I am using this category as a catch-all for everything shellfish: Crabs, clams, squid, mussels, etc. even though squid and octopus are not technically shellfish. Most of the recipes are for the shellfish and crustaceans I catch, but a few are for store-bought seafood.
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- Basics: How to Purge Clams | How to Clean Gaper or Horse Clams
- Recipes: Shellfish | Crab, Lobster & Shrimp | Squid, Octopus & Cuttlefish
Basics
How to Purge Sand from Clams
Here’s how to get all the sand out of clams you dig yourself.
How to Clean a Gaper or Horse Clam
This is how you clean the big gaper clams of the Pacific Coast, the horsenecks, butter clams and geoducks.
Shellfish: Clams, Mussels, Scallops, etc.
Clams are my first real food love. I’ve been digging them since I was a toddler, and I still love it, more than four decades later. Here’s a fantastic video a colleague shot of a clam digging trip we took in Northern California.
Maine Clam Chowder
This is my mum’s recipe for clam chowder, and even though she grew up in Massachusetts, her mother came from Maine. This is a Downeaster recipe heavy on clams, light on cream.
Classic White Clam Sauce
An Italian-American tradition, this is the linguini with clam sauce we all know and love, only I prefer it with thin vermicelli or even angel hair. No matter the pasta, this is a damn good sauce.
New England Style Fried Clams
I love fried clams. A lot. Here’s a traditional recipe for fried clams from New England, where they take them very seriously.
Rhode Island Clam Cakes
Think of these as a savory clam beignet or donnut hole. They are made of awesome.
Spanish Clams and Chorizo
A Spanish standard, the combination of pork and clams is divine. You’ll need dry Spanish chorizo for this recipe.
Mussel Soup with Tomatoes
A classic Italian dish to be eaten over pasta, or with lots of crusty bread.
Sardinian Mussel Soup
My take on the Sardinian soup fregula kin arsella, which is normally done with clams. Here I use both clams and mussels, which bathe in seawater with lots of fregula pasta.
Smoked Mussels
Possibly the best thing you can do to mussels. They taste as good as they look.
Greek Fried Mussels
The second best thing you can do with mussels. Fried in a light breading, Greek style, these will disappear fast at a party.
Oyster! Oyster! Oyster!
A lightly pickled oyster, oyster mushrooms and an oyster plant croquette. One of my favorite dishes ever.
Crab, Lobster and Shrimp
Pickled Shrimp
A Southern classic, pickled shrimp is a perfect hot weather appetizer that’s just as good in winter.
Dungeness Crab Salad
I love this salad, which features all sorts of ingredients in season here in NorCal around Christmastime.
Crab Fried Rice Thai Style
A Thai or Vietnamese-style fried rice made with crab and pineapple.
Crawfish Bisque
A French classic, crawfish stock, butter and meat gives you a triple hit of crayfish flavor.
Cream of Crab Soup
This is the Lowcountry classic she-crab soup, only without the crab roe, which is very hard to find. Silky, rich and spiked with sherry.
Swedish Crawfish Salad
In high summer, the Scandinavians go mad for crayfish. Here is my version of a classic crawfish salad.
Spaghetti with Crab Sauce
A rich, wonderful crab sauce for pasta. It’s made with crab meat and a deeply flavored crab stock from the shells.
Crab Risotto
Another dish that combines crabmeat and crab stock, this time with risotto rice and a little tomato.
Seafood Stock
Don’t throw out crab shells! Make this crab stock, freeze it and make lots of other dishes taste better…
Lowcountry Shrimp Perloo
A little like a jambalaya, only from the Lowcountry of Georgia and South Carolina.
All Hail Spot Prawns!
Meet the finest shrimp in all of North America. And then cook him simply.
How to Make Dried Shrimp
Dried shrimp are a key ingredient in many cuisines all over the world. Here’s how to make them.
Crab Curry
Goa is a cool part of India that was once a Portuguese colony. The food there is a mashup of both cultures, and this crab curry is a knockout.
Squid, Octopus and Cuttlefish
Grilled Octopus, Greek Style
Nothing beats grilled octopus, some crusty bread, good olives, feta cheese and lots and lots of ouzo. Opa!
Pulpo Gallego
A Spanish classic of octopus (or calamari) braised until tender and served with lots of paprika, olive oil and garlic. It’s a fantastic party appetizer.
Squid Ceviche
Yes, you can eat squid raw. It’s a Latin American tradition, and this calamari ceviche is bright and spicy.