Winter Waters Brings Ocean-to-Table Experiences to Lincoln City

Winter Waters

Winter Waters is an Oregon program that works with chefs and tastemakers to celebrate seafood, with an emphasis on farmed seaweeds and shellfish, and sustainably caught Oregon fin fish. This year, Winter Waters comes to Lincoln City for the first time with two amazing events this February.

The first, Sip the Sea, is a specially curated wine and seafood experience that celebrates seaweed as a culinary ingredient. The next evening, fishers from Chelsea Rose Seafood will discuss the importance of local fisheries and invite attendees to enjoy scrumptious Squatchsami fish and chips and answer trivia questions for foodie prizes at the restaurant’s new brick-and-mortar location. There are also other opportunities for culinary experiences in Lincoln City beyond the Winter Waters events, from harvesting mussels, crabs, and clams to buying the very freshest seafood available anywhere.

Winter Waters celebrates four years of introducing Oregonians to seaweed-centric seafood this year. Alanna Kieffer, Rachelle Hacmac, and Kristen Penner created Winter Waters to promote seaweed as a superfood culinary ingredient and improve Oregon Coast food systems through education and shared meals. Strangely enough, 90% of the seafood served on the Oregon Coast is imported, and Winter Waters wants to change the narrative. They’re bridging the gap between consumers and sustainable seafood caught and served here by introducing fresh Oregon seafood to locals and visitors.

Sip the Sea

The first event, Sip the Sea, takes place at Sea Horsey Bottle Shop on February 15, 2026, in the Historic Taft District. Sea Horsey is a wine bar and bottle shop with a great bottle selection from smaller wine producers throughout the Willamette Valley and the region. During regular business times, they offer “snacky style menu” items that feature local ingredients whenever possible. The event will feature Pacific Northwest wines thoughtfully paired with ocean-fresh bites specially prepared by chef Gabe Kieffer of PicNic Eats. Fresh oysters on the half shell and a dessert pairing are offered as add-ons, and non-alcoholic pairing options will also be available. Visit the Winter Waters website for tickets and additional information.

Fun and Fish and Chips

The next event will take place the following evening on February 16, 2026. Fun and Fish and Chips at Squatchsami with Chelsea Rose invites guests to listen to fishers from Chelsea Rose Seafood as they discuss all things commercial fishing and answer any questions about local, sustainable fishing from the group. Squatchsami has already become a local favorite and was voted “Best at the Beach” for good reason. They use only scratch-made tastiness and sustainably sourced fish. Their goal is to get Atlantic cod off every fish and chips menu in Oregon by showing customers just how amazing Oregon-landed seafood is. Seafood trivia for treats and prizes will be a highlight of the evening, and if the weather permits, the fishers will demonstrate the breakdown of a ling cod. This free event will be held in Squatchsami’s new location with an option to preorder and purchase fish and chips here.

Explorience the Coast

Additionally, Lincoln City hosts crabbing, clamming and tide pooling “Exploriences” for those who want to forage their own seafood and continue the culinary adventure. Exploriences are free, hands-on learning events that are taught by local experts and take place throughout the year. Learn about tide pools, the sea creatures that live there, and how to identify and harvest mussels by attending a Tide Pool Explorience. Crabbing Exploriences provide an overview of Oregon’s crabbing regulations, harvest methods, identification, cleaning, and cooking techniques, and then teach strategies of how to best catch crabs at the shore. Clamming Exploriences also provide an overview of the clamming process, and then an expert guide will lead guests through the Siletz Bay mudflats to try to harvest a bounty of purple varnish clams. All of these Exploriences require an Oregon shellfish license, and minimal gear (crabbing requires rented or purchased traps); for more information on these and other amazing learning sessions, check out the Exploriences page on the Explore Lincoln City website.

Fresh Seafood, To Go

Barnacle Bill’s is also a great local source for fresh seafood for those who want the culinary experience without having to forage the ingredients. Barnacle Bill’s specializes in fresh caught Chinook salmon, halibut, albacore tuna, lingcod, sea bass or rockfish, Dungeness crab, bay shrimp, clams, and oysters. In addition, they sell shucked crab and oyster meat, imported lobster and prawns, amazing smoked salmon, packaged and pouched fish, and cocktail sauce. Barnacle Bill’s ships anywhere in the United States for those who want to enjoy fresh Oregon seafood at home.

Traveling to Lincoln City for vacation and want to know more about culinary events like Winter Waters or how to forage and prepare a local seafood meal? Follow Explore Lincoln City on Facebook and Instagram for additional information on events and coastal culinary experiences.