BaltimOregon

For some reason Oregon’s tiny, briny, succulent and sweet bay shrimp appeal to me far more than their toughier, fishier Jumbo-sized cousins. I just can’t get enough of the little guys. Especially when marinated in a clean lemon-olive oil-dijon mustard vinagrette and scallions and served over salad, crisp and fresh. That was our appetizer tonight and it went a lot better than the North African-style black-eyed peas I made for dinner. But why don’t you ever seem to find bay shrimp in the shell? We got them pre-cooked at Richey’s (eat soon after buying and rinse first). I’ve had other memorable shrimp salads here at The Depot in Albany and an Asian slaw-style one at Sam’s Station in Corvallis. But I guess they are rather known as Oregon pink shrimp, and they are sustainable, in fact, perhaps the most sound of your shrimp choices. Looks like the fresh season starts up in April. Can’t wait:)

Seafood Platter and Clam Chowder at The Depot

The Memphis Mafia: glazed banana fritter, peanut butter, chocolate.

We’ll just have to push back the start of our diet until we return from San Francisco.

We meant to cook some simple spaghetti at home tonight. But we couldn’t resist stopping at The Depot, a little hole in the wall fish ‘n’ chips place in neighboring Albany. We stopped for an early dinner on the way home from Portland.

Fish ‘n’ chips made with local  Pacific Cod is the thing to order there. We had some on a seafood platter, which came with a delicious shrimp salad. I love the taste of those mild Oregon bay shrimp. They were scattered over red cabbage and greens and topped with blue cheese dressing (or that of your choice). The chowder, however, was bland and lacking in seafood.

We had skipped lunch and were hungry. But in addition to the fried seafood, we also began the day with an unhealthy snack. We finally got to the infamous Voodoo Doughnut in Portland, whose confections range from the decadent to the gross-out weird (think Pepto Bismal and Nyquil-glazed doughnuts).

We played it safe, splitting a huge Memphis Mafia banana fritter topped with peanut butter, chocolate chips and nuts. Just like Elvis, I’m a sucker for peanut butter and banana. I need to go on a raw food, all-veg diet!

The Depot in Albany