Santa Barbara Harbor & Seafood Festival resurfaces for its 19th year
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The annual Santa Barbara Harbor & Seafood Festival resurfaced for its 19th year.
This free event was hosted by the City of Santa Barbara in partnership with the Commercial Fishermen of Santa Barbara and the Santa Barbara Harbor Merchants.
Visitors traveled from all over to get a taste of the sea.
“There was a $250 lobster tail. We were tempted, but we decided to get some somebody else lucky enough to get it,” said Carpinteria resident Mike Reese.
“We’re visiting from Chicago. And the highlight was just seeing all the fresh fish and the seafood and the different kinds of foods that we don't get at festivals back in the Midwest,” said Bridget McDonough.
William Gabriel came to celebrate his 40th birthday by indulging in his favorite seafood.
“This is like the first Harbor Festival for like three years, so we're glad to be able to have made it here,” said Gabriel.
Gabriel highly recommends that people venture out of their comfort zone and try the live sea urchin.
William Gabriel, Visiting from Los Angeles
“It’s like a soft, buttery consistency.”
“Just take a spoon and you take each one of those yellow pieces out like a piece of avocado,” said Pierre Charaest, who sold hundreds of sea urchins today.
Olivia Carpenter is just 11 years old, but she’s been involved with the family business of selling lobsters for years.
“I love when everybody “Ooohs and Ahhhs” when I catch one,” said Carpenter.
Olivia’s grandfather worked as a lobster fisherman for decades.
Now, Olivia and her sister Jennifer are continuing her grandfather’s legacy by representing his company SB Seafood at the festival.
“I always love working with him at this festival I've done since I was like five, and I just enjoy doing it,” said Carpenter.
Patti Werner shares her secret recipe for the perfect lobster dinner:
“Cover it for 20 minutes. Take it out. Cut it down the middle, open it up, rinse without a bit. Get a gallon of melted butter. You ready? And there you go.”
Many visitors said that the highlight of their day was trying the live lobster.
The one from SB Seafood went for $28 a pound and was sold out within just a few hours.
For more information about the Santa Barbara Harbor and Seafood Festival visit harborfestival.org.
