The Boston International Seafood Show is being held starting tomorrow, Sunday Feb. 24 and going through Tues. 26, 2008. The event is located at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center from 10am-5pm on the 24 & 25th, 10am-3pm on the 26th. This is the largest seafood show in North America. If you love seafood and are within a few hours drive of Boston then this is where you should be over the next few days. You will see every type of fish and shellfish there is on display. Experience all the new seafood based products, try samples of value added goods like smoked fish, chowders, pate's, dips, gourmet items, you name it.

I have heard about the show for several years and just haven't been able to schedule it in. This year I gave it top priority and I am going to be joining one of Maine's top, multiple award winning chefs, Carl Johnson, owner of what is one of the best smokehouses on the East Coast, Grindstone Neck of Maine and The Fishermans Inn & Restaurant, both located in Winter Harbor, ME. Carl has been written up in several magazines and newspapers. Last year his incredible smoked crab claws were near the top of the list of Saveur Magazines Top 100 2007. Over the past few months I have been chatting with him as he develops new products. Late last fall he told me about his foray into cold smoked uni. he had made a batch and thought it was really good, but didn't see much of a local market. For New Years I asked him to make me a batch and he graciously did. I coordinated a special event at a local Sushi restaurant where we served this paired with a sweet potato shochu, an elegant Japanese spirit, to huge success. Now I will be delivering some of this incredible product to several restaurants in NYC so they can try it, as well as the test kitchen of one of the best food magazines in the country. Expect to hear more about Grindstone Neck of Maine's cold smoked uni.

I look forward to exploring what is happening in the world of seafood with Carl. I couldn't ask for a more knowledgeable guide. Half chef / half molecular gastronomist, he is sure to have valuable insight into the show. See you there!

Documented by Romans in the 2nd century, there is no question that oysters are the classic aphrodisiac. While there is a lot to be said for their high zinc and iron content, which are important for sexual health, the real power of oysters lies in how they look and feel. Oysters look like some certain part of the female body, and when eaten raw, have a slippery, seductive feel in the mouth and throat.

It's also believed that oysters let a person experience both the masculine and feminine sides of love because some oysters change their gender from male to female and back again through their lifetime. I guess that'll work if you're spending Valentine's Day alone.

On multiple occasions during my childhood, several branches of my extended family would gather on the Oregon coast for a week of vacation. We'd always go to crabbing, and would often come back with enough crab that everyone could eat until they were ready to burst and keep on going. I tell you this story to illustrate the fact that while there was plenty of shellfish available during my formative years, it was crab, not lobster.

Last Saturday I was out with some friends when we stumbled onto the top of shellfish. I was forced to admit to my friend Tony that despite the amount of crab I ate during those vacations, there was a vast hole in my shellfish knowledge, as I had never even heard of his favorite food until I was well into my 23rd year of life. His favorite food? Lobster rolls. He is passionate and particular about how a good lobster roll should be prepared and goes so far as to maintain a website devoted to his lobster roll recipe, mail order lobster rolls and the restaurant rolls he has known. In his book, simple is best, because you want to let the lobster meat be the star of the show.

If you want to try to make your own lobster roll, Tony's recipe is after the jump.

*The title of this post is a quote lifted straight from Tony's site. It was just too good not to use.

Ten years ago, a ban on commercially harvested abalone was put into place, but today, eco-friendly farmers are able to cultivate abalone. Olivia Wu provides a 10-minute video on how to handle fresh abalone, and there are recipes from Bay Area restaurants: Koi Palace's Abalone Poached in Rich Sauce, Manresa's Abalone, Meuniere Style.

Other recipes this week: Sake-Steamed Tai Snapper, Tofu Miso Soup, Hearty Chickpea & Broccoli Rabe Soup and Lamb Chops with Turkish Carrots & Yogurt Sauce.

Out on the dining circuit, The Musical Offering Cafe combines food, music, and books in Berkeley. Karola Saekel gives it an overal two-and-a-half stars.

The average American eats nearly 17 pounds of seafood each year, and the amount has been steadily increasing over the past half-century, so it's worrying to hear that a new study reveals we might only have the same kind of access to the sea for less than half that time before we run into some serious problems. In an article published this week in Science, a group of international researchers said "90% of the fish and shellfish species that are hauled from the ocean to feed people worldwide may be gone by 2048." They cite overfishing and poor fishery management as major contributors to the problem. Fish are not replenished, or given enough time to rebuild their populations before they are fished to the brink of existence, as has been happening with 29% of the fish species that are commercially fished, according to the researchers.

Of course, it's important to keep in mind that this is not the first time that there have been doomsday predictions about food supplies and other natural resources, but that doesn't mean there is no truth to it. The team said in their report that implementing more widespread sustainable fishing practices will alleviate or even avoid the problem entirely. They also call for increasing the efforts for conservation of coastal areas and water pollution

The secret of oyster opening, as revealed at the 2006 World Oyster Opening Championships this past week, is "a steady hand with the oyster knife," since competitors are judged on a lack of grit (from smashed shells) as well as speed. It may not seem like much of a sport compared to soccer or downhill skiing, but it requires a tremendous amount of dexterity and concentration. The contest has been going on for four decades and this year, for the 15th time, it was won by Irish restaurateur Michael Moran, whose father took the title himself nearly three decades ago.

The sport of oyster-opening should be combined with the sport of competitive eating. Working in pairs, one could open and the eaters could, well, eat. The question would be who to team up. Do you put Kobayashi with Moran, the new World Champion Oyster Opener, or should Moran be paired with an underdog to even the teams?

