Lean Cuisine: Depoe Bay Salmon Bake
The 2011 Salmon Bake is set for Sept. 17, 2011
by Joy Wilson • For the TODAY
Put on your eating pants and head for Depoe Bay on Saturday, Sept. 17, for the 56th annual Depoe Bay Indian-style Salmon Bake. You know, your eating pants. The ones that have a giving waist to accommodate all the luscious food.
The Salmon Bake has evolved over the years. What started as salmon frying in iron skillets over an open fire morphed into a community celebration to mark the end of fishing season. The local fisherman would pool their salmon catch and homemade food graced the tables. Now a cross between Oktoberfest, a sea-going Thanksgiving and a community picnic, the Salmon Bake now includes anyone who wants great food and good company.
“It’s gratifying to see so much of our community get involved and give of themselves,” said Bill Spores, veteran volunteer and organizer of the Salmon Bake. “The Salmon Bake is a source of pride. It’s a community event that has invited its neighbors.”
Local volunteers start preparing months before the event, including scouring the forests for 350 supple alder stakes that will be the main cooking utensil for the salmon. Before dawn on the day of the Bake, volunteers light the 80-foot fire line, which will consume more than six cords of fir and three cords of alder wood throughout the day. More than 2,000 pounds of salmon fillets will be lashed to the 6-foot tall stakes with thin strips of cedar. The salmon-laden alder stakes will then be leaned diagonally over the fire line, for 45 minutes of open-air roasting.
This cooking method was borrowed, so the story goes, from the native coastal tribes of the Northwest. As part of this culinary celebration, organizers have invited the Intertribal Warrior Society AIM dancers and the Turquoise Pride drum troupe, to perform. Check out the fun souvenirs and don’t miss your chance at raffle tickets for an array of prizes including lodging, dining, fishing and whale watching trips, and more.
The 56th annual Depoe Bay Indian-style Salmon Bake will take place at the Depoe Bay City Park, located on the south side of the harbor at the end of Shell Avenue. A shuttle service will ferry guests to and from the park, where covered seating is available. The salmon – served with cole slaw, French or garlic bread, and beverages – will be ready to eat from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Tickets
Tickets for the Salmon Bake can be purchased at the gate for $18 for adults and $10 for children aged 10 and under. If you buy the tickets in advance, you get a cool discount of $15 for adults and $9 for children under age 10. You can purchase your tickets at:
Can’t make it to the Salmon Bake? Local dinner deliveries are available from Salishan to Otter Rock for orders placed in advance. Call 541-765-2889.
Sunday in the Park
On Saturday night, there’s always a bit of salmon left over. What happens to it? Find out at Sunday in the Park on Sept. 18. This old-fashioned family event “starts at about 11 a.m. and goes until about 4-ish,” said June Rushing, of the June Rushing Band. Located at the Depoe Bay City Park, Sunday in the Park offers baked salmon, cheese, wine and other goodies available for purchase.
The JRB will be playing, along with Elizabeth Cable, a jazz combo and solo artists on a variety of instruments. Listen to folk, rockabilly, Celtic, jazz, improv and a variety of musical styles while enjoying tasty treats. Admission is free.
“This community really supports local music and this is our chance to give back. We’ll play until no one wants to listen anymore,” said Joren Rushing, guitarist and conductor for the June Rushing Band. “We really want to see more people come every year and listen to some great music.”
Both the Salmon Bake and Sunday in the Park are benefits for community projects in Depoe Bay, including city projects and fireworks for the 4th of July. Desserts sold during the Salmon Bake will benefit the Kids Zone.
There will be no shuttle service for Sunday in the Park, though covered seating is available. Contact the Depoe Bay Chamber of Commerce for further information at 541-765-2889 or 877-485-8348, or email info@depoebaychamber.org.
by Joy Wilson • For the TODAY
Put on your eating pants and head for Depoe Bay on Saturday, Sept. 17, for the 56th annual Depoe Bay Indian-style Salmon Bake. You know, your eating pants. The ones that have a giving waist to accommodate all the luscious food.
