Too much seafood?

[Carolyn Tillie]

I am currently working on ghost-writing a cookbook for a Napa winery owner. It was decided earlier this week that simply editing her existing recipes is not sufficient -- she wants me to test and improve upon them as well. Working with Osprey seafood, it was arranged that I would receive a delivery yesterday morning for the two or three seafood recipes needing to be tested this week.

I typed up the list, indicating that I would need approximately 12 mussels, 12 clams, a pint of oysters, etc.. Used to working with the wholesale trade, promptly at 8:00 a.m. yesterday morning, a knock on my door produced a young deliveryman with 12 pounds of mussels and 12 pounds of clams and a gallons of pre-shucked oysters. Also included in the order were two giant slabs of ling cod, giant fresh shrimp, and a container of crabmeat. Fortunately, the deliveryman seemed to understand the predicament and was able to take back some of the mussels and clams (they were packaged in 4-pound and 6-pound bags, respectively).

Regardless, we are still left with far more mussels and clams than the testing recipes call for. We have frozen up much of the ling cod and Kevin has promised some crab cakes from a recipe he acquired while working with Horst Pfeifer at Bella Luna in New Orleans. We made cioppino last night, will be having steamers for lunch today, am planning on bouillabaise for 6 this evening, but will still be overwhelmed, I'm afraid...

I have a feeling that by the middle of the weekend, I'm going to be screaming for a steak!

[dockhl]

LOL !

OK, here's the plan~

I live in central CA, YOU live in NoCal..........not so far apart, right?

Looks like I could make a roadtrip this weekend if needed !

Really, tho, cold seafood salad? You can freeze the shrimp (what a shame to have to !) ............

the clams, mussels, oysters? Hmmmmmmmm............

[ludja]

I live closer and could jog up today...

I've also seen Genovese cioppino recipes where the seafood is de-shelled at some point and reincorporated as very small pieces in the sauce. It seems that this would freeze well becauce the texture of the small pieces of seafood would be less affected by freezing than larger pieces.

Make sure to make some good seafood stock from the shells for future use if you have anough freezer space left.

Cold mussel salad sounds good as well and it sounds like you should ask a bunch of people to bring over some good chamgpagne, Sancerre, etc and have an oyster feast! Having that many shucked oysters would be a fun opportunity to try other recipes that one might not usually make--Hangtown Fry for breakfast. I'd also buy some oil and set up some frying in a deep pot--fried oyster sandwiches...

Don't forget to test your recipes!!! (Are there perhaps other recipes planned for the book that also use these ingredients and that could be tested at the same time?)

Edited June 8, 2006 by ludja (log)

[johnnyd]

An embarrassment of riches for sure, Ms T!

I was once given 15 pounds of mussels when I worked on an aquaculture raft one day. Steaming them in batches, I made a EVOO, pimento, onion and herb mixture that resembled a favorite tapa dish I'd had years ago. I kinda made it up on the fly - capers were in there too. Really good and kept well.

It sounds like you have a few gallons of chowder potential there, which is freezable. Just freeze it before the milk/cream step (do that on day of service).

[highchef]

I wish I could be there to help you in your wonderful predictament...but since I can't maybe you could share that crab cake recipe???

I loved Bella Luna 10 years ago.

Is it still open/reopened???

I really need to get back to NO.

[Reefpimp]

Oh. I thought that this might be the place for me to whine about the 33 pompano I've got frozen (on top of the 42-lb wahoo and the 78-lb grouper). But I guess it isn't.

[Gigi4808]

Not the most imaginative but to not make a clam sauce would be a shame.

Oyster po' boys

Mexican style shrimp cocktail- so refreshing on a hot day.

Maybe do a mix of "shooters" using your various shell fish with different sauce concoctions.

[Carolyn Tillie]

I wish I could be there to help you in your wonderful predictament...but since I can't maybe you could share that crab cake recipe???

I loved Bella Luna 10 years ago.

Is it still open/reopened???

I really need to get back to NO.

←

Ten years ago was about when Kevin worked there! Too funny... I tried to extract the recipe from him and was promptly shooed out of the kitchen. Sorry... I can say the cakes were redolent with a moist relish that included capers, pimentos, and leeks (I know this because of what I have in the kitchen!). He had to open a bottle of French Tourraine as well and I saw him beating egg whites which I think made them quite light. Maybe that will help...

I checked Bella Luna's website which has not been updated since immediately after the hurricane so it does not look like it has re-opened yet.