Baked Stuffed Cape Cod Conch

While strolling the beach the other day I found two nearly perfect conch shells. There are loads of broken ones, but finding one intact has so far eluded me, and I've been looking for decades, so it was a good day. 

It was also my first encounter with the sea snail that lives inside as these two came fully loaded. As I was contemplating how one gets them out of the shell, recipes were coming to mind. It was a toss up between conch fritters and baked stuffed conch prepared in the style of stuffed quahogs. The latter won out as I wanted to bake it inside the shell. Kind of the ultimate in sustainable eating, no? Plus, it would make for an awfully sweet presentation, and the perfect opportunity to show off my prize. 

Broken conch shell that caught the refection of the sun.

Google came through with instructions on how to dislodge them. There were a few options. The first involved piercing a hole in the shell to release the suction of the snail, which was totally out of the question since I intend on displaying mine for time immemorial, and option two was to boil them for about 10 minutes. I opted for the latter. After boiling, remove them from the water and use kitchen tongs to grab on to the hard end (sometimes called the toenail) and pull until it releases from the shell. Cut this end off and remove the digestive gland at the top. Wash the meat well to remove any sand. The meat can be roughly chopped in a food processor on pulse, or with a sharp knife.

Baked Stuffed Cape Cod Conch

Serves 4 as an appetizer

Meat from two large conch

6 slices of good french bread (cut into small cubes)

1/3 green pepper (diced)

1/3 red pepper (diced)

1/4 of a small sweet white onion (diced)

2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

6 oz clam juice

Salt and pepper

Olive oil

Fresh lemon

Hot sauce

Add two teaspoons of olive oil to a skillet. Saute the garlic, onion and peppers until they just start to brown. Remove from heat, add chopped conch, Worcestershire sauce, bread, calm juice, pepper flakes and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Mix well. Stuff into a clean conch shell, or use a casserole pan. Place a few pats of butter on top, cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and brown the tops under the broiler. Serve with fresh lemon wedges and your favorite hot sauce.

Island Creek Oyster Bar

I've been twice now with my nephew, Nicholas. It's his Sunday night haunt and actually I couldn't think of a better place to usher out the weekend when you're in town. Boston's Island Creek Oyster Bar is located at the Hotel Commonwealth in Kenmore Square. This candlelit bar and restaurant bears the same name as the delicious oyster that's farmed in Duxbury, Massachusetts. Skip Bennett started his oyster farm with a dream to "grow the world's finest oysters and have the best possible time doing it" and lucky for us he teamed up with Jeremy Sewall and Garrett Harker to open this restaurant which adheres to that same mission. They work closely with purveyors to find the best oysters and freshest seafood that's available daily. They also feature top quality meat entrees for those who prefer eating from the land. The staff is knowledgeable about every aspect of the menu and will guide you through your selections to ensure you have an superb dining experience. 

It's a hip, rustic decor with a slew of candles gracing the tables and the bar. We ate at the bar which is what you do when you're hanging out with Nicholas. Sunday night is especially nice as the place is full, yet not crazy crowded like a weekend night. We started with a dozen of a newly featured Island Creek oyster called Tumblers. They're a bit smaller than the original and Nicholas tells me, "they grow them on a line that constantly rotates, very slowly, making them tumble over each other as the line turns". I don't begin to know the science behind it, but I can tell you that this process produces one sweet, briny delicious oyster. While I encourage you to try a selection of the oysters they feature on their menu, don't forget to include these little gems.

We shared a prawn entree (it was a special that evening) and roasted corn. Next it was on to the appetizers which seems kind of backwards, but it worked. The Crispy IC Oyster Slider was so good I could have eaten a half dozen, but I needed to save room for the Pan Fried Jonah Crab Cake which was outstanding. The standard menu fare never disappoints and the nightly specials are always enticing.

Our bartender was attentive and surprised me with a lovely French white burgundy which happens to be one of my favorite wines.  That's just how the evening went...one delightful surprise after another. 

 Stop in, you'll be glad that you did.

Island Creek Oyster Bar

500 Commonwealth Avenue

Boston, MA

Phone: 617-532-5300
http://islandcreekoysterbar.com/

Here's a link to my post from last year's Island Creek Oyster Festival. It was my first encounter with these delectable little gifts from the sea.

Island Creek Oyster Festival 2011

I'm so glad my sister invited me to this event. Actually, I could have easily skipped it, but she insisted I come and I'm so glad that she did. Lisa is a volunteer; actually she had on a tee shirt that said "Boss" while others had shirts that said "Help", so I figured she must be one of the head honcho volunteers. Turns out she did play a pretty significant role in the whole affair, and she was right about this being my kind of afternoon. It's about three things that I love; fresh whole food, the beach and giving back.

The Island Creek Oysters Foundation (ICOF) hosts this event under an enormous white tent on Duxbury beach. ICOF's mission is to help build sustainable aquaculture systems in impoverished communities locally and around the world. Follow the link above to learn about their recent projects. The Saturday Oyster Festival, now in its 6th year, is their largest annual fundraiser. It's the perfect, picturesque seaside setting to pay tribute to the venerable Island Creek Oyster.

The gates open at 3:00 pm with a crew of shuckers at the ready. I started with 1/2 dozen of these sweet, briny beauties. First bite and I was hooked. They are superb, and each time I photographed the shuckers they insisted I eat one more. Who was I to refuse? They grow and harvest the oysters, so I was happy to oblige when they proudly offered their catch. Within an hour I had at least a dozen under my belt.

