One of the best courses to serve during summer is smoked seafood. For a light yet delicious meal, consider an appetizer of smoked oysters to start. These tasty treats can be bought in most markets as well as chosen farms that specially breed them to sell. If you are lucky enough to live by a port or in a town near the ocean, you will probably find oysters easily. Some may need to venture further away, but the trip will be worth it.
Smoked seafood also includes clams, smoked scallops and mussels. Farm-raised cultured mussels are fresh and readily available. Wild varieties are equally delicious. Clams are a very popular addition to pasta dishes. Hard clams, also called quahogs, live in sandy coves and can be caught when the tide is low. A great dish to enjoy with butter and garlic is stuffed quahogs. And, of course, there is always clam chowder!
Sea scallops are wonderfully large and they should be removed from their shells soon after capturing them. This ensures that they don’t die due to lack of moisture. They contain more meat than clams and are easier to prepare as well. One should not overcook smoked scallops, else he will end up with an inedible, chewy stuff. This is very important thing to keep in mind during their preparation.
Mussels come with blue-black shells and brown hairs called byssal threads attached to their shell. Their meat is usually an orange color and they are full of protein. As with clams, mussels taste great smoked and should remain encased in their shell while cooking.
Smoked crab and smoked shrimp are also popular smoked seafood dishes. Bought and eaten in large numbers, crab is perhaps the most popular shellfish, though eating crab used to be a messy and difficult job. No longer: there are special tools now available for easily cracking crab. And when you taste the meaty goodness of crab legs, you will feel like making this smoked shellfish a part of your daily meal.
You may add shrimp to any meal and is a great variation in burritos, tacos, pasta dishes and more. Smoked shrimp spices up stews and soups. It adds a Cajun flavor to classic Creole dishes such as Jambalaya and gumbo. Whatever way you choose to serve, it, shrimp cooked in this manner will make any meal unforgettable.
Smoked seafood can be served as an appetizer or in main dishes. Smoked oysters make a great appetizer. Clams, scallops and mussels go well in pasta, soups (like clam chowder), or stuffed, while quahogs can be eaten with garlic and butter. Smoked scallops – removed from their shells soon after capture and cooked lightly to prevent toughness – are meaty and easy to prepare. Smoked shrimp works well in Creole food like jambalaya, gumbo, and other stews and soups; or in tacos, burritos and pasta. Finally, smoked crab is delicious and popular.
- Matthew Lewis