacy, yet I seldom eat it because I worry so much about the problem of overfished oceans. Luckily, Local Ocean Seafoods in Newport, Oregon, gave Ken and I the opportunity to satisfy our seafood cravings without guilt.
Local Ocean serves fresh, sustainably fished seafood almost exclusively from the Oregon Coast. The restaurant’s owners and chefs stay within the “Green Light” or “Yellow Light” parameters determined by the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s seafood watch list. (The majority of the fare is Green Light). You won’t find any endangered or at-risk fish on the menu here, which eases my mind.
Taste of the Sea
Lucky for me, we were visiting Oregon in January, during crab season. For dinner, I chose half a Dungeness crab served with herb/garlic butter. If you’ve ever watched sea otters banging shellfish open on rocks, you know how I felt cracking open those crab legs. Once I got some of that sweet meat, I knew it was worth the labor. How fresh was the crab? Owner Laura Anderson knows the fisherman who hauled my Dungeness from the water around noon that same day.
Dungeness crab at Local Ocean Seafoods was taken from Oregon waters just hours before I ate it. I enjoyed a glass of organic pinot noir from Sokol-Blosser vineyards, only 100 miles away from Newport, Oregon.
I also selected a side of fennel slaw, made with cabbage and fennel (both tasty in-season winter vegetables) and seasoned with vinegar and olive oil. It was light and lively on our palates—with not a speck of mayo in sight!
Ken started with the Garlic and Dungeness Crab soup—the perfect alternative to clam chowder. He followed with Local Ocean’s famous fish tacos, made with local lingcod wrapped in a tortilla with fresh cilantro.
Local Ocean also sells the catch of the day if you'd like to cook at home.
All this fresh-from-the-ocean fare is served in an earth-conscious and budget-friendly location—an old warehouse with painted cinderblock, concrete floors and with the retractable wall and windows so that it opens in summertime right to the Newport Bay. Local Ocean has a no-fuss atmosphere, and the prices are affordable.
More Good Eats at the Oregon Coast Aquarium
By the way, if you’re visiting the terrific Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport (and I highly recommend you do!), say “hi” to my buddies the sea otters.
And if you’ve worked up an appetite watching surreal jellyfish, the mysterious octopus, tufted puffins “flying” underwater, and the open-sea shark tank, swim on over to the dining area, which is also a Local Ocean location! It brings local, sustainable full circle when you admire the beauty of ocean animals and then eat in a way that protects endangered species.
—Laurel Kallenbach, freelance writer and editor
As a seafood lover, these images make my mouth water and my nose twitch for the smell of saltwater. We’ve got decent seafood in Colorado, considering where we are, but NOTHING like this.
Claire @ http://www.culinary-colorado.com
Local Ocean is a must stop in Newport Oregon. Last year my husband and I had the pleasure of staying at the Ocean House Bed and Breakfast for 7 days. The owner, Crag Lodge, referred us to Local Ocean. We were so impressed with the organic food that we ate every dinner at Local Ocean. We chatted with Laura Anderson and were delighted to hear about her attention to purity, freshness and sustainability. We are eager for our next meal in August when we have booked another week at the Ocean House. We highly recommend this restaurant and applaud you for this article.
Ann & John Roy.