DANIEL WESTON prepares a whole salmon while Mace Bollens stands behind the counter of the Pacific Northwest Best Fish Company, with a display of cooked crabs, oysters, clams and mussels in front. Photo courtesy of FH Browne.
Those hankering for fresh, right-off-the-river salmon, Dungeness crabs the size of hubcaps, or Kumamoto oysters, called by many the king of this shellfish, can find what they’re craving at the Pacific Northwest Best Fish Company.
The business has been at its current location for a dozen years, but it has grown past just being a fish market to provide multiple services.
Tucked away on NE 10th Ave, about a mile North of 219th St. in Ridgefield, Pacific Northwest Best Fish Co. is a combination fish and specialty food market and a delightful indoor/outdoor restaurant that specializes in a wide variety of fish and shellfish. If it swims, crawls on the ocean bottom or otherwise lives in water they either have it in stock or can special order it for you.
On the fish market side, they provide wild-caught seafood indigenous to the region including fresh oysters, clams Dungeness crabs, four varieties of wild caught salmon (King, Sockeye, Chinook and Coho), some from local waters and some from Copper River, Alaska. Salmon are available fresh whole, as steaks or as fillets, and in several smoked offerings.
Additionally, the display cases are filled with halibut, Dover sole, Ling cod, Petrale sole, snapper, trout, catfish, Mahi Mahi, swordfish and White sturgeon, depending on the season.
Prepared, or “oven-ready” seafood, all of which is made in-house includes Cajun Crawfish Pasta Salad, Crab & Shrimp Twice Baked Potatoes, Dungeness Crab Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms, Fresh Dungeness Crabcakes, Fresh Halibut Patties, Fresh Roasted Garlic and Hazelnut Cod, Fresh Salmon Patties, Fresh Shrimp and Feta Stuffed Mushrooms, Shrimp and Artichoke Tortellini Pasta, and Smoked Salmon and Sun Dried Tomato Pasta Salad.
As you walk across the large room, you can stop at the specialty market area to buy wine, beer, dry rubs, pasta, rice, and a wide variety of condiments, marinades, sauces and spreads (the smoked salmon and halibut are fresh-made here), crackers, breadcrumbs and other seafood preparations.
The smokehouse products are all natural with no preservatives or artificial colors, and all their fish are smoked with traditional Northwest alder wood. When combined with the finest natural ingredients and the right heat and humidity, they produce “that distinctive Pacific NW Best Fish taste that’s like no other.”
Area residents may remember the tiny shack that rested out in front of the market for a couple of years, a take-out stop for clam chowder and some of their fried and grilled fish items, but now the shack has grown in size and is firmly attached to the market. Patrons can eat outside on the covered patio, or inside the main building after ordering their food from two windows on the side of the kitchen.
“We can seat between 25-30 outside and 30-35 inside,” says Kelly Beckwith, who co-owns the market with his Uncle Dan Evans, “but with the inclement weather, most people opt to stay inside even though we have outdoor heaters and the patio is completely covered. For special events we can easily move more tables inside.”
Unlike many restaurants, their fryers are separate for fish and for French fries.
“I determined long ago that people don’t want fish that tastes like potatoes or fries that taste like fish, shrimp or clams,” Kelly shared. “And along with that we prepare all of our batters fresh and on-site.”
A recent visit had this reporter trying their signature Halibut Fish and Chips, a scrumptious grilled Dungeness crab quesadilla, and their shrimp salad. All were delicious, but the quesadilla was spectacular; large chunks of crab, nestled in cheddar and pepper jack cheese, sprinkled with green onions, green and white parts, topped with chipotle cream sauce and fresh salsa, and closed in a grilled flour tortilla.
Known for their fish and chips, Pacific Northwest offers either halibut, haddock or ono in their beer batter or panko batters, served with crispy thin French fries, coleslaw and your choice of tartar, cocktail, dill sauce, ketchup or malt vinegar. The two-piece size is ample for most people, but if you really are hungry you can order 3 or 4 pieces of their House Special Halibut. You can also order salmon, shrimp, scallops, coconut shrimp, clams or calamari with chips.
As frequent visitors to the restaurant, we’ve never had anything but delicious meals and never left hungry. When we once asked Kelly why there were no burgers or hot dogs on the menu he simply replied: “We stick with what we do, the best fish and shellfish. Sustainable, local, fresh fish. It’s really that simple.”
Other menu items worth considering include grilled fish or shrimp tacos (delicious), shrimp and crab cocktail, Caesar salad, crab cake (decadent) or halibut sandwiches, house clam chowder (thick and clammy), seafood or shrimp or chicken bentos, and several other quesadilla varieties.
For those with relatives, friends or business associates in other parts of the country who can’t enjoy the bounty of seafood we can here, the market has a whole series of seafood gift packs that you can order to have sent anywhere in the U.S. The boxes can include anything from a whole alder-smoked or garlic pepper salmon fillet to some of their dips and premium crackers.
To see their menu, daily and weekly specials, or shop for fresh fish and shellfish or the gift boxes and keep abreast of the various wine tasting and cooking classes and other special events either at the market or next door at East Fork Cellars go to www.pacificnwbest.com or to their Facebook page: www.facebook.com/pacificnwbest.
Pacific Northwest Best Fish is located at 24415 NE 10th Ave, Ridgefield, and is open from Tuesday to Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The phone number for the seafood market is (360) 887-4268 and for the café, (360) 887-4094.
