Come to Crabfest and find out!
Port Angeles, Wash., Sept. 23, 2015 – You may have heard stories from crab-lovers who eagerly return to Port Angeles each October for the city’s signature Dungeness Crab & Seafood Festival about the freshest crab you can eat, thousands of pounds of it, pulled straight from local waters, steamed and served alongside locally-grown organic coleslaw and corn on the cob. While the traditional crab dinner has long been the festival’s culinary anchor, it is but one taste of this celebrated local crustacean. How many ways can one enjoy the freshest Dungeness crab around? Come to Crabfest and find out!
Fourteen restaurants co-located under the Crab Central Pavilion Big Top Tent, on City Pier and across the street at the Gateway Center will showcase a plethora of crab-centric dishes spanning the culinary gamut from comfort food to “crustacean sophistication” this year. In addition, a full line-up of Northwest culinary talent will demonstrate and sample their own unique creations starring the Dungeness crab. Not a crab lover? Do you skew vegetarian? No worries! Crabfest has got you covered with everything from fresh Caesar Salad to Tomato Bisque to hamburgers and fries, not to mention many other fresh seafood dishes!
Crabfest will take place Friday, Saturday and Sunday, October 9 – 11. Hours are Friday, 12pm – 10pm; Saturday, 9am – 10pm; and Sunday, 9am – 5pm. Admission is free – bring the family!
Under the Big Top
Crab Central Pavilion will house eight restaurants in addition to the Dungeness Crab Dinner. Come and experience where crab meets king in the form of Curried Salmon Oscar by Blondie’s Plate of Sequim. Savor local king salmon resting on a bed of basmati rice in red curry, topped with local Dungeness crab and cucumber salsa. Those with a more “sophisticated” palate won’t want to miss Blondie’s Dungeness
Crab Shooters, pairing finger caviar and cilantro; ginger wasabi aioli and cucumber salsa; or Bloody Mary and celery with fresh crab.
Poutine, a Canadian classic with roots in Quebec, will make its festival debut with a Pacific Northwest twist! Stop by The Cedars at Dungeness booth to give it a try. If you want some good old fashioned comfort food, the Dungeness Crab Mac & Cheese by Port Angeles Crab House will hit the spot. Mexican food-lovers will enjoy Halibut Tacos, Dungeness Crab Enchiladas and Dungeness Crab & Shrimp Ceviche Tostadas by Sergio’s Hacienda.
Kokopelli Grill will offer casual fare from halibut, cod and/or shrimp & chips to grilled sea bass tacos to Seafood Gumbo. If you’d rather sip on some soup, Toga’s Soup House & Deli Gourmet will be filling bowls with Dungeness Crab Bisque made onsite with fresh caught crabs, Northwest Clam Chowder and Tomato Bisque along with Garlic Ciabatta Bread.
The festival wouldn’t be complete without crab cakes made by Dungeness Crab Cake Company – Bella Italia, which will be marking its 14th year with Crabfest.
World-renowned Taylor Shellfish Farms will be back again this year treating visitors to fresh shucked Kumamoto and Shigoku oysters at its mobile Oyster Bar. Taylor delivers some of the finest shellfish in the Pacific Northwest to customers around the world.
When it’s time for dessert, head on over to the Friends of the Fields booth for some locally made pumpkin, blackberry or Lazy J apple pie, or some delicious bread pudding and hot coffee.
A selection of Olympic Peninsula wines and Northwest regional beer will be available to complement all of this fresh coastal cuisine.
On City Pier
Situated next to Crab Central Pavilion on Port Angeles City Pier, and interwoven among 80 craft, merchant, nonprofit and sponsor vendor booths are three more food vendors offering seafood and non-seafood items. The Curbside Bistro will be cooking-up hot dogs, smoked German sausage and chicken, pineapple, bacon sausage. The Seafood Spot will offer Seafood Gumbo and freshly grilled crab cakes served with tri-citrus aioli sauce and organic greens. BC Frozen Treats is the place for dessert with ice cream, frozen fruit kabobs and frozen cheesecake.
At the Gateway Center
The Gateway Center is home to the festival’s chef demonstration stage, featuring culinary talent from around the Olympic Peninsula and beyond. This year’s headliner chef, replacing Graham Kerr who had to cancel due to the passing of his wife, is Garrett Schack, executive chef of Vista 18 Restaurant in Victoria, B.C. Schack will take the stage at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 10.
Other featured chefs include Dov Hayes of the Ajax Café; Betsy Wharton, owner, The Clallam Canning Company; Virginie Bourgue, owner/winemaker of Lullaby Winery; Daniel Ratigan of the Fireside Restaurant, The Resort at Port Ludlow; Josh Baar, Kokopelli Grill; Xinh Dwelly, Xinh’s Clam and Oyster House; Jess Owen, Ocean Crest Resort; Ky Loop, Kelly’s Mercantile; Troy Reich, Alexander’s Lodge & Restaurant; and Andrew Bikar of Redviva Restaurant.
Chef demonstrations will range from “Olympic Peninsula” Paella to hot and sweet ginger miso prawns served over Cambodian coleslaw and lemongrass vinaigrette to charbroiled black and bleu oyster and Dungeness croquette with smoked grapefruit emulsion.
Alaska Weathervane Scallops will be on site at the Gateway, serving Scallorito, scallops on a warm tortilla with pesto, coleslaw and bacon, as well as seared Alaska scallops atop rice pilaf with a choice of Marsala mushroom, pesto or red curry sauce.
J’aime les Crepes of Port Angeles will prepare fresh hot crepes that are both savory, with smoked salmon, chicken, cheese, ham, artichoke and spinach, as well as sweet with strawberries, fruit, chocolate, jam, sugars and whipped cream.
Come to the scenic Olympic Peninsula and enjoy the local bounty!
More About Crabfest
Getting There
To get to Crabfest, visitors can drive Route 101 to Port Angeles, with options for multiple ferry connections. Those from Canada will find special packages on the Coho Ferry from Victoria, which docks right next to the festival!
Sponsors
There would be no Crabfest without the support of our more than 40 sponsors. Special thanks to our Presenting Sponsors: Black Ball Ferry Line – Kitsap Bank – Red Lion Hotel Port Angeles – Peninsula Daily News.
The Dungeness Crab & Seafood Festival is produced by Olympic Peninsula Celebrations, a Washington State non-profit corporation, and the Port Angeles Regional Chamber of Commerce.
For details including transportation, accommodations, directions and the full program, please visit our website at www.crabfestival.org, e-mail info@crabfestival.org, or phone 360-452-6300.