The Salmon Bake has evolved over the years. What started as salmon frying in iron skillets over an open fire morphed into a community celebration to mark the end of fishing season. The local fisherman would pool their salmon catch and homemade food graced the tables. Now a cross between Oktoberfest, a sea-going Thanksgiving and a community picnic, the Salmon Bake now includes anyone who wants great food and good company.
“It’s gratifying to see so much of our community get involved and give of themselves,” said Bill Spores, veteran volunteer and organizer of the Salmon Bake. “The Salmon Bake is a source of pride. It’s a community event that has invited its neighbors.”
Local volunteers start preparing months before the event, including scouring the forests for 350 supple alder stakes that will be the main cooking utensil for the salmon. Before dawn on the day of the Bake, volunteers light the 80-foot fire line, which will consume more than six cords of fir and three cords of alder wood throughout the day. More than 2,000 pounds of salmon fillets will be lashed to the 6-foot tall stakes with thin strips of cedar. The salmon-laden alder stakes will then be leaned diagonally over the fire line, for 45 minutes of open-air roasting.
This cooking method was borrowed, so the story goes, from the native coastal tribes of the Northwest. As part of this culinary celebration, organizers have invited the Intertribal Warrior Society AIM dancers and the Turquoise Pride drum troupe, to perform. Check out the fun souvenirs and don’t miss your chance at raffle tickets for an array of prizes including lodging, dining, fishing and whale watching trips, and more.
The 56th annual Depoe Bay Indian-style Salmon Bake will take place at the Depoe Bay City Park, located on the south side of the harbor at the end of Shell Avenue. A shuttle service will ferry guests to and from the park, where covered seating is available. The salmon – served with cole slaw, French or garlic bread, and beverages – will be ready to eat from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Tickets
Tickets for the Salmon Bake can be purchased at the gate for $18 for adults and $10 for children aged 10 and under. If you buy the tickets in advance, you get a cool discount of $15 for adults and $9 for children under age 10. You can purchase your tickets at:
- The Depoe Bay Chamber of Commerce office, 223 SW Hwy. 101, Suite “B”
- Pacific Brass & Copper Works, 20 Bay Street, just east of the traffic light
- The What Not Shop, 411 SW Hwy. 101
- The Spouting Horn Restaurant, Hwy. 101 just south of Bay Street
- Fuddy Duddy Fudge, 112 N Hwy. 101
- Depoe Bay Liquor Store, 531 N Hwy. 101
- Big Mountain Coffee Company’s The Warehouse, 3940 North Hwy. 101 in Lincoln Beach
Can’t make it to the Salmon Bake? Local dinner deliveries are available from Salishan to Otter Rock for orders placed in advance. Call 541-765-2889.
Sunday in the Park
On Saturday night, there’s always a bit of salmon left over. What happens to it? Find out at Sunday in the Park on Sept. 18. This old-fashioned family event “starts at about 11 a.m. and goes until about 4-ish,” said June Rushing, of the June Rushing Band. Located at the Depoe Bay City Park, Sunday in the Park offers baked salmon, cheese, wine and other goodies available for purchase.
The JRB will be playing, along with Elizabeth Cable, a jazz combo and solo artists on a variety of instruments. Listen to folk, rockabilly, Celtic, jazz, improv and a variety of musical styles while enjoying tasty treats. Admission is free.
“This community really supports local music and this is our chance to give back. We’ll play until no one wants to listen anymore,” said Joren Rushing, guitarist and conductor for the June Rushing Band. “We really want to see more people come every year and listen to some great music.”
Both the Salmon Bake and Sunday in the Park are benefits for community projects in Depoe Bay, including city projects and fireworks for the 4th of July. Desserts sold during the Salmon Bake will benefit the Kids Zone.
There will be no shuttle service for Sunday in the Park, though covered seating is available. Contact the Depoe Bay Chamber of Commerce for further information at 541-765-2889 or 877-485-8348, or email info@depoebaychamber.org.
