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Lobster And Shellfish: Taste Adventures Made Easy

By | December 13, 2009

No one should miss the opportunity to sit down to a dinner of fresh shellfish. Living near a coastline would obviously be the easiest way to enjoy such a dinner. Although residents of inland communities may not have as easy access, they may step out to the local fishmonger or restaurant in the area specializing in fresh shellfish who likely have their produce shipped in fresh on a daily basis. A more convenient option is to purchase fresh shellfish from a reputable online store. As Fedex offers overnight delivery within the continental US, you can enjoy a fresh seafood meal on a regular basis without having to settle for the poor substitute of a frozen entree.

Who is to question the king of seafood is none other than lobster? It must have taken a brave person to decide to try this thing the first time. Believe it or not, they were very unpopular for the longest time. To us, this pricey delicacy was once the food of peasants. Although true, it will probably be only a small comfort when your forking over $11.95 a pound in stores or $29.95 in a restaurant. Lots of times, the only way to ensure your getting the freshest lobster as possible is to order online. After all, this way you can be certain its fresh because you are ordering fresh from the coast and having it shipped directly to you.

To prepare lobster at home, you buy one per person, alive and kicking at your fishmonger or seafood counter, bringing them home in a bag. Do not put them in fresh water; people often do, but it will kill them. Just close the bag well and keep it in the refrigerator. Plan to eat them that evening; they don’t really keep.

This is the difficult thing. Depressingly, every lobster will sacrifice him or herself for your dinner, and you are the person to cause this occurrence. In order to be as humane as possible, you may release them into a pot of fiercely boiling water, or you can kill them first by sticking a knive swiftly between the body and the head in order to instantly kill them. Selecting the latter option means steaming them in a smaller quantity of water. Grilling your lobster is also an option.

Put on a bib, serve your lobster with some butter and lemon, and don’t stand on ceremony. There are tasty morsels of meat all throughout the shell. Green tomalley or red roe which you may find in the body is edible as well, and gourmets prize this for sure.

Lobster doesn’t have to be the only dish served at this kind of ocean-themed meal. Fresh shellfish such as mussels, steamer clams, oysters, shrimp and crayfish are all delicious ways to enjoy the gifts of the sea. Mussels are excellent when scrubbed and steamed in water, wine or broth. Steamer clams are dipped in their own broth after steaming to remove any remaining sand. Oysters are perhaps the most versatile of all, being popular fried, baked and even raw.

For those who are intimidated by all these kinds of seafood, there exists another option. Clam chowder may be found in the soup aisle of most major grocery stores. Although fresh fish is always best, this chowder will provide you with the true salty taste of the ocean. Pretend that you’re on a beach holiday by serving the chowder with oyster crackers, a splash of cream, and a generous amount of ground black pepper.

The article details on the pleasures of eating fresh seafood such as lobster or fresh shellfish. It presents benefits of fresh over frosen and details on various ways to obtain these products in the best form even if you live far from the coast, like specialty shops and restaurants, or, more conveniently, via online delivery. Later on, the author moves to presenting various kinds of seafood that are available and ways to prepare them. For more mild-hearted, finally, he proposes a soup like clam chowder for a start, as it does not involve the need to kill an animal yourself during preparation.

- Matthew Lewis

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