Smoked Seafood: Smoked Crab And Smoked Shrimp

One of the greatest dishes 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 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!

Scallops are meatier than clams and require very little preparation. 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 morsel.

Mussels have 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 until cooked.

More 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 diet everyday.

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.

When all other food choices have been exhausted, there is always smoked seafood. Not only is this an under utilized seafood dish, it is also extremely tasty. Serving smoked seafood will certainly liven up any social event you either throw or attend. Surprise everyone by showing up with a serving dish full of different types of smoked seafood.

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About The Author, Shannon Linnen
Seafood is preferred fresh over frozen, there are various ways to obtain fresh seafood in the best form even if you live far from the near the East Coast. Quality Fresh Seafood is a great place to start.
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