"Veteran seafood forager Dennis Judson"
By Katharine Norwood • Photo by Brittany Powell
Mastered eating seasonally and locally? The next step for many Bay Area residents is foraging for wild foods, from fruit-tree-laden neighborhoods to the cold Pacific itself. Veteran seafood forager Dennis Judson shares his knowledge and passion in a class for Adventure Sports in Santa Cruz (www.asudoit.com). In it, Judson instructs students how to safely identify, harvest, prepare, and cook a variety of delicious edibles such as sea vegetables, mussels, limpets, and more, gleaned from the rocks and low tides of the Central Coast. At Davenport Landing in Santa Cruz, he recently gave ESF a guided tour of the tide pools.
How did you get started?
I’ve spent my entire life in California near the ocean—surfing and skin diving and fishing. And I’ve always had these dreams of going out and surviving off on the ocean. But growing up, my mom prepared only frozen seafood. I didn’t learn how to cook until I was in the Scouts. Then I started catching blue gills near my house and cooking them up over a fire. I found out that any seafood that is fresh is really good!
Describe the perfect day for foraging.
A day like today—blue skies, low tide, and no wind. One of my most favorite times of year is March, because you can collect all of the bivalves then. The ocean is kind of like a soup: it’ll go off badly in the summertime, with the plankton blooms, which can be toxic. I only do foraging classes in the wintertime, when the ocean is cleaner and fresher.
What’s your favorite wild food?
Probably mussels. You can do so many things with them. I also love spear fishing for hamachi. Gooseneck barnacles, which you’re only allowed to take as “by-catch,” are another delicacy. Eating a barnacle is like eating something that’s a cross between the taste of a scallop and the texture of crab. It tastes like really light lobster.
Is there anything students are squeamish about?
Not everyone likes sea urchins.
What should people keep in mind if they choose to forage on their own?
Well, they better read the Fish and Game rules. The fines can be hefty, upwards of $500, if you’re caught with the wrong thing or without a license. You have to pay attention to safety postings, which will tell you what’s safe to eat. [Call the “Shellfish Information Line,” (800) 553-4133.] It’s also safest to forage in the wintertime: months without the letter R are best.
What’s the most important thing you hope people get out of your class?
I want them to take away an appreciation for the process. I want them to love the environment and to know that it’s safe, and how it’s safe, because I really hope they’ll want to do it again. I also teach people to take only that which they are going to use. The ocean is like your garden. If you ruin the garden, you can’t go back to it.
Katharine Norwood is ESF’s new staff writer (Editor’s note: And savior.) Born and raised in Hawaii, she brings an island love of good food and community to life in SF. She has recently swapped academic jargon for tastier and more tangible endeavors.
This content was published in the Spring 2009 Edible San Francisco Magazine. © 2009 Edible San Francisco. No part of this article may be reproduced without the written consent of the author or publisher.
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