Food Allergies in Seattle: Salmon, Crab and Teriyaki

Food allergies in Seattle meet a menu shaped by the water and by Japanese cooking: Dungeness crab, fish, oysters and teriyaki. Seafood brings shellfish and fish, and teriyaki brings soy sauce and sometimes wheat. Here are the questions to bring to the table.

What do food allergies in Seattle mostly involve?

Seattle's signature dishes come from two places: the Pacific Northwest coast, which supplies crab, salmon and shellfish, and the Japanese-American cooks who built a local teriyaki culture. The first group puts fish and shellfish in the foreground. The second leans on soy sauce, a bottled sauce with several ingredients.

Both are worth a question about the shared pan, the shared fryer and the sauce. Your doctor decides what is right for you.

What should you ask about Dungeness crab?

The crab is found along the Pacific coast and is part of the cuisines of California, British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest. Traditional dishes include crab Louie and cioppino. Crab is a crustacean, and the FDA's nine major allergens name crustacean shellfish.

Ask what else shares the pot or the grill, and whether a stock or a sauce is made from shells. A crab cake or a chowder can hide crab under another name, so read menu descriptions closely and ask. Our seafood guide covers more of the coast.

How does teriyaki sauce matter for an allergy?

Teriyaki is a technique that glazes food with soy sauce, mirin and sugar, and sesame or garlic appear only in some North American teriyaki-style sauces. Seattle has a large teriyaki culture, with teriyaki shops across the city.

The sauce is made from soybeans and usually wheat, so both can be in a teriyaki dish. Some versions add sesame. Ask what is in the house sauce, and whether it is made in the kitchen or poured from a bottle. Our teriyaki rating page invites diners to rate their own favorites.

What about oysters, sushi and raw plates?

Oysters are molluscs, a different group from crustaceans, and the FDA's nine do not list them, so a US label may not single them out. Raw bars often serve oysters, clams and sometimes shrimp together on one ice tray, so an allergen can travel between them.

Ask whether shells are kept apart, and whether sauces on the side are shared.

Sushi counters serve raw fish, shellfish, egg, soy and sometimes sesame, and a rice bowl may add a sauce poured over the top. Tempura adds a wheat batter and a shared fryer. These are general patterns to confirm.

Ask the person at the counter which sauces go on which dishes and whether wasabi, ponzu or a dressing carries wheat, fish or soy. If a chef prepares your plate in front of you, say your allergy before the first slice is cut.

What about salmon, fish sauces and stocks?

Fish is another major allergen, and salmon appears grilled, smoked, in chowder and on rice bowls. A sauce can carry fish in a way that does not show on the plate. Fish sauce, anchovy in a dressing, bonito in a broth and fish stock in a chowder are general examples to ask about.

Ask whether grilled fish shares a surface with the thing you avoid, and whether a fry basket is shared.

When does crab season matter for planning?

Dungeness crab is harvested in season, and Pacific Northwest towns hold crab festivals and seasonal crab feeds. Seasons and festival dates change, so confirm with the organizers before you plan around either.

If you avoid shellfish, a festival or a seasonal crab feed is a place to be extra careful, because stalls cook in shared pots and the menu is often a single dish. Ask at the first stall, not the last.

How do you ask when a kitchen is busy?

Open with a short line: "I have a shellfish allergy, so what is in the broth and the sauce?" Name the allergen first, then ask about sauces, stocks and shared surfaces. Visit in a quiet hour if you can.

Ask the server to speak to the cook, and write down what you were told and the date.

How can the Mosey app support your planning?

In the Mosey app the "Hide dishes that list" control lets you choose allergens, and dishes a place has listed with one are hidden. A dish the place has not filled in stays on the menu with "Allergens not listed, ask the place". That label is a nudge to ask. Your choice stays on your phone, and the control never filters places.

You can rate a dish, add a line about the answer, use tags as one diner's view and make a list such as Ask at the counter. A friend can follow you and see what you rated and saved. A place can declare allergens in its dashboard.

Where else can you read about Seattle?

Try the Washington State page, the Seattle page, the US food guides, the lists page and the federal rules guide. Across the Pacific, the Honolulu guide covers poke and shave ice.

On your next meal in Seattle, open the Mosey app to rate the dish and note the answer you were given.