Fried Osyters Are Good Eatin'

 

Not too long ago I made a day trip to the shore just for a plate of fried seafood. Sometimes it's just like that. You have to satisfy the craving. We love the Crab Shack in Emerald Isle. It's nothing fancy but it's got bay views and plates of juicy, perfectly fried oysters, shrimp, scallops and clam strips. The plates are mounded high with quality home cooking and, unless you're greedy, are ample for two. We still can't resist ordering a plate apiece. For those times when you can't get to the shore, you can always pan-fry your own oysters at home. Now that the weather is beginning to cool down at night, we think a plate of oysters sounds just right. 

 

Pan-fried Oysters

1 pint medium oysters, drained

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup corn meal

3 tablespoons chopped parsley

3 cloves minced garlic

2 tablespoons oil

2 tablespoons butter

lemon juice

Mix dry ingredients, minced garlic and chopped parsley. Dredge oysters in mixture and let sit on paper 5 minutes. Heat oil and butter until sizzling hot. Add oysters. Brown lightly 30-40 seconds on each side. Serve immediately with lemon juice or tartar sauce.

Serves 2

Simple and savory recipe: mussels with linguine

 

 

Mussels are one of my favorite mollusks. They're delicious, nutritious, and inexpensive as well as readily available fresh or frozen in most seafood markets.

These tender and versatile mollusks were long considered the poor relative to better known and pricier shellfish – scallops, clams and oysters.  But anyone who’s ever eaten Moule Frites (the hearty French bistro fare Mussels and Fries) knows there is, thankfully, more than one shellfish in the sea.

Since mussels, like their more celebrated cousins, oysters, feed indiscriminately, most mussels found in markets are farm raised. Selecting fresh mussels is not difficult if you follow two simple rules – look for tightly closed shellfish and avoid broken or damaged shells.  While you might keep your mussels on ice overnight in the refrigerator, they are highly perishable and should be used promptly after purchase.

Most live mussels bought in the seafood markets are pretty thoroughly cleaned. However, should they be “bearded,” you simply will need to remove that unsightly stubble of hairs with a sharp tug toward the hinge of the mussel. To ensure they are thoroughly clean, it’s recommended to place the mussels in cold water with a tablespoon or two of corn meal. The mollusks eat the corn meal, then expel any grit or sand, making your mussels much tastier.  They should be well-rinsed before preparation. 

Despite what may seem like a high maintenance ritual, I prefer fresh mussels - alive, alive oh - for obvious reasons.

However, I recently tried green mussels frozen (and already cooked). I was a little leery of frozen mussels, thinking they'd be rubbery perhaps.  I bought a New Zealand brand, Talley's, found at Whole Foods, which were on the half shell, and retail for about $7.99.

The results were pleasantly surprising, tender meat and good flavor.  I made a quick broth with dried Italian herbs, sherry, garlic, sweet onion and diced tomatoes, added the mussels, and then put on a pot of water to boil the linguine. Don’t forget to reserve pasta water to add to the sauce as it helps the sauce adhere to the pasta.

Dinner was ready in less than half an hour. This quick and easy recipe for mussels is great for last minute meals.

Mussels with Linguine

serves four

8 ounces linguine

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon butter, salted

1/4 cup Vidalia onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup tomatoes, diced

1/2 tablespoon Italian herbs, dry

1/4 cup sherry

1 cup chicken stock (or clam juice)

1. Add butter and olive oil to a small stock pot. Stir in onion, garlic, tomatoes, and Italian herbs. Saute for about five minutes or until onions are soft.

2. Add sherry to the stockpot and reduce by half before adding the chicken stock or clam juice and the mussels.

3. Simmer for about 5-10 minutes, allowing the flavors to marry.

4. Put pot of water on to boil for linguine. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water to add to your sauce.

5. Add pasta water to your stockpot, then add linguine to mussel and broth mixture. Gently mix, then serve in pasta bowls.  Sprinkle with grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano as desired. Garnish with chopped flatleaf parsley.

Serve with fresh Italian bread.

 

Take a fish to lunch at The Beach, Florida's best kept secret

October is National Seafood month and what better place is there to enjoy fresh seafood than at The Beach on Northwest Florida’s gulf coast.

Take a fish or shellfish to lunch when you show up at one of the many fall foodie festivals taking place all across the 227-mile coastline of The Beach. Local chefs will be cooking up everything from shrimp to barbecue to German sausages.

The action starts in late September each year and continues through the month of November. Join thousands of visitors who venture to these sugar-sand shores for great food, fine wine and live music.

Here you’ll find fish and shellfish boiled, fried, blackened, sautéed, raw and as the featured item in many original culinary creations.

