Seattle: Getting Geoduck & Oysters at Taylor Shellfish

One of my must-dos for Seattle was checking out Taylor Shellfish at Melrose Market. Located in Capitol Hill, the shellfish shack is a mostly casual affair. We ordered the raw oysters and geoduck from our server but if we wanted chowder, it is self-served.

It had been a warm day so I thought my crisp local white wine was fabulous. Although we had just eaten at Salumi, I could always put away seafood. We ordered a dozen oysters and got a few extra on our tray. All were so good. That’s the thing I probably love the best about Seattle; the oysters are just so good. And affordable!

You may also buy seafood to go. Everything looked clean and most importantly, the shop didn’t reek. Everyone who worked there was smiling and cheerful.

I hadn’t realized I was going to get a show with our snack. Check out my video of the geoduck cleaning. Slam jams, a quirk of an eyebrow, sexual innuendo. It’s all there. And if you make it to the end, there may be a geoduck “balloon” for ya.

The best part about watching the geoduck cleaning, besides the oh-so-innocent naughtiness, was trying something they called the “foie gras of the sea.” It was rich and smooth, probably a little less dense than ankimo (monkfish liver) which is what I used to think of when people say “foie gras of the sea.”

There’s nothing like fresh seafood. The geoduck was sweet and had an amazing texture. I could eat this stuff all day. Going to Taylor Shellfish was one of the highlights of my trip to Seattle. I can’t wait to go back to try their geoduck chowder next time.

Taylor Shellfish Farms

1521 Melrose Ave., Seattle, WA 98122  —  (206) 501-4321

© The Minty  2013