- Mussels attach themselves underwater to docks, posts, rocks and boats. Their shell is an elongated, oval shape, usually black with a green cast. The beards--long stringy filaments--attach the mussels to a support and must be removed before cooking. The flesh is sweet, briny and if cooked properly, tender. Scrub the shells and pull off as much of the beard as possible. When the shells open they release a flavorful juice which adds to soups and stews. A very simple preparation calls for cooking the mussels in white wine, lemon juice and garlic. Mussels are available frozen, stuffed on the half shell and live.
- Clams range in size from small littlenecks to huge Pismo clams. The flesh may be tender or require chopping and cooking to become tender. Clams are mobile. They hop along the bottom of the ocean by swallowing water, removing the nutrients and squirting the water out. The squirting pushes them in the opposite direction, much like a balloon when you let out the air. They also use a muscle that extrudes when they open their shells. The muscle pushes them along the floor. Some varieties of clams bury themselves in the sand. Find them by their air bubbles when the water washes over the sand. Use clams in clam chowders, with pasta sauces, fried, steamed or sauteed. Clams are available live, processed or canned with their juice and frozen.
- The oysters you find at the fish monger's or grocer's are completely different than those seeded for pearls. Oysters have a ruffled edge to their shells. The bottom half is flatter than the top half, which makes stuffing the oysters easier since the bottom half is more stable. Of the three bivalves, oysters are consumed raw. The texture is a bit gelatinous and chewy. Offer raw oysters with lemon juice and hot sauce. Oysters Rockefeller, first served by Jules Alciatore at Antoine's Restaurant in 1899, was named for John D. Rockefeller, the richest man in the world at the time, because of the richness of the sauce. The baked oysters are served in their shell and topped with a sauce made from lots of butter, spinach, bread crumbs and a licorice-flavored liqueur.
- If you plan on harvesting your own mussels, clams or oysters by fishing or digging, check to see if you need a fishing license. Certain restrictions of when during the day you can take the clams may be in effect. Don't take bivalves from waters that may be polluted. Red tide renders seafood toxic. Take notice of any signage. Live bivalves should close when tapped. Keep them either on ice or in water but not both. Clams may need to be cleaned by submerging in water to get them to purge any sand. If the bivalves don't open after cooking, throw them out.
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