For those of you who thought that you had to brave throngs of tourists in order to experience the freshness and variety of Seattle's fish markets, I'm happy to introduce you to one of the premier fish stores in town: Wild Salmon Seafood Market, fortuitously located right here on Queen Anne.
Wild Salmon Seafood Market was born in 1977 when a group of local, troll (line) fishermen formed a co-op and opened a small store on Dravus Street, accurately believing that it would be more profitable than selling their catch off the docks. Led by Gary Tiege, who was since lost at sea, they were young men with 12 boats between them, referred to as the "hippie fleet" by old-timers. The store became known for the freshness of its fish and had a strict policy of selling (or freezing for the off-season) all of their salmon within five days of being caught, a pioneering practice for that time. Although the co-op prospered until the early '80s, it was sold when newly enacted, stricter trolling restrictions put most Pacific Northwest trollers out of business.
Today, Wild Salmon Seafood Market is owned by the husband-and-wife team John Speltz and Paula Cassidy. They purchased the business in 1996, when it was incongruously selling both farmed and wild salmon, and immediately set out to return the store to the philosophy of the co-op: selling exclusively wild salmon, as well as a multitude of other fish. The original fish-shop operation is now in Magnolia's Fishermen's Terminal, and they added a second location on Queen Anne just over a year ago, under the same roof as A&J Meats and McCarthy & Schiering Wine Merchants on the corner of Queen Anne Avenue North and McGraw Street.
I admit that, prior to the opening of the Queen Anne Wild Salmon, I didn't have a regular fishmonger, nor was I particularly educated or imaginative regarding the varieties of fish that I bought. I knew, somewhere in my mind, that there were issues with farmed salmon (more on that later) and would occasionally venture from halibut steaks or the ubiquitous Dungeness crab, but was never particularly excited about my choices.
That has changed.
Over the past year, I've experienced the richest, most velvety scallops, fresh from the Sea of Cortez, Mexico. I became well acquainted with fresh Taku River salmon (caught in an Alaskan River that was re-opened in 2005 after 15 years of closure), finding the fish to be as luscious and intensely flavored as anything from the Copper River - at almost half the price. For the first time, I splurged on fresh Alaskan spot prawns, which are so sweet and clean tasting that they shame all other shellfish. And that was just for starters.
The thing about relying on a selected fish shop - when it's as good as this one - is that you become more adventurous, trusting the advice of the sellers to steer you in the right direction. For example, I've become a big fan of white King salmon, first recommended to me by Wild Salmon employee Michael Helde, who explained that the albino salmon is always a surprise to fishmongers as the white flesh is undetectable until the fish is cut open. When I raved about this extremely mild, moist salmon, he quickly added me to the list of people he phones when they come upon one, a call that I've since received several times.
Although known for its namesake (one can't help but linger over the beautiful, Alaskan wild salmon on display in the store's coolers), one of the most wonderful things about today's Wild Salmon Seafood Market is the great variety of fish that it carries. All of the fish selection is done by Speltz, who has a degree in fisheries from the University of Washington and spent many years employed by a local fish processor and distributor before settling into Wild Salmon. There are few people in the business - and few things about fish - he doesn't know.
Cassidy brings her own wealth of skills to the table, including a work history of setting up and managing small businesses. The couple, who keep dusk-to-dawn hours, find that their favorite thing about running Wild Salmon is the adventure that comes with each new day. Speltz places orders anywhere from one to five days before the fish are received, but even then a batch might be reject-ed if he finds that it's below the standards of the store. He's proactive about discovering and obtaining new fish, so that a portion of their selection constantly varies, based on season, freshness and the frequent surprises of a fisherman's catch - such as the fresh Sea of Cortez scallops that Speltz happened upon during a conversation with a distributor.
Speltz and Cassidy have worked to develop a dependable network of people in the business that they can rely on. Most impressive is the connection that they've cultivated with local, salmon fishermen. Because they deal with a select few, from whom they buy all of their salmon directly (as opposed to going through a wholesaler), they're able to maintain the quality control that comes from knowing your source. The modern convenience of cellphones permits them to keep in contact with the fishermen while the boats are still at sea, placing orders and picking up the fish from the airport only a couple of hours later. During salmon season, it's not uncommon for this small operation to send one of its sellers to SeaTac two or three times a day in order to retrieve the fish and bring them back to the shop, providing a product that's fresher than its customers could imagine.
Of course, fresh, wild salmon has a limited season - generally March through November. During the off-months, Wild Salmon sells salmon that was frozen at sea by its same, core group of fishermen. The salmon is processed and frozen almost immediately after being caught, before any decay can set in, capturing all of the qualities of the fresh, wild fish. Take note, that if you're buying fresh salmon out of season, it is farmed, not wild. So what's the difference? Farmed salmon, higher in saturated fat and lower in protein than wild salmon, has 10 times the toxins and cancer-causing agents and 16 times more PCBs than wild salmon. In addition, because farmed salmon is naturally gray as a result of its feed, dye is used to give it a salmon-y color. Although the health benefits of salmon are great, including a rich supply of omega-3 fats, wild is infinitely preferable to farmed - and with the variety carried at Wild Salmon, from keta to king, the price can be offset by choosing a less-expensive type.
Recently, I asked Speltz to give me some advice for consumers regarding the selection of fresh fish. I expected a response that would include a discussion on firmness or smell or color, but his answer was actually very simple: Find a fish seller that you know and trust and stick with them. That's it. Wild Salmon has made it a practice to be that fish seller to its customers, who include home cooks from all over town as well as restaurants on both coasts. With Speltz's advice in mind, save yourself the trip downtown the next time you go shopping for fresh fish. Instead, pop into Queen Anne's Wild Salmon to discover a fish store that you'll want to make your very own.
Wild Salmon Seafood Market, Queen Anne: Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; closed Mondays 2401 Queen Anne Ave. N.; 217-3474; www.wildsalmonseafood.com
[[In-content Ad]]
