"shellfish" news and stories

Oyster poachers (and we're not talking about the cooking method here) have law enforcement officials in several seaside states caught up in late-night patrols and watery stakeouts. They're trying to capture brazen thieves who are harvesting bivalves from areas designated as sanctuaries, or from waters closed to shellfish gathering because of pollution worries.

In Maryland, there is the added concern that poachers are primarily bagging wild Eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica), which are severely depleted. "We are at less than one percent of our historic population in the Chesapeake Bay right now," says Mike Naylor, shellfish program director, Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

Police use night-vision technology to search for criminals who are known to mark oyster beds with milk-jugs and glow sticks easing their return after dark. But poachers are upping the technology to escape being caught. "They're using radar, cell phones and spotters. They know where our police boats are tied, and they get a call when our boats leave the dock. They're going to extreme measures," says Naylor.

Happy National Bouillabaisse Day!

For those unfamiliar with the complex dish, it's a highly seasoned stew built upon the use of multiple types of fish and shellfish. According to lore, hearty bouillabaisse was once served by Venus to her husband, to tire him out so she could freely consort with Mars. Although the dish originated as simple fisherman's stew, with the day's catch boiled in salt water, today's Provincial bouillabaisse is know for its delicate flavor palate, including saffron, fennel seeds and orange zest. Its name is derived from French words indicating the dish's necessity of boiling to extract plenty of flavor from its contents.

Here, Flickr user Schatzibot captured the Petite Bouillabaisse with Green Garlic Aïoli, Washington Mussels, and Trout Roe from Portland restaurant Beast, writing, "We thought it was a heavenly soup course, the creamy aïoli perfectly balancing the salt of the bouillabaisse."

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The classic Thanksgiving menu -- which has become so standardized that nearly 90 percent of Americans report eating turkey to celebrate the holiday -- is a virtual parade through the food pyramid, with nearly every known food group admirably represented. Looking for grains? Try the cornbread stuffing. Craving fruit? Have some cranberry sauce. In a vegetable mood? You've got your pick of mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and green beans (mixed with mushroom soup, for an extra veggie bonus).

But, for the last half-century, one food group has been conspicuously missing from the typical Thanksgiving table. Confronted by the usual festive spread, a Pilgrim would no doubt ask: "Whither the shellfish, Prudence?"

Lobsters, clams and mussels were almost certainly served at the 1621 feast that's come to be commemorated as the First Thanksgiving. While the Pilgrims weren't especially fond of seafood -- Plimoth Plantation's culinarian Kathleen Wall says the community considered shellfish "the last of God's blessings" -- the settlement's proximity to the sea meant waterborne creatures were a staple of harvest meals, alongside earthy corn porridges, turnips and grapes. Pilgrims and Wampanoags supped on seal, swan and extravagantly large crustaceans.

"They talk about these lobsters that fed three sailors," Wall marvels.

The state of Louisiana, which produces one-third of the nation's oysters, has mustered the first quasi-official response to new FDA guidelines banning the sale of unprocessed Gulf oysters from April through October.

The strict new rules, designed to combat the deadly Vibrio vulnificus bacteria that swarms in warm water, require Texas, Florida and Louisiana oyster processors to freeze, heat, radiate or pressurize their oysters. But oyster connoisseurs worry their favored bivalves won't be the only casualty of post-harvest processing; Insiders suspect the law will also kill the Gulf coast's oyster industry.

No, that claw is not a scary Halloween trick. Look closer; it's actually a very tasty treat.

Because the price of lobster is so low right now -- almost half of what it was more than a year ago -- the bloggers over at REC(cession)IPES were able to add a little luxury to this simple, creamy risotto, made with arborio rice, olive oil, butter, onions, shallots and white wine. Plus, the lobster adds a much-needed burst of color to what can often be a very monochromatic dish.

Come to think of it, should you want to try this at home, there may actually be a little trick to achieving these picturesque results. As REC(cession)IPES points out, it's only live lobster that's so cheap right now. So unless you can bring yourself to butcher your own crustacean (think Julie Powell in "Julie & Julia"), you may have to settle for just feasting only your eyes on this lovely lobster risotto.