Cookoff 2.0 #49 Mussels & Mollusks

[Cheez-Wiz]

Cookoff 2.0 #1 - Heat Infusion - Parrothead
Cookoff 2.0 #2 - Tomatoes - Unknown Foodie
Cookoff 2.0 #3 - Butternut Squash - Jackiecat
Cookoff 2.0 #4 - Fennel - Nolafoodie
Cookoff 2.0 #5 - Grains of Paradise - PattyE
Cookoff 2.0 #6 - Eggplant - Geimerst
Cookoff 2.0 #7 - Soup - Pixie
Cookoff 2.0 #8 - Ribs - Dan
Cookoff 2.0 #9 - Citrus fruit - Moonablaze
Cookoff 2.0 #10 - Clams - Thierry
Cookoff 2.0 #11 - Ground Beef - Parrothead
Cookoff 2.0 #12 - Olives - Grovite
Cookoff 2.0 #13 - Slaw - Nolafoodie
Cookoff 2.0 #14 - Peppercorns - Grovite
Cookoff 2.0 #15 - Yogurt - Eye4got
Cookoff 2.0 #16 - Summer Squash - Nolafoodie
Cookoff 2.0 #17 - Collards - ajkdvm
Cookoff 2.0 #18 - Lemongrass - Fleur
Cookoff 2.0 #19 - Summer herbs: basil/parsley/oregano/etc. - ajkdvm
Cookoff 2.0 #20 - Tapas and party bites - lunanoir
Cookoff 2.0 #21 - Fall Squash - ajkdvm
Cookoff 2.0 #22 - Cauliflower- altonfaninmd
Cookoff 2.0 #23 - Holiday Cookies - ghenne
Cookoff 2.0 #24 - Pressure Cooker - Charlene
Cookoff 2.0 #25 - Hot'n Spicy - Slamdunkpro
Cookoff 2.0 #26 - Soy Sauce - Eye4got
Cookoff 2.0 #27 - Peanut Butter - kimberlyjoy
Cookoff 2.0 #28 - Salmon - Charlene
Cookoff 2.0 #29 - Breakfast - DanC
Cookoff 2.0 #30 - Tortillas - Grovite
Cookoff 2.0 #31 - Foil Grill Packets - DitsyD
Cookoff 2.0 #32 - Rice - Charlene
Cookoff 2.0 #33 - Wild Game - haleoalau
Cookoff 2.0 #34 - Sugar-Free Desserts - nolafoodie
Cookoff 2.0 #35 - Potatoes - Kinsley
Cookoff 2.0 #36 - Egg Nog - Eye4got
Cookoff 2.0 #37 - Spices - Okbye
Cookoff 2.0 #38 - Grains - nolafoodie
Cookoff 2.0 #39 - Cucumbers - Pam T
Cookoff 2.0 #40 - Asparagus - Charlene
Cookoff 2.0 #41 - Fresh Fruit - Okbye
Cookoff 2.0 #42 - Coconut - ghenne
Cookoff 2.0 #43 - Cabbage - Charlene
Cookoff 2.0 #44 - Mushrooms - thatchairlady
Cookoff 2.0 #45 - Pork Tenderloin - Charlene
Cookoff 2.0 #46 - Eggs
Cookoff 2.0 #47 - Bananas - Nowal
Cookoff 2.0 #48 - Mangos - new cook
Cookoff 2.0 #49 - Mussels - Cheez Wiz

Mr. Wiz sez............."Show me your mussels."

[tj]

Don't know exactly how it is done, but there is a restaurant near here that offers mussels in marinara that are wonderful.

I'm guessing they just scrub them off and steam them in a pan of marinara sauce.

Was eating there with a friend once and the waitress tried to take the sauce after he had finished the mussels while he was still dunking bread in it. He just about threw her aside. Dey's DAT good!

[captnhoney]

I have never made these before but had then in an awesome resturant as well. They had a garlic, butter and white wine sauce and it was very good.

[thatchairlady]

Made escargot... from canned, since never seen fresh ones anywhere. Made a seriously garlicky butter, stuck them in shells and sealed them in with the butter... into oven till bubbly. Later, there were 2-3 that hadn't been gobbled up, but had gotten cold. Neighbor decided a VERY brief spin in microwave would do it... MAYBE a minute. WELL, they SHOT out of the shells like bullets!

And as for taking away any kinda sauce that screams for bread to dip... not a good idea. At a previous job, a co-worker organized our Christmas luncheon. Every pay day we gave him $5 from about September and by December we all enjoyed a wonder lunch at Le Bec Fin in Philly. Escargot came in cute litte silver sauce pans. When waiter came to start clearing appetizer plates... it was unanymous... take the plates, leave the escargot pots, and bring more bread!

[Cheez-Wiz]

I didn't realize this was a difficult (or unpopular) ingredient.
Sorry.
I left it open to invite contributions for any and all mollusks. (Squid, clams, oysters, scallops, mussels, snails............)

[tj]

I don't think the ingredients are unpopular, just that I'll bet not a lot of folks use them at home. My favorite way to serve oysters is hardly a recipe: splatter with lemon juice and cocktail sauce and munch with soda crackers and good bourbon on the rocks. Have never had a squid in the house, but with a favorite place for calamari have never needed to.

Your list, buy the way, sounds like a whopper of a paella.

Like you, I am waiting for enlightenment from our shore dwellers.

