Jennifer Burns Bright

Four recipes developed for Oregon State University Sea Grant's Eat Oregon Seafood initiative in 2020 with photos: Cumin-fried Petrale Sole; Pacific Shrimp, Cucumber and Seaweed Salad; Mayonnaise Halibut; and Juicy Albacore Chard Wraps.

The simple canning jar might have seemed like one of the more unlikely supplies to be hoarded by consumers and profiteers over the long pandemic summer, but I wasn’t surprised to see the canning shelves gutted, picked clean except for flotsam like a lone box of liquid pectin and a crumpled twin-pack of silicone sippy cup tops.
The disappearance of jars—or more specifically, canning jar lids—happened just as the summer harvest was coming on. Though jars can be recycled for years, lids can’t be...

We start early. Dawn is rarely warm on the Oregon Coast, and the fall air has a special chill, damp with distinct notes of marine funk. Moss and fallen conifer needles cushion our steps along a path that winds through the forest.

Alaska's fish aren't the only wild foods gathered for centuries. This article investigates berries, seaweed, and other summer delights, and how the visitor might access them on hills, shores, and at restaurants.

The Olympia oyster boasts a flavor so intriguingly odd, so unlike other oysters, it has aficionados searching for words. Chef Maylin Chavez, who owns Olympia Oyster Bar in Portland, Oregon, calls it "sweet like a carrot," but also "savory like a shiitake or chicken bouillon" and, most quirkily, "sneaky like a radish."

On a recent Saturday morning, the fog was lifting on the Columbia River, and dramatic clouds billowed overhead. As we cut through the waves northward to the Pacific, the soft green expanse of the four-mile Astoria-Megler Bridge disappeared, and the forested hills of the Coast Range shrunk in the distance. Soon, it was just us, seabirds, and a few scattered fishing vessels. [Sponsored content for Portland Monthly's digital on behalf of Travel Astoria-Warrenton.]

We were fishing, too, but instead of anchovies or salmon, we were on the hunt for native Dungeness crabs. The mere mentio...

Several species of salmon are available in cans, packed with protein and Omega-3s, as well as calcium, vitamins, and selenium. Of the two most popular varieties, sockeye and pink, sockeye has a better nutritional profile and more appealing orange-red color, so it’s our first choice, even though pink is ...

25 Culinary Adventures on Oregon’s North Coast, forthcoming 2021 from TCVA. A travel guide for hands-on activities and discoveries of coastal cuisine, travel, outdoor fun, and wildlife.

Join host and producer Jennifer Burns Bright for a new Coast Community Radio food show: A Fine Kettle of Fish, all about seafood in the Lower Columbia region. On April 29, 2019, she interviewed fisherman Rob Seitz, owner of South Bay Wild Fish House in Astoria, about petrale sole. Seitz is also a fisher poet and performs at the annual Fisher Poets Gathering in Astoria each February.

Most of us associate sparkling wines with chic celebrations, but weekday dinners? Turns out they bring the party to any meal, especially in the dark days of winter. Sparklers keep the table warm and welcoming at Larks Home Kitchen Cuisine in Ashland. Executive chef Francesco Console explains why pairing Rogue Valley fizz with their farm-to-table cuisine works so beautifully. (Content marketing for Travel Oregon)

Nothing beats freshly caught seafood on the Oregon coast, but without knowing which restaurants support local fishermen and farmers, diners may be surprised that dinner has traveled farther than they have. This guide highlights 15 quirky restaurants along coastal Highway 101 from Astoria to Brookings — from fine dining to little hut — that stand out for culinary chops, Oregon Coast seafood, great views, and inventive, award-winning chefs.

In a modern version of an ancient Roman recipe, albacore tuna grills up moist and pretty in healthy summer wraps using marinated Swiss chard.

Feeling wanderlust, but a little nervous about changing rules for travel? Oregon coast towns have worked hard to make guests safe and welcome—none more so than Astoria and Warrenton. Your favorite seafaring views and ice-cold brews are still here, but you’ll be delighted by what you missed the last time ’round. [Sponsored content for Portland Monthly's digital on behalf of Travel Astoria-Warrenton.]

Near Haines, a northern outpost in Southeast Alaska, one of the largest gatherings in the world of bald eagles takes place each winter on the Chilkat River. Unusual upwellings in the river creates an ice-free stretch for late salmon to migrate...and eagles to eat them.

After scouring the coastline’s shacks, bistros, carts, and fisher-owned markets from Astoria to Brookings, we’ve rounded up the indispensable spots frying up supreme baskets of fried piscine nuggets. Presented here from north to south, fish and chip stops in notable settings made the list, especially those featuring wild fish sourced off the Oregon shores — ling cod, rockfish, albacore.