Are you ready for June? So are we! Check out some of our favorite things to do during the month and Keep Clam, because the sun is out and summer is almost here! 

Memorial Day is coming up and that means it’s time to heat up the grill, gather around with friends and enjoy some delicious (sea)food, and we can’t think of a better way to do so than with some of Ivar’s original, classic recipes! We like to think of these ones as some of our hidden gems of the sea, which also tends to be fresh, lighter fare for a taste of “summer.”

It’s o-fish-ally here! Copper River salmon season has begun, meaning (in our opinion) the best salmon out there is now available at our full-service restaurants, including Ivar’s Acres of Clams on the Seattle Waterfront, Salmon House on North Lake Union and Mukilteo Landing on Possession Sound!

Call it the kale of the sea: seaweed and kelp, the abundantly available, super nutritious marine vegetable. Supermarket retailer, Whole Foods, named seaweed part of its predicted healthy food trends list for 2019, and it’s no wonder: it’s packed with vitamins A, C, K, B-12 and minerals including calcium, iron, zinc and iodine. Not only are seaweeds vital to marine ecosystems (refuge, feeding and spawning for marine mammals as well as trapping sediment), they can also be sustainably harvested right here in the Pacific Northwest and enjoyed at home.

April 23 is National Picnic Day and to celebrate we’re sharing some of our favorite appetizer and side recipes sure to float your pals’ boat. Whether rain or shine, we think celebrating the holiday is a must! So, grab a picnic blanket and basket, some friends and family, and head outside (or pitch a canopy or tent) for a delicious picnic.

Did you know that Renton is “ahead of the curve?” 

That was a civic slogan adopted in the 1990s by this busy city at the south end of Lake Washington. The idea was to celebrate the city’s forward-looking attitude and to pay tongue-in-cheek tribute to the “Renton S-curves,” a sinuous stretch of roadway that used to delay traffic on the Renton section of I-405. Only in Renton.

For its 16th year, Ivar’s is excited to once again honor and recognize the most deserving educators in the classroom, right here in Washington state! Ivar’s is calling on all students 14 years old and younger to nominate their favorite teachers in the classroom for a chance to take home the honorable award of 2019 Teacher of the Year.

Even the most persnickety, self-proclaimed seafood averse eaters may find a soft spot for halibut, the least fishy tasting of all fish, with its sweet mellow, flaky fabulousness. Our early-season Wild Alaska Halibut has landed in the Ivar’s family of full-serve restaurants (Acres of Clams, Salmon House and Mukilteo Landing), and our chefs wasted no time perfecting their respective entrees, found on the lunch and dinner fresh sheets now!

With the latest and greatest technology at our fingertips here in Seattle, Ivar’s is proud to announce the beta testing of the iVar device, allowing direct orders from your nearest Ivar’s location. Similar to other smart speakers, iVar is the newest home voice search product available and as an added bonus looks like our world-famous chowder cup.

Opening night for the Seattle Mariners is just around the corner on March 28 and we’re getting ready to batter up at T-Mobile Park for the start of baseball season! There’s nothing that goes better than a good baseball game and delicious food, which is what you can expect to find at both Ivar’s and Kidd Valley locations in the stadium. Enjoy a cup of our classic Puget Sound Style Clam Chowder or bite into a delicious Ivar Dog or Kidd Valley burger, but don’t forget to grab a basket of our original garlic fries -- no matter what you pick!

St. Patrick’s Day is around the corner and if you’re looking for something to cook up for friends and family, Keep Clam because the luck of the Irish is on your side. We’re sharing some of our favorite recipes that you could prepare at home for the holiday. From the simple yet delicious celery root and Yukon potato hash to a roasted lamb loin with Yorkshire pudding and Guinness bacon glaze, and even a cocktail to pair, these dishes are sure to float your boat!

It’s our favorite time of year again: time to honor our late flounder Ivar Haglund on his birthday! Join us on Tuesday, March 19 for a party shell-a-brating what would have been Ivar’s 114th. Visit our seafood bars or full-service restaurants and purchase one regular price entrée to receive a second entrée off the special birthday menu for $1.14, but be sure to wish the Ivar “Happy Birthday” while ordering to receive the “reel” deal.

Well Seattle, we survived #viadoom. Did everyone Keep Clam? We sure hope so! Now that the tunnel is up and running and the weather (we hope) is starting to get a bit better, take a stroll along the Seattle Waterfront and enjoy everything it has to offer, including our takeout Fish Bar or dine-in Acres of Clams locations.

Love your leftovers? After reading this, maybe there’s hope to start an even greater repertoire with what’s left in the fridge or those restaurant takeout bags! According to the USDA, Americans waste a staggering 30 percent of their food (largely those perishables such as fruits and vegetables), but between good planning, smart food storage and clever re-use methods, the opportunity to conserve abounds. On that latter point, one local chef and cookbook author is mastering reinvention with the release of her new book which teaches readers to “cook smarter, save time and money, and enjoy great meals crafted from leftovers,” aka great ‘second meals’.

Love is in the air (and the sea too – fish celebrate Valentine’s Day, right?), and there are a variety of places to go to celebrate the special day. We’ve made a list of some clamtastic activities and places to go that will be sure to wow your date!