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 treats can be enjoyed year around. Don’t let the small fact that Summer is over stop you from enjoying the delicious, smoky flavors of smoked seafood all year around. Truly when you get right down to it, smoked seafood is a year around treat. Throwing a social event in the fall and winter months is always a good idea. Spice up the level of entertainment by including a few smoked seafood treats.
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!
Scallops require very little preparation and are meatier than clams. 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. It is important not to overcook smoked scallops, or you will end up with a chewy, inedible food.
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. 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. Once you get down to the meaty goodness of crab legs, you will want to make this smoked seafood part of your everyday diet!
Shrimp can be mixed with any meal like burritos , tacos, pasta dishes and many more. Smoked shrimps are also used to spices up stews and soups. Shrimp adds an unique Cajun flavor to Creole dishes. In whatever way you choose to serve it , shrimp makes any meal to remember for its taste.
Smoked seafood is a treat that everyone should get the chance to enjoy. If someone you know has not had the opportunity to enjoy this tasty and delicious way to enjoy seafood, then take it upon yourself to share this experience with them.
