cooking with CANNABIS
by Chef Sebastian Carosi guess I ’ m a cold-water bivalve snob , a bivalve mollusk
I snob to be exact , and not just a professional chef and purveyor of fine foods . Having spent many years as a young chef , honing my skills in the small , unincorporated former mill town of Seabeck , Washington , nestled in the natural waterway known as the Hood Canal . I quickly learned how to hunt oysters in one of America ’ s only fjords . The canal is long , narrow , and anywhere from 200 to 800 feet deep , 1.5 miles wide , and roughly 50 miles long . Geographically , it separates the Kitsap Peninsula from the Olympic Peninsula and is a tributary for the Skokomish , Hamma Hamma , Duckabush , Dosewallips , and Big Quilcene rivers . Those from the PNW will quickly recognize those names with that of some of their favorite Pacific Northwest oysters . As I mentioned previously , as one of the only deep-water fjords in the United States , the Hood Canal , is an oyster ’ s paradise . A long skinny river-fed oyster nirvana tucked inside the Olympic Peninsula . The native Pacific oysters absolutely love it and thrive here , they grow wild everywhere ! I don ’ t want to name drop , but since I have been a part of the community and oyster industry directly , I ’ m just going to let loose here : Hammersley , Little Skookum , Toten , Eld , and Budd comprise some of the most famous “ oyster appellations ” in the Pacific Northwest . There are , at last count , just under 20 varieties of oysters grown and raised in the Hood Canal . These oysters are now known throughout the world by the names they were given , usually from their appellation location . Weather-grown directly in the canal and in the inlets , mudflats , or inter-coastal waterways , the briny-like cucumber subtleties of each bay and inlet show drastically in each oyster . Each inlet has its own distinction but they all sport that characteristic south sound flavor — rich , intense , full-bodied , more sweet than salty with a hint of cooked green or boiled seaweed , almost musky . Those musky green nuances pair well with spiciness and the picante flavors that fresh raw cannabis and hemp leaves offer . Having spent many years consuming cannabis and combing the bays and inlets of the canal for wild oysters , it was just a matter of time before the two were connected and propelled into culinary cannabis history forever . These oysters in the nude with angry water will also help your culinary cannabis propulsion . Super easy to execute and definitely a crowd pleaser . Savory , sweet , sassy , smoky , and seductive , a wonderful addition to your culinary cannabis recipe repertoire . I have been preparing and enjoying them this same way for many years and will continue to do so for years to come . I hope you enjoy them as well .
SC
Chef Sebastian Carosi trained at Portland ’ s Western Culinary Institute , apprenticed with renowned chefs in Italy , and went on to lead the Farm 2 Fork movement in New England and the mid-Atlantic states . Find him on Instagram at @ chef _ sebastian _ carosi .
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