Blurbs Galore!

One of the greatest dishes to serve during summer is smoked seafood. For a light yet delicious seafood 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 your while!

Just because Summer is the best time to enjoy a smoked seafood does not mean you have to stop there. Your social gatherings will thrive even in the fall and winter months when you add smoked seafood to the entertainment menu. Spice up the tastebuds of your friends and guests with a delicious, smokey, mysterious smoked seafood treat.

Examples of smoked seafood include clams, smoked scallops and mussles. Farm-raised mussles have the obvious advantages of being fresh and readily available but wild varieties are equally delicious. Hard clams, also called quahogs, live in sandy coves and are caught at low tide. Quahogs taste great when stuffed with butter and garlic. Clams are very popular in pasta dishes, but clam chowder still remains one of the most popular clam dishes!

Sea scallops are delightfully large, though must be shucked (removed from their shells) almost immediately after capture to ensure they don’t lose moisture and die. Scallops are meatier than clams and require very little preparation. It is important not to overcook smoked scallops, or you will end up with a chewy, inedible morsel.

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.

Other smoked seafood includes smoked crab and smoked shrimp.Once you get down to the meaty goodness of Alaskan king crab legs, you will want to make this smoked seafood part of your everyday diet! Crab is maybe the most popular shellfish and is widely bought and eaten. The crabbing industry is a multi-million dollar one.While eating crab can be messy and often difficult, special tools have been created to make cracking crab easier.

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 one to remember. Shrimp can be added to any meal and is a great variation in burritos, tacos, pasta dishes and more. Smoked shrimp spices up stews and soups.

One of the unknown secrets of the sea is smoked seafood. This is a great way to enjoy seafood and how good it tastes is not widely known. Surprise a friend or that special someone with a smoked seafood dish. Sharing this delicious dish with others is a great way to socialize and entertain.

By Shannon Linnen

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