Check out competitions between the best local cooks, mouth-watering recipes from area restaurants as well as the best vintage wines  and home brews.  The festivals are like one long progressive dinner and everyone’s invited.

Grab a handful of napkins, check out the menu and dig in to fall culinary travel at The Beach.

Here are the appetizers.

32^nd Annual Pensacola Seafood Festival - September 25-27, 2009

Hours: Friday, Sept. 25, Noon – 11 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 26, 10 a.m. – 11 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 27, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Seville Square in downtown Pensacola, 850-433-6512

www.fiestaoffiveflags.org/SeafoodFestival or www.visitpensacola.com

Tthe Pensacola Seafood Festival is one of the Southeast Tourism Society’s “Top 20 Events in the Southeast,” and one of the largest events in Florida, with over 100,000 in attendance.

Area chefs offer selections that include fried grouper, blackened mahi mahi, and Pensacola crab ball, while festival goers enjoy the arts and crafts of over 175 vendors. Live music by a dozen local bands, cooking demonstrations, a 5K walk/run, a Splash Dog competition and children’s activities make this three-day event an area favorite.

Admission is free.

31^st Annual Destin Seafood Festival - October 2-4, 2009

Hours: Friday, Oct. 2, 4 - 10 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 3, 10 a.m. - 10 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 4,

11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

HarborWalk Village on the Destin Harbor, 850-837-2711 www.destinchamber.com/destin/seafoodfestival.asp or www.destin-fwb.com

Also listed in the Southeast Tourism Society’s “Top 20 Events in the Southeast,” the Destin Seafood Festival offers fresh seafood prepared by some of the area’s most popular restaurants, while local bands share the stage with top national music makers.

This year’s headliners are Survivor and Joan Jett and the Blackhearts.

Children’s activities and arts and crafts booths overlook the Destin Harbor where the month-long Destin Fishing Rodeo takes place each October.

Festival goers can watch the afternoon weigh-ins on the docks as anglers compete for cash and prizes.

Around 36,000 people attend the three-day event.

Admission for all three days is $15, or you may purchase daily admission bands for $5 each for Friday and Sunday and $10 for Saturday.

Oktoberfest – October 2 & 3, 2009

Hours: Friday, Oct. 2, 5 – 10 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.

Grace Avenue, downtown Panama City, 850-785-2554

www.visitpanamacitybeach.com or www.panamacity.org

Dig out the lederhosen it’s Oktoberfest time.

Each year downtown Panama City is transformed into a German-style village, with accordion players, carnival rides, sausage eating contests and lots of food and local brews.

Tthis beer and brats fest annually attracts more than 25,000 people.  Family activities include clowns and face painting for the kids, and beer tastings and polka dancing for the grown-ups.

Admission is free.

3rd Annual Blue Jeans & BBQ – October 3, 2009

Hours: Saturday, Oct. 3, 3 – 9 p.m.

Hayes Ranch, 5097 Berryhill Road in Milton, 850-208-7122

http://support.covenanthospice.org/bluejeans/index.html or www.floridabeachestorivers.com

Both a food festival and a bull riding competition, Blue Jeans & BBQ shows off the country side of The Beach and includes arts and crafts vendors and children’s activities.

There are Kiddie Korral games from 3-7 p.m., and the bull riding competition from 7 - 9 p.m., as well as live entertainment, lots of down-home BBQ, and drawings.

Guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs.

Tickets are $10 each prior to the event or $15 at the door. Children 5 and under are free.  All funds raised from the event go to Covenant Hospice.

Festa Italiana – October 9 & 10, 2009

Hours: Friday, Oct. 9, 5-9 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 10, 11 a.m. - 8 p.m.

Sons of Italy Lodge, 808 South Dr., Fort Walton Beach, 850-651-4008

www.destin-fwb.com

Hosted by the Sons of Italy Lodge #2422, Festa Italiana is an old fashioned street festival with authentic Italian food and live entertainment.

Admission is free.

St. George Island Oyster Spat Festival - October 9 & 10, 2009

Hours: (Eastern Time Zone) events at various times starting at 8 a.m.

St. George Island on the beach, 850-653-8678 (Franklin County TDC)

www.oysterspat.com or www.anaturalescape.com

Oysters reign supreme at this festival on St. George Island that includes a parade, a treasure hunt, live music and a 5K race.

Area residents are proud of their long-standing oystering, fishing and shrimping traditions, and with 90% of Florida oysters coming from the Apalachicola Bay, they have lots of facts about the humble mollusk.

For instance, an oyster spat is a baby oyster that has just passed the larva stage and has attached itself to its home base.  Who knew?

