Skip to main content
Consider the steelhead. Genetically identical to a rainbow trout, it grows bigger and stronger by migrating back and forth from the Pacific Ocean. Close readers of this magazine will recognize such a lifestyle as one we recommend to city dwellers in the summer months. (Scientists call it being anadromous.)
So when you return to Portland, why not eat the life you want to have? Plus, steelhead tastes fantastic: flesh as pink as salmon but with a more delicate flavor that allows side dishes to duet without screaming. Since first encountering it as the main course at a wedding, I’ve found the key to Northwest dining is to order it whenever it appears on a menu.
In the past, this typically meant visiting one of the city’s classic fish houses. These institutions are now less common (Jake’s Famous Crawfish is all that remains of the McCormick & Schmick’s empire), but fortunately a new wave of seafood rolled in. Flying Fish Co. (3004 E Burnside St., 971-806-6747, flyingfishpdx.com) is a sidewalk surf shack one block from Music Millennium that looks like a hurricane blew it onto Burnside from the Florida Keys—and, in fact, founder Lyf Gildersleeve took notes on the grouper sandwiches he ate along US Route 1 and built a steelhead version. Humbly listed as “grilled fish sandwich” on the menu ($19), it complements the tender trout fillet with a punchy kale and cilantro slaw. Flying Fish also uses steelhead to cap its Caesar salad ($27), with a dressing that pairs anchovy and pine nuts to silky effect. Its clam chowder ($12), crowned with a dollop of crème fraîche, outclasses that of most coastal institutions, and the fried rockfish tacos (two for $14) are three-bite treasures packed with pickled onions and jalapeños. Whatever you order, get a side of jojos ($6).
At Kachka Fabrika (2117 NE Oregon St., Suite 202, 503-470-5077, kachkafabrika.com), the steelhead comes as jerky ($8): long amber strips of candied fish that peel off the skin like string cheese. An offshoot of Bonnie Morales’ iconic Ukrainian restaurant Kachka, Fabrika bills itself primarily as a vodka distillery. But Morales spied an opportunity to pair that sharp spirit with sea brine, and built a menu around zakuski, a Russian term for cold snacks. The scallop crudo ($18), blanketed in a sweet parsnip cream foam, is the sort of molecular gastronomy that’s too rare in Portland, while “McKachka’s Filet-O-Fish” ($15) is a joke that brings the house down: The battered cod fillet is slathered in druzhba, a Soviet-era processed cheese spread that’s essentially Russia’s Velveeta. Add a couple of oyster shooters ($5) and this is as much fun as you can have at dinner in Portland.
Playful experiments are also on deck at Jacqueline (2500 SE Clinton St., 503-327-8637, jacquelinepdx.com), the closest thing New Portland has to a dedicated high-end seafood restaurant. (A nautical portrait of Bill Murray presides over the dining room; Wes Anderson buffs will remember that “Jacqueline” was the original name of Steve Zissou’s submarine.) The menu changes week to week, but springtime standouts included snap peas bathed in fish sauce and a grilled rockfish wrapped in a banana leaf and given a green curry pour-over.
Other ports of call worth the journey: Mi Pisco (11642 SW Pacific Highway, Tigard, 971-297-6791, mipiscorestaurant.com) for an array of Peruvian ceviches topped with corn nuts ($21–$25), along with a fried rice and squid medley called arroz con mariscos ($32); Powell’s Seafood Restaurant (6633 SE Powell Blvd., 503-775-3901, powellsseafoodtogo.com) for heaping platters of steamed ginger garlic clams ($23.95) and “marine-style” (salt and pepper) fried Dungeness crab (market price); and Gastro Mania (1986 NW Pettygrove St., 503-689-3794, gastromania24.com) for a salmon gyro with chili aioli that somehow remains just $13.99.
It’s also worth mentioning that Portland is a great chippy town: The list of bars and carts with excellent fish and chips is long and would shame most coastal towns. Still, one stands out. Portland Fish Market (4404 SE Woodstock Blvd., 503-477-6988, portlandfishmarket.com), a corner seafood shop, operates a fish-and-chips window where the cod, halibut and shrimp ($15.95–$28.95) are sourced from local fisherfolk and crisped with a miraculously light breading. Inside, the market cases feature everything from sushi-grade wahoo ($25.95 a pound) to housemade cioppino base ($14), along with trays of smoked fish. You guessed it: At $29.99 a pound, we suggest you shell out for the steelhead.
This story is part of Oregon Summer Magazine, our annual guide to refreshing destinations, cool escapes, and the best ways to stay hydrated all summer long. See more stories from Oregon Summer Magazine here, or check this map to see where you can pick up a free copy of the magazine.