[okbye]

Living in Arizona I haven't ever even eaten a lot of shellfish much less made it. To get it in the desert fresh is just cost prohibitive for me. So I would love to have it in my diet but it just hasn't happened. Charlene lives in Florida, she'll come in and save it eventually

[Butterbean]

Got nothing for mussels, but since scallops qualify as mollusks, this is one I've tried to perfect from something our cafeteria featured some years ago. The recipe is for one, & they used small bay scallops when I first had it, but I prefer larger sea scallops. Measurements are approximate, since I usually "eyeball" it.

Curried Lime Scallops

3-4 Sea scallops
1 small shallot, minced
1 tb butter
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 tp curry powder (or to taste)
chopped cilantro or parsley for garnish

In a small skillet, melt butter & sweat the minced shallots. Add scallops (seasoned with S&P) & saute briefly on both sides. Add lime juice, curry powder & cream & heat until the mixture reduces to a "sauce" consistency (but don't overcook the scallops). Serve over Basmati rice & garnish with cilantro or parsley.

[nolafoodie]

Ersta Po' Boys, Dawlin'!

What y'all gonna need:

1 qt erstas (dat's "oysters" to da rest o' y'all), cleaned
a couple o' aygs ("eggs")
a couple cups o' Fish Frah (Zatarain's Fish Fry is available nationwide, but you can use a similar substitute, or make your own using corn flour, Cajun/Creole seasoning, and salt & pepper.)

A loaf o' Po' Boy bread, cut into quaa-tas.
***BEWARE! The use of anything besides po' boy bread will result in a sub-par (get it? "sub"-par) sandwich that is not a po' boy. Po' boy bread has an interior that is airy, yet slightly chewy, and an exterior that is thin and brittle. If you have access to Vietnamese banh mi, then four loaves of banh mi are an acceptable substitute for this recipe. Gluten-free, tapioca-based bread is a bit too chewy for this application, but if you need it to be gluten-free, then that's your best bet.

Some lettuce, sliced tomaytaz and pickles, and mynez ("mayonnaise")

A bottle o' hot sauce an' a couple lemon wedges at da table.

What y'all gonna do:

Beat the eggs, add the oysters, coat in Fish Fry, and fry until golden-brown and delicious. Make sandwiches using the fried oysters and remaining ingredients.

[thatchairlady]

Was gonna ask what kinida AWL you fry them in?!? My Grandmother LOVED oysters... me not so much. She'd fry them in bacon grease... same as she did crab cakes. Don't remember her ever having hot sauce in the house??

[nolafoodie]

Was gonna ask what kinida AWL you fry them in?!? My Grandmother LOVED oysters... me not so much. She'd fry them in bacon grease... same as she did crab cakes. Don't remember her ever having hot sauce in the house??

Oh ma lawd, definitely either peanut awl or peanut erl.

[thatchairlady]

awl or erl, in the Philly area, is a TWO syllable word... oi..al??

[nolafoodie]

awl or erl, in the Philly area, is a TWO syllable word... oi..al??

That's actually how I say it too. Grew up in northern NJ.

[Norm357]

Ersta Po' Boys, Dawlin'!

What y'all gonna need:

1 qt erstas (dat's "oysters" to da rest o' y'all), cleaned
a couple o' aygs ("eggs")
a couple cups o' Fish Frah (Zatarain's Fish Fry is available nationwide, but you can use a similar substitute, or make your own using corn flour, Cajun/Creole seasoning, and salt & pepper.)

A loaf o' Po' Boy bread, cut into quaa-tas.
***BEWARE! The use of anything besides po' boy bread will result in a sub-par (get it? "sub"-par) sandwich that is not a po' boy. Po' boy bread has an interior that is airy, yet slightly chewy, and an exterior that is thin and brittle. If you have access to Vietnamese banh mi, then four loaves of banh mi are an acceptable substitute for this recipe. Gluten-free, tapioca-based bread is a bit too chewy for this application, but if you need it to be gluten-free, then that's your best bet.

Some lettuce, sliced tomaytaz and pickles, and mynez ("mayonnaise")

A bottle o' hot sauce an' a couple lemon wedges at da table.

What y'all gonna do:

Beat the eggs, add the oysters, coat in Fish Fry, and fry until golden-brown and delicious. Make sandwiches using the fried oysters and remaining ingredients.

We have got to get together for lunch soon.

[Jules]

Oysters ya' say?

Bingo!

[Kinsley]

Oysters ya' say? Bingo!

...wholesale 250-300 bushels of oysters per week and roughly 200 bushels per week for catering.

doesn't sound like much. I'd think Mongo could eat that many himself.

[Cheez-Wiz]

Both recipes sounded wonderful. Haven't had a good ersta po'boy in a long time. Thanks for sharing, NOLA!!

Hats off to Buttah this week for her superb rendition of Curried Lime Scallops.

[nolafoodie]

Aw, shucks! (Get it? "Shucks!" )

Next topic... let's see... It's summertime. We do a lot of grilling during the summer, so it's probably time to have a good ol' good eats sausage-fest.

[Butterbean]

And the winner is?

[Cheez-Wiz]

Both of you are winners in my book.
Can't there be a tie????

The recipe that I would most likely prepare due to availability of ingredients would be Butterbean's Curried Lime Scallops.
So, this week's cookoff winner is Butterbean.

Can't get good ersta's or po'boy bread round these parts, but I truly loved NOLA's enthusiasm in describing that dish.