September 14, 2024

Inspired by Washington

THE MEAL

(Click on the links above to jump to that part of the post!)

I thought the last state-inspired meal was great, but this one was so good that most of it was gone by the end of the day! Seattle was one of my favorite places I visited last year, so I was happy that a Washington-inspired meal at home turned out so awesome to keep my love of that area alive. 🙂

Teriyaki Salmon

As I mentioned in the last post, this whole Northwestern area of the United States is known for its salmon. And it was cheaper to buy salmon in bulk, so I went with the same protein for Alaska, Washington, and Oregon.

What’s different about Washington, though, is that there’s a strong Asian influence in their state cuisine. About 10% of Washington’s population is of Asian descent, and there’s been a Chinese-American community in Seattle since its founding in the 1850s.

Teriyaki was invented in Japan in the 1600s as a way to preserve and season fish, and it spread to many other regions since its invention, but Seattle played a major role in developing the teriyaki sauce that Americans know and love today. A restaurant called Toshi’s Teriyaki opened in Seattle in 1976, and by 1996, Toshi’s had become a chain of restaurants that bottled and shipped their sauce. It was most popular with chicken, and nowadays Seattle is more known for seafood than Japanese food, but I decided to represent both with teriyaki salmon.

This salmon turned out SO GOOD. It was almost difficult to eat, it was so incredibly tender and flaky, and the flavor was amazing. I ate both fillets in one sitting and wished that I’d made more!

Roasted Asparagus

I chose asparagus as a side dish for my teriyaki salmon because Washington state is one of the top three growers of asparagus in the US, and at one time was the leading producer. Asparagus originated in the Mediterranean region, but it grows well in Washington because of the rich volcanic soil, hot summer days, and cooler nights. Asparagus is a slow-growing perennial plant that takes a couple years to get going, but during peak season, the stalks can grow upwards of 5 inches in a single day! And it’s a very labor-intensive crop because it all has to be hand-picked.

Asparagus is hit-or-miss for me. I used to hate it and still really don’t like tough thicker stalks. But thankfully, the bundles I found at the grocery store were super thin and beautifully green. I roasted it with just a little olive oil, parmesan, garlic, salt, and pepper, and finished it with some lemon juice. It was so simple but so tasty!

Rainier Cherries & Honeycrisp Apples

Along with the asparagus, I had Rainier cherries and honeycrisp apples, to represent two other famous crops in Washington.

Rainier cherries were developed in 1952 by Harold Fogle at Washington State University. They’re a cross between Bing and Van cherries, and they were named after Mount Rainier. They’re sweeter and softer than most cherries, so I don’t see them as often. I was so glad that this meal coincided with cherry season and I was able to find them right at the entrance of my grocery store!

As for the apples, Washington grows more apples than any other state in the US. They grow super well there for the same reason that asparagus does, and they’ve been grown in the area since pioneers arrived in the 1800s. Today, there’s a Washington Apple Commission that generates demand for Washington apples throughout the world. The top varieties are Red Delicious (yuck), Gala, and Fuji (my favorite), but I went with honeycrisp because they matched the Rainier cherries so well. 🙂

Almond Roca

And finally, for dessert, almond roca! This candy is basically the same as English toffee, which has existed in England since the 1800s, but the almond roca candy we know today was developed in Tacoma, Washington, in 1912, and I saw it all over the place when I visited Seattle. The name comes from the Spanish word for “rock,” which describes the hard toffee pretty well.

This is one of my favorite candies. My mom makes it every year for Christmas, and it’s so much cheaper to just make a batch yourself instead of buying a tin. Admittedly, I make it the English toffee way instead of in the little log shapes completely surrounded by chocolate, but it’s essentially the same thing. Very easy to make, and SO GOOD. I usually share the desserts I make for this challenge, but I just froze the leftovers and will be enjoying a piece every now and then for the next few weeks or so!