PORT ANGELES, Wash. — There's a new restaurant in Port Angeles where you don't just savor fresh seafood - You see what it takes to get it from the sea to your plate.
Twin brothers Jason and Jeremy Holden are Jamestown Sk'lallam tribe members and fishermen- their boat's name is Moby Duck. The same name as the restaurant they opened, to serve what they catch: Moby Duck Chowder & Seafood.
"We've been commercial fishing for 15 years now and one of the number one questions we kept getting was 'where can I get fresh seafood around here?” Jason said.
The twins harvest a bounty of seafood from all over the Northwest - sometimes from waters right outside the restaurant.
From aboard the Moby Duck as they harvested Dungeness crab within view of the restaurant, Jason said: "Literally boat to table. You can watch us on the TV’s 'Catch Your Food,' or you can sit at the restaurant and look out the windows and watch us catch your food."
The 'Deadliest Catch' style videos the brothers produce play above the bar in their restaurant - and on YouTube. Clearly, it's a work hard, play hard situation with these fishermen, as they board buoys, fry up fresh geoduck on deck, and haul in bounty from the sea. The brothers grew up making videos, their dad got them a camera when they were seven.
“We’ve just been at it ever since,” Jason said.
Another thing that makes Moby Duck unique - They serve their namesake: Geoduck. A giant clam that tastes better than it looks – it’s the most expensive clam in the world.
The brothers dive as deep as 80 feet to harvest these monster clams, often in strong currents and pitch-black water. A catch that can be deadly.
"Oh yeah, we've had a handful of close calls where I probably shouldn't be here today, but someone up there was looking out for us,” Jeremy said.
The huge clams become fritters - and chowder.
“It's like the only chowder that we know of around [the] Olympic Peninsula that has gooey duck in it,” Jeremy said.
Word is getting out about the literal buckets of freshly harvested seafood they serve. The crab they caught this morning goes into a 'Duck Bucket', filled with clams, shrimp, potatoes, corn and sausage. One of their most popular meals that feeds a crowd, the bucket gets dumped on the table for all to enjoy.
Marilyn Davis came all the way from Idaho for that geoduck chowder.
"This is what I came for. I heard about this place, and I said 'This clam chowder I have to have' and it's the best. The best,” she said.
Welcome words for these twins. Fishing is hard - running a restaurant, even harder. These two say they couldn't do it if they didn't have each other.
“Teamwork makes the dream work, right Jason?" Jeremy said.
"Exactly,” Jason said. "We’re best friends. We do everything together. We experience everything together. And yeah, we just have a good time, live life and take chances, and that's why we opened the restaurant."
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