The Oysters of Hood Canal
A delicious piece of paradise
I hate raw oysters. This is odd because I’ve been eating raw seafood my whole life. I’m part Japanese and it comes with the heritage territory. That said, put those same oysters on a sizzling grill, and drizzle any kind of sauce on them, and I am all for that. This plays a role in my love affair with Hood Canal.
Despite the name, Hood Canal is actually a fjord. This is special because there are only two fjords in the lower 48 states of the U.S. and they’re both in Washington State. The other one is Puget Sound, and Hood Canal is a large offshoot of the sound. Carved by retreating glaciers a really long time ago, this region is home to salmon, evergreen trees, orcas, rain, many islands, and oysters. Sure, there are also clams, mussels, and geoducks (which rate their own narrative), but it’s the oysters that kick it all up a notch.
Many years ago I took my kids on a camping trip to the Seal Rock Campground on the west side of Hood Canal. There was nothing unusual in that — all of our vacations were camping trips because I loved it and because it was the only kind of vacation I could afford as a single mother. Good place for oysters…
