Salmon is king at Seafair food fest

Sketched July 25, 10:10 a.m.

This is not the salmon you get to eat at this weekend's Ballard SeafoodFest. But you can go inside — only three people at a time. Or you can have your photo taken in front of it, like Sherianne Caldwell was doing when I arrived Saturday morning. As you would expect, she was here for the food and the entertainment. "I love seafood, especially any kind of shellfish," she said.

The real salmon could be found at Ballard Brothers, where Sharmin Hawley was cooking their signature Cajun blackened-salmon fillets. "The key is the secret seasoning. It has 14 herbs and spices," she said.

The kitchen was sizzling as I drew her and chef John Ennis, and talked to owner Drew Greer, who's been a vendor at the festival for 22 years. "I am a tradition here," he said.

See more drawings from SeafoodFest, including a Viking ship, in my blog.

Seattle Times artist Gabriel Campanario sketches and blogs about life

in the Puget Sound area. Comment on this and other drawings at seattletimes.com/seattlesketcher. E-mail: gcampanario@seattletimes.com