John Nelson - Dig, Shuck, Shake: Fish & Seafood Recipes from the Pacific Northwest

W riting short stories about my upbringing in the Pacific Northwest was a form of relaxation for a restless soul, an outlet for the saltwater beaches, rivers, and mountains that permeate my being. It is said that once you have had saltwater and salty air coursing through your lungs and veins, you require replenishment if you are away, in much the same way as the body requires certain nutrients from a satisfying meal.

My journey to becoming a student of Pacific Northwest food started, I am certain, with a clam shovel. My mother, of Swedish descent, was always willing to cook what I dug, fished, or shot, whether it became fried clams, clam fritters, clam chowder, fish fries, shrimp sandwiches, salmon patties, pickled salmon, shad roe, oysters, venison, or roast duck. The memories of those dishes are still satisfying today. My mothers restaurant career (and, in some respects, mine) began at the Port of Ilwaco, near the mouth of the Columbia River. My mother and Aunt Mildred made and sold the best clam chowder I've ever had. When I wasnt pestering her for a bowl of briny, sweet chowder, I ran the docks like a rat, in and out of the pilings, boats, and fillet tables.

This book and collection of recipes is an exploration of all that is the Pacific Northwestits bounty, flavors, techniques, and culture, which is truly special. From produce to seafood and meats, the Northwest provides chefs with a rich and unparalleled selection of local ingredients. We even have native truffles to go with our high desert plains game and our ocean fare.

The uniqueness of my culinary offerings is shaped by the fertile land and sea that braised and flavored my childhood. My backyard was filled with opportunities to hunt, fish, trap, and scavenge and to learn about the immigrant cultures that called my playground home. As the grandson of Swedish immigrants, I learned very early about old-country techniques and flavors. Beyond the Scandinavian influences, I was also introduced to the simplicity of Asian cooking techniques as a dock rat. Since many of my relatives worked in the commercial fishing industry, Id roam the docks and would often find myself on the log ships from the Far East, eating with the crew members and the captain. The Northwest attracted immigrants from all over the world, and over the years many of their techniques were blended into what has become an internationally diverse cuisine. True Pacific Northwest cooking reflects kitchens from Scandinavia, Germany, Asia, South America, and more. Not only have the cultures influenced Pacific Northwest cooking but the offerings of the region have also impacted each cultures individual cooking styles, creating distinctive cuisines that most people have never tasted.

Ive always been a gatherer. As a child, I foraged for mushrooms and berries, dug and raked for clams, pulled oysters from the bay, and caught crab by the potful. As a chef, Ive assembled recipes that reflect not only my coastal roots and Swedish heritage but the various international cultures that spice the Northwest. Bringing my food to the public included running several restaurants, from the North Coast of Oregon to the beautiful high desert mecca of Central Oregon. I went from tall firlined beaches to juniper-scrubbed desert. Actually, my gills were so wet from the coast it literally took me a year and half to dry out and become acclimated to the desert. And what I brought with me was seafood, and this is actually what elevated me to the pinnacle of my career. In the shadows of the Cascades, I partnered with a beautiful new resort being built, with expansive views of the mountains and high desert. After starting two restaurants and an event business, I turned my attention to promoting the Pacific Northwest through a weekly television spot, as a monthly guest on local radio, and via newspaper and magazine interviews, leading me to jot down ideas for a little book about the true experiences and flavors of the region.

Dig, Shuck, Shake presents the techniques and unexpected flavors from a native sons cooking. My food has been melded and shaped by the range of cultures and experiences I came across on land and sea while growing up in my favorite place on earth. The recipes are not meant to be cutting-edge cuisine but rather a reflection of Northwest flavors and techniques that I experienced growing up and now use in my career as a chef and culinary teacher. I once referred to a couple of my recipes as kicked-up versions of church social dishes. You may laugh, but let me tell you, any gathering organized by the wives of commercial fisherman, at the little white church next to the Chinook Harbor, was a feast!