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 Hi, I'm Dave and I'm a shellfishaholic. My wife wants me to stop
writing about shellfish because they aren't everyone's cup of tea. But
I can't resist the temptation. When we were in Boston recently, the one
restaurant I had to visit was the Union Oyster House.
While Michael and Michelle rested at the hotel, I snuck away and
happily indulged in a dozen oysters and a bowl of clam chowder.
Today
at the Santa Monica Farmers' Market, Carlsbad Aquafarm had fresh
oysters, clams, mussels, and live abalone. I wanted to buy everything.
I showed some restraint. I only bought the oysters and clams.
A
nice thing about shellfish is they keep in the refrigerator for several
days as long as you follow a couple of suggestions. Oysters need to be
stacked in a bowl with the rounded part of the shell down, so the oyster sits in its own liquid. Clams will drown if they're submerged in water. Save a plastic basket
that comes with strawberries. Cut it in half, put it on the bottom of a
bowl and the clams on top. That will keep the clams above any water
they spit out while they're waiting in the refrigerator.
Breaded Oyster Sandwich
Breading
usually means dredging the oysters in a egg-milk wash before rolling
them in breadcrumbs. I prefer a simply seasoned olive oil mixture. The
resulting oysters are lighter and crisper. As a condiment I recommend
making homemade tartar sauce.
 1 dozen oysters, shucked, nectar reserved for later use
1 cup bread crumbs
1 tablespoon Italian parsley, leaves only, finely
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sweet butter
Sea salt and pepper
2 tablespoons tartar sauce
2 small baguettes, cut in half
1 small avocado, peeled, pitted, sliced (optional)
Romaine lettuce or arugula leaves (optional)
Drizzle
the baguettes with a little olive oil, then toast or grill. Pour the
olive oil into a shallow bowl and season with sea salt and freshly
ground black pepper. In a second bowl, mix together the bread crumbs
and parsley. Roll each oyster first in the seasoned olive oil, then in
the breadcrumb-parsley mix. Heat olive oil and butter in a sauté pan.
Lightly brown each oyster. Turn carefully so they brown on all sides,
then drain on a paper towel.
Spread the tartar sauce on the
baguettes. Arrange 6 of the oysters on each baguette. Adding sliced
avocado and lettuce is optional but recommended.
Serves 2. Preparation Time: 15 minutes. Cooking Time: 5 minutes.
Steamed Clams
 Cooking
clams is no more complicated than boiling water. The Carlsbad
Aquafarm's clams are exceptionally fresh and sweet tasting.
2 pounds clams (butter clams or little necks)
1 cup water
1 tablespoon sweet butter
Put
the clams, water, and butter into a pot on medium-high heat, cover, and
cook for 5 minutes. Pick out any clams that haven't opened and discard.
Serve the clams and their nectar in a bowl with a buttered baguette.
Adding a salad turns the clams into a full meal.
Serves 2. Preparation Time: 2 minutes. Cooking Time: 5 minutes.
David Latt is an Emmy-award winning television producer who turns to
cooking to alleviate stress. He shares his experiences with food and
his favorite recipes on his blog Men Who Like To Cook.
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