Festival goers can attach themselves to plates of oysters and other seafood at this two-day festival on the beach.

Panama City Beach Seafood, Wine & Music Festival - October 9-11, 2009

Hours: Friday, Oct. 9, 4 - 11 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 10, 11 a.m. – 11 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 11,

11 a.m. -11 p.m.

Frank Brown Park on Hwy 98 (Back Beach Road) across from Pier Park, Panama City Beach

www.panamacitybeachfest.com or www.visitpanamacitybeach.com

Combining three ever popular activities into one huge event, the Panama City Beach Seafood, Wine & Music Festival pairs daily wine tastings with celebrity chef exhibitions and nationally known performers in jazz, rock, reggae and country music.

The 2009 stars include Grand Funk Railroad, Julianne Hough, John Anderson, and STYX.

This celebration of seafood and fun also hosts a classic car show, antiques vendors, arts and crafts, and features wine from local and nationally recognized vineyards.

Bring a lawn chair or a blanket for the shows.

Advanced tickets start at $15 per person per day. Children 12 and under are free. Parking is $5 per car per day.

33^rd Annual Boggy Bayou Mullet Festival – October 16–18, 2009

Opening Hours: Friday, Oct. 16 at 11 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 17 at 9 a.m., Sunday, Oct. 18 at 10 a.m.

Mullet Festival Grounds, State Road 85 North at College Blvd., Niceville

http://mulletfestival.com or www.destin-fwb.com

The main attractions for this fishy weekend are mullet and music, especially fried mullet, and country music by this year’s headliners, Blake Shelton, Chuck Wicks and Billy Ray Cyrus.

Named after the mullet, a fish found in abundance in the local waters, the Boggy Bayou Mullet festival features an arts and crafts show, a juried art show and handmade and decorated clothing in the Boutique area.

Additionally, more than 40,000 hungry mullet fans will consume up to 10 tons of this humble fish during the three-day festival along with seafood, international foods, Cajun and country cooking.

Admission is $10 per person and includes all entertainment. Children 11 and under are free.

11th Annual Mexico Beach Art & Wine Festival – October 17, 2009

Hours: Saturday, Oct. 17, 2 – 10 p.m.

Driftwood Inn, 2105 Highway 98, Mexico Beach, 850-648-8196

www.mexicobeach.com or www.visitgulf.com

The sleepy gulf coast town of Mexico Beach comes alive with fine artists and fine wine at the annual Mexico Beach Art & Wine Festival.

Over 30 artists from across the country display their artwork and vie for over $2,000 in prize money.

Patrons enjoy live entertainment while they peruse the artists’ works, sipping great wines and sampling great food from local restaurants.

Tickets are $10 per person and all proceeds go to Special Events of Mexico Beach.

Taste of The Beach - November 5-8, 2009

Hours: Events at various times and locations over four days

www.tasteofthebeachfla.com

The newest of the Northwest Florida food festivals, Taste of The Beach is like a progressive dinner, stretching through three gulf coast counties over a four day period.

Southern Wine & Spirits is the exclusive distributor for Taste of The Beach. They and their suppliers provide the wine for this culinary and cultural charity fund raiser which offers wine dinners and walk-about food events in various locations.

It all starts on Thursday, November 5 with Taste of The Destin Harbor, located at the Emerald Grande overlooking East Pass and the harbor in Destin.

From there progress to Taste of Bay at Pier Park in Panama City Beach, Seeing Red Wine Festival in Seaside, and Taste of The Beach & Charity Auction at the Hilton Sandestin Beach in Miramar Beach. Also included is the Telluride MountainFilm on Tour festival at Watercolor.

Ticket prices vary by event and proceeds benefit regional children’s advocacy and medical foundations.

46^th Annual Florida Seafood Festival - November 6 & 7, 2009

Hours: (Eastern Time Zone) Friday, Nov. 6, 10 a.m. – 10 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 7, 10 a.m. – 11 p.m.

Battery Park, downtown Apalachicola, 888-653-8011

www.floridaseafoodfestival.com or www.anaturalescape.com

Florida’s first and oldest seafood festival, established in 1963, the Florida Seafood Festival takes place in downtown historic Apalachicola at the mouth of the Apalachicola River.

The highlight of the two-day event is the Oyster Shucking Contest followed by the Oyster Eating Contest. Some participants have been known to eat as many as 300 oysters in the allotted 15 minutes of time.

Mounds of seafood prepared by local residents, arts and crafts, live music, blue crab races, a parade, the blessing of the fleet, and the crowning of Miss Florida Seafood Festival, make this piece of forgotten Florida a don’t-miss event.