Back in the day, I would only buy shellfish in months that ended with the letter “r.” I have family in Alaska that harvests wild shellfish, and they stick to that rule. “Shellfish can be problematic in the summer for several reasons. The first has to do with red tides, vast blooms of algae that collect along coastlines, usually in warm weather. They can spread toxins that are soaked up by oysters, clams and mussels.” (Source.) I can’t stand oysers, so I don’t eat them, but if you do, you can find more info here, and there is some medical info here.
With the increased availability of commercially farmed mussels, however, safety concerns aren’t as great. I still try to stick to the old rule, but every once in a while I’ll get a fresh bag and cook them up this way. It’s fast, easy, and healthy.
Recently, I also found some steamed snow crab legs on sale at Whole Foods. I’d never had them before, but my sister-in-law highly recommended them, so I bought a couple to try. Because they were cooked, I placed them on top of the pile of mussels in the pan, just to heat the crab. It worked perfectly. With a tossed salad, and a little French baguette, this is a perfect light summer meal. Just be careful where you buy your seafood.
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4 users responded in this post
Now that is just unfair!!
Here I sit in my hotel room eating granola and berries because it is a healthy breakfast and you go show me things like this!!!
Looks wonderful.
I’m not sure I could survive with only having seafood in the months ending in ‘r’. That’s just cruel and unusual punishment.
I love seafood – possibly more than meat – so I’d have to rename the calendar.
A girlfriend recently made an amazing chile crab dish that I still dream about. I’m bribing my way to the recipe, with limited success, but there’s always hope 🙂
I’ve never followed that rule, but since your relatives follow it, I’m gonna follow it now, too. Red tides can be nasty stuff.