Crab cakes are a favorite food of many seafood lovers. They are made with crab meat that is bound together with a small amount of filler then fried (or baked) until crisp. There are a huge number of variations on the basic cake, but the most important ingredient is, of course, the crab. Summer is typically considered to be crab season, but thanks to frozen and imported meats, crab cakes are available to most people year-round. The question is not whether you can get them, but whether they are worth getting. The week, the Wall Street Journal's Catalogue critic asked that very question and taste-tested five kinds of mail-order crab cakes.

All the cakes had to be cooked at home before serving and all but one was shipped pre-formed. The top choices were Philips Seafood and Chesapeake Bay Crab Cakes and More, which came in first and second with only the narrowest of margins deciding the winner. Third place was the Cadillac Crab Cake Co., the company that shipped the crab cakes unformed in a "loaf," allowing you to shape them according to your preferences.

The biggest drawback is that not only are the cakes expensive, but shipping is pricey, too, so keep that in mind when you decide you want a crab cake or three in the dead of winter.

Sawagani crabs are usually served flash fried, but at two sushi restaurants in Orange County, CA, a few diners started a tradition where, after having a few drinks, they would reach into a jar of live crabs and eat them raw as their friends cheered them on.

Aside from the immediate gross "Fear Factor"-ness of eating something while it's still alive, eight diners felt the repercussions six to 10 weeks later. The live crabs were carrying a parasite that migrates from the intestines to the lungs. The resulting disease is the lung fluke infection, which manifests itself as coughing, diarrhea, breathing problems, abdominal pain, fever and hives. If the infection is left untreated, "it can turn into a very serious lung infection or, in fact, impact the brain," according to Deanne Thompson from Orange County Health Care Agency.

One editor and mom rejects "healthy" school lunches in of favor of a little fun.

Infused oils and flavored oils can go beyond the simple salad dressing: Grilled Blood Orange & Ginger Pork Tenderloins, Ensalada de Mango (Spicy Mango Salad), and Recipe: Chicken Braised with Tomatoes and Fig Vinegar.

Oysters and clams are still suffering through the last legs of summer. Shellfish producers can't wait for the cooler waters of autumn.

A new taste sensation, vine-dried raisins, might bring on a new breed of grape-snobs.

In drinks, Maximilien makes a French 75 (Cognac and Champagne), Sauvignon Blanc deserves some praise, and how to keep an opened bottle of wine "vibrant."

While there are worries about mercury and other toxins in seafood, fish is still a healthy source of protein, high in omega-3 fatty acids and other vitamins and minerals, that people love to eat. But adding one more negative strike to seafood is the issue of sustainability. Some species are over-fished and others are simply discarded when caught due to a lack of demand. Farming can be a solution in some instances, but not all, and keeping track of what types of fish are the safest and most environmentally friendly can be a challenge.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium has a Seafood Watch (SFW) program that is designed to help make seafood consumers' lives easier. Their website aims to provide enough information to help people learn more about sustainable seafood and make more environmentally sound choices. They provide a printable guide that gives you an idea of the good and bad choices in different areas of the country, or you can browse the guide online, if you don't need to take it along with you.

We already heard about the warning against eating raw oysters from the Pacific Northwest, but the USDA has recently extended the warning to include clams. So far, 72 illnesses have been directly linked to the shellfish, with another 105 cases suspected of originating from contaminated seafood. All of the cases have been in Washington, Oregon and New York, where the oysters and clams from the Puget Sound area are widely available.

Symptoms include "diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, fever and chills, [and] usually start within 24 hours and last no more than three days." Cooking can kill the bacterium, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, that is linked to the sickness and the symptoms are unpleasant enough that you would be better off not taking any chances until the warning is lifted.

Health officials in Washington State are warning people against eating raw oysters that were harvested in Puget Sound. The warning came after 45 people reported violent illness - including two hospitalizations - in two weeks. Usually, there are only 20 such cases in an entire year. The oysters were contaminated with a bacteria strain called Vibrio parahaemolyticus and five oyster harvesting areas have already been closed.

The oysters from the Sound are often available in other parts of the Pacific Northwest, along the Pacific coast and in several other Western States (where a handful of cases have been reported already), so if at all possible, find out where the oysters are your market came from before deciding to down them uncooked. Health officials say that cooking the oysters to an internal temperature of 145F should prevent any health problems from the bacteria, in the event that your oyster is contaminated.

A lobsterman in Maine caught a very rare two-tone lobster this week. The little critter was split right down the middle, with one half a typical greenish color and the other half a bright red tone. The odds of finding such a lobster are between 1 in 50 million and 1 in 100 million. The reason that such an unusual color scheme is even possible is that each side of a lobster actually develops independently; in this case, one side simply lacked the blue pigment that would have darkened the red side.

The lobsterman, Alan Robinson, donated the lobster to the Mount Desert Oceanarium in Maine, which has only had 3 two-tone lobsters in its 35 year existence.

On January 1st, a new law went into effect in California prohibiting seafood from being labeled "organic." The bill was supported by consumer and organic food groups, as well as the Monterey Bay Aquarium. State Senator Jackie Speier, who authored the bill, stated that it is designed to protect consumers in the absence of national standards regarding the production of organic seafood, which would ideally be both healthier and better for the environment.

Some markets and seafood production companies are objecting to the legislation, claiming that they can only recoup their costs for feeding their “organic everywhere but California” seafood by using the “organic” label to command higher prices. But while truly organic producers may find themselves hurriedly searching for new buzz-words to describe their fish and shellfish, the less scrupulous producers will be prevented from falsely marketing their own products as organic.