Extravafishaganza

At the risk of sounding like the Bubba character from “Forrest Gump” I am going to recite the various ways I ate seafood in Central California this week — shrimp included:
— In a humongous “fish taco” from Taco Temple along Highway 1 near Morro Bay. The quote marks signify the liberties that this popular place takes with the Mexican food lexicon. My plate was a giant piece of grilled local halibut on a bed of greens with a creamy dressing and mango salsa. The two small white corn tortillas were hiding under there somewhere. I enjoyed the leftovers for breakfast the next morning.
— In a chef’s salad at Brophy Bros., a bustling wharfside restaurant and bar in Santa Barbara. A perfect lunch repast, it was loaded with fresh crabmeat and shrimp.
— In an albacore tuna sandwich on whole wheat from a nice sandwich shop in downtown SLO. My order was a sure sign I was in a seafood rut, considering the veggie, turkey and roast beef sandwiches also looked pretty good.
— In a Japanese noodle bowl from Big Sky Cafe in SLO. It was rice noodles in a miso broth, with generous fresh vegetables and chunks of salmon, shrimp and whitefish.
— In a seafood pot pie at Linn’s in Cambria, well known for its excellent restaurant and pie bakery. My pie had soft clams, shrimp and whitefish in a creamy wine sauce, encased by a light, flaky, buttery pie shell. Interestingly, the top crust was a circle unto itself, artfully angled over the seafood.
— In a combo and chips order from Giovanni’s at the Morro Bay marina. We ate outside, hurriedly, in the cold wind and tried to ignore the fearless seagulls. My combo had calamari and squid — eww — and shrimp, scallops and cod. Greasy but good.
— In the wild salmon from Trader Joe’s that my husband baked in the oven.
— In the giant plate of House Special Scallops from Capital Seafood in Arcadia. The scallops were deep fried and glazed with a peppery yet sweet sauce, and there were way too many of them. My last seafood-related act before leaving California the next morning was to toss the leftovers. Darn.