Hello Reader,

As I write this, Washington has had the season’s first sunset after 5 p.m. I can feel it, and I’m sure you can too—that stretching toward the daylight with all the other living things. In time with the seasons, the light is cyclical, waxing and waning like the moon and the tides.

This issue, our focus will be on the tides. Much of our wild food, industry and tourism are dependent on our waterways and oceans. In these pages, you’ll find stories of people passionate for our waters. Writer Stefanie Ellis takes a trip with two chefs crazy about seaweed in Washington; chef and instructor Nadia Tommalieh shares her family recipe for Sayadieh, a seafood and rice dish guaranteed to impress. Julia O’Malley gives us an introduction to all the wild salmon of Alaska and the Pacific Northwest, something near and dear to my heart. We play around with some kelp for a briny martini that will make you think of the spray off the coast.

Through it all, you’ll find an undercurrent of determination for the stewardship of these vital ecosystems. This issue is a diving board into a deeper conversation about our responsibility to and history with Washington’s watery biomes—whether fresh, briny or brackish. We hope you’ll come along with us on this journey, and join the discussion.

Of course, we can’t have these conversations without your support, and the support of our community partners and advertisers. We’re grateful you’re choosing to bob along with us in this wide sea of information. If you have a story you think would fit our pages, please visit our website at edibleseattle.com/contribute to learn more about pitching us.

We hope you enjoy these stories and recipes. As always, thank you for reading.

Here’s to calm waters and a good catch,

Lindsay Kucera
Editor