> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://couchpotatocook.ghost.io/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # How to enjoy a seafood festival when you can't eat shellfish - URL: https://couchpotatocook.ghost.io/seafood-allergy-festival/ - Published: 2024-10-24T16:50:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-15T09:09:22.000Z - Description: Everyone was really nice about it at the Off the Hook Santa Monica Seafood Festival - Author: Mallory Carra - Tags: Experiences October 2011\. At my NBCUniversal internship, I ate a microwavable bowl of shrimp and pasta from a [now-defunct grocery store](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fresh%5F%26%5FEasy?ref=couchpotatocook.ghost.io) for dinner and then headed home. While battling traffic on the 101, it hit me: a wave of nausea I’d later learn was the beginning of my shellfish allergy. I’ll be real with you — it sucks!! I was devastated. I spent my late teen years and early 20s devouring all the lobsters, oysters, shrimp, mussels, uni, clams, etc. I could find. And now, I could only look at them from afar and also Google “Is \[insert shellfish name here\] considered shellfish?” (the answer is usually yes, Mallory, it is.) > Even over a decade later, it still makes me sad, but I’ve discovered a whole world of seafood I can still have. *Salmon. Tuna. Yellowtail. Mahi Mahi. Sand dabs.* It’s fine. Fast forward to October 2024\. When I got invited as a VIP[1](#footnote-1) to the [Off the Hook Santa Monica Seafood Festival](https://offthehookseafoodfest.com/?ref=couchpotatocook.ghost.io), benefiting [Heal the Bay](https://healthebay.org/?ref=couchpotatocook.ghost.io) and returning after a 5-year hiatus, I jumped at the chance. It’s also a [Spin PR Group](https://spinprgroup.com/?ref=couchpotatocook.ghost.io) event and I’m a big fan of their work — I had a blast at [MAINopoly: A Taste of Main Street Santa Monica](https://mainopolysm.com/?ref=couchpotatocook.ghost.io) in May. But I didn’t think about my allergy until…well, when I got to the event site on the Santa Monica Pier and thought, “Oh no, what about the shellfish?” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/31/f0/31f04d57-b044-43f8-bd1f-bb4827714897/content/images/2026/07/59307784-e640-4ed6-aca1-fccf1e99bbbc_1170x908-jpeg.jpg) Oyster 'Shooter' (spicy tuna, trout roe, scallions, ponzu) from Michael’s Santa Monica But this story has a happy ending. Spoiler alert: it’s me eating lots of seafood and successfully avoiding shellfish! > I constantly asked, *“Does this have shellfish in it?”* and declared my allergy to everyone. I learned this from my mom, who has a major food allergy of her own — when in doubt, just ask what a dish contains and make your allergy known. I’m also a journalist; I have no qualms about asking even the simplest of questions, including ones about shellfish. So many vendors were accommodating and offered me alternatives. And that makes sense, because [shellfish allergies are among the most common](https://www.foodallergy.org/living-food-allergies/food-allergy-essentials/common-allergens/shellfish?ref=couchpotatocook.ghost.io#:~:text=Shellfish%20allergies%20are%20the%20most,3) in adults and children, affecting about 2% of the population, according to the non-profit Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE). [Some religions](https://www.chapman.edu/campus-life/fish-interfaith-center/%5Ffiles/religious-dietary-restrictions.pdf?ref=couchpotatocook.ghost.io) also refrain from eating shellfish. The folks at [Michael’s Santa Monica](https://michaelssantamonica.com/?ref=couchpotatocook.ghost.io) were my first stop in the VIP area and after I declared my shellfish allergy, they gave me the spicy tuna, trout roe, scallions, and ponzu without the oyster. And you know what? It was delicious. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/31/f0/31f04d57-b044-43f8-bd1f-bb4827714897/content/images/2026/07/ea2a46f9-563c-4e53-925e-1839c264d09e_360x347-jpeg.jpg) Oyster ‘Shooter’ without the oyster It was also helpful that most vendors in the VIP area had the ingredients listed on their signs, so I could scan them to see if I had anything to worry about. However, a lot of vendors out in the public area didn’t always have signs, so again, I just asked. Lots of non-shellfish bites to go around! ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/31/f0/31f04d57-b044-43f8-bd1f-bb4827714897/content/images/2026/07/e68d287e-4b8b-49d1-9c53-1a4f7cf95e32_4032x3024-jpeg.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/31/f0/31f04d57-b044-43f8-bd1f-bb4827714897/content/images/2026/07/c0f32e53-9826-49eb-830c-c4cbed0f1581_4032x3024-jpeg.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/31/f0/31f04d57-b044-43f8-bd1f-bb4827714897/content/images/2026/07/5174c988-ccae-4e35-bbbe-1cbbc1817b84_4032x3024-jpeg.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/31/f0/31f04d57-b044-43f8-bd1f-bb4827714897/content/images/2026/07/539c505d-b60f-48f5-8258-7097891aab30_4032x3024-jpeg.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/31/f0/31f04d57-b044-43f8-bd1f-bb4827714897/content/images/2026/07/64aa86b2-4682-4023-8e43-d1a529933dab_4032x3024-jpeg.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/31/f0/31f04d57-b044-43f8-bd1f-bb4827714897/content/images/2026/07/f55d0f21-51f0-47cd-b2d7-42babf9c4b08_4032x3024-jpeg.jpg) Clockwise from left: Marelle Santa Monica, BOA Steakhouse, Surfing Fox, Crudo e Nudo, Santa Monica Seafood, Tiato Santa Monica [Emporium Thai](https://www.ethaicuisine.com/?ref=couchpotatocook.ghost.io), an excellent Thai place in Westwood, served up Southern Thai curry with veggies and crispy tofu, which was one of the few non-seafood dishes and it was vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, and nut-free. More non-seafood items were the meringues from [Malibu Meringue](https://www.instagram.com/malibumeringue/?ref=couchpotatocook.ghost.io) and a cup of Cold Brew with Chantilly Cloud from [Santai](https://www.instagram.com/santaicoffee/?ref=couchpotatocook.ghost.io). Another vendor, [Al Dente Pasta Shop](https://aldentepastashop.com/?ref=couchpotatocook.ghost.io), was willing to scoop some pasta for me that didn’t have shrimp in it[2](#footnote-2) and I got a free bag of pasta to try at home! At the [Layla/Coco Club](https://www.cocorooftop.com/?ref=couchpotatocook.ghost.io) table, they offered me their delicious pineapple soft serve. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/31/f0/31f04d57-b044-43f8-bd1f-bb4827714897/content/images/2026/07/a6093540-9bb6-4e32-b139-80471680ab9a_4032x3024-jpeg.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/31/f0/31f04d57-b044-43f8-bd1f-bb4827714897/content/images/2026/07/1381979f-31ab-4b79-bc87-f0cf6a8c417f_4032x3024-jpeg.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/31/f0/31f04d57-b044-43f8-bd1f-bb4827714897/content/images/2026/07/0fa82c5d-4b94-4754-9cda-0ef48264fdd8_4032x3024-jpeg.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/31/f0/31f04d57-b044-43f8-bd1f-bb4827714897/content/images/2026/07/75bc28b8-9e00-40e9-bcb4-0f29120b8016_4032x3024-jpeg.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/31/f0/31f04d57-b044-43f8-bd1f-bb4827714897/content/images/2026/07/f177bb5b-17d8-453e-a70f-00da34f7a228_4032x3024-jpeg.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/31/f0/31f04d57-b044-43f8-bd1f-bb4827714897/content/images/2026/07/7b955284-d8e2-4e9a-8ab2-9434d270d11a_4032x3024-jpeg.jpg) Clockwise from left: Al Dente Pasta Shop (2), Layla/Coco Club, Malibu Meringue, Santai, Emporium Thai All in all, it was a great seafood festival and it was accessible by LA Metro! A rarity in LA. I took the train there because, if you haven’t heard, the LA Dodgers are in the MLB playoffs and as of this writing, headed to the World Series. It’s been [a traffic nightmare](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KREkxxVGw70&ref=couchpotatocook.ghost.io). --- 1. The VIP pass was gifted to me in exchange for coverage on my Instagram. Thank you, Spin PR Group! [↩](#footnote-anchor-1 "Jump back to footnote 1 in the text.") 2. My allergy is thankfully not that sensitive to cross-contamination, but I know that’s not the case for everyone. [↩](#footnote-anchor-2 "Jump back to footnote 2 in the text.")