The festival also features an impressive line-up of local chefs from Boston, Cambridge, Duxbury, and some who traveled in from NY. At 5:00 pm they began serving samples of their tantalizing creations. There was a little bit of everything; pizza, fried oysters, fish tacos, braised lamb, fish cakes and my favorite, grilled oysters with a tomato beurre blanc.

As I slurped oysters, sampled the chefs' fare, and listened to the live music I kept my camera at the ready to capture the event. I hope my video tells the story, and perhaps it will entice you to attend this enjoyable and worthwhile event next year.

Link to the online video

Stuffernucks: Stuffed Quahogs Made with Tuckernuck Clams

While prepping the last of my clams from Nantucket for a future batch of clam chowder, I skimmed a few clams from the batch and prepared a few stuffers. We grew up eating stuffed quahogs at what is now Green Pond Seafood in East Falmouth. We'd sail my brother's Sunfish to the little marina and treat ourselves to this Cape Cod delicacy. Quahogs, the largest of the hard clams here on the Cape and Islands, are best used in chowders and as stuffed clams. They can be tougher than the smaller hard clams, but if not overcooked they are quite tender and tasty.

Stuffernucks (Makes 6)
3 cups of diced French Bread (I used Pain D'Avignon)
8-10 Quahogs
1/2 of a small green pepper (diced)
1/4 of small white onion (diced)
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
Sprinkle of red pepper flakes
1 tsp of Worcestershire Sauce
Juice from the cooked quahogs
Salt and pepper
Lemon

Steam the quahogs in a about 2 inches of water until they open. This should take about 8-10 minutes. 

As soon as they open remove them from the pan.

Remove the clams from the shell, chop into pieces, and set aside. Reserve the clam broth and 6 of the quahog shells. Saute the diced pepper, onion, red pepper flakes and Worcestershire Sauce in olive oil until golden brown. Remove from the heat and add the bread, chopped clams and about 1/4 cup of the clam broth. Mix well and add a little bit of water, if needed, to dampen all the bread. Add salt and pepper, to taste.

Cut through the hinge on the back of the clam to separate the shells. Rinse the shells and remove the muscle from the inside. Stuff each shell with the clam mixture and place in a baking dish, or cast iron pan.  Place a small pat of butter on top of each stuffer, then cover the pan with foil. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and place under the broiler to brown the tops.

Squeeze a little fresh lemon over them and dive in. They were delicious and my daughter, who up until now has avoided clams, is now a fan.

Note: You can refrigerate the stuffing overnight and then stuff the shells right before baking. I think they may be even tastier this way as the bread absorbs all of the other flavors and seasonings.

Tuckernuck White Clam Sauce

I just returned from a long weekend on Nantucket visiting my dear friend, Maryanne, and her husband, Michael. They live on the west end of the island in Madaket. It's often referred to as 'old Nantucket' as it consists of fairly small homes and charming cottages. This idyllic location hasn't been turned into a playground for the uber-rich with 5000+ sq ft homes and all the amenities that go along with that lifestyle. It's quiet, peaceful and serene. Let's hope it always stays that way.

The entrance to our Nantucket paradise. 

We stay in the small cottage to the left.

Michael has been on the island for over 40 years now, and much of his career has been in the building business. He built his home and the guest cottage. He's also learned to fish, clam, scallop and run a boat, which provides us with great food from the sea whenever I visit. 

Michael headed out to Tuckernuck, a small island just west of Madaket, and dug a bushel of clams in about a half hour. The shallow clean waters, filled with eel grass, provide a rich supply of little necks and quahogs. With the exchange of water twice a day, and the fact that Nantucket is 35 miles out to sea, they're the best hard clams I've ever tasted, so I was thrilled to bring a large bag home with me.

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Tuckernuck White Clam Sauce (Serves two, or four as a starter)

12-14 little neck clams

3 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced

Extra virgin olive oil

Tbsp butter

1/4 cup white wine, or dry vermouth

Fresh parsley, chopped

8 oz of pasta, cooked al dente (I used quinoa pasta which is gluten-free)

Put your pan of water on the stove to boil. Cook off the pasta while you prepare the clam sauce.  Rinse your clams in a colander to remove any sand on the outside and set aside.

Add about a tsp of olive oil to a saute pan and heat until warm. Add the garlic and saute just until the garlic starts to brown. Add 1/4 cup white wine and then add the clams to the pan.

Cover the pan and allow the clams to simmer until they open. This should take 5-8 minutes. As they open remove them from the pan and set aside.

Add a tbsp of butter, about another tsp of olive oil, and the parsley to the pan. Saute for a minute.

Add the cooked pasta, turning to coat the pasta. Allow it to simmer until the pasta has absorbed most of the sauce. I used a quinoa gluten-free pasta that was delicious, but any pasta will do.

Place the pasta on a plate and garnish with the clams. The pasta absorbs the rich briny flavor of the clams and it took all of my willpower to just eat my half of this platter. Tuckernuck clams are truly a gift from the sea, and my Nantucket friends are a gift from above. Thank you for a spectacular weekend.

Fresh Lobster Salad...or a Roll

We're famous for our lobster salad rolls here on Cape Cod, and there are hundreds of places to buy them, but I also enjoy making my own. Sometimes you'll get one made with meat that's been previously frozen, and that's a big disappointment, especially when you pay a premium. So all you need to make your own scrumptious salad is a good fish market and a few simple ingredients.

Here's two of my favorite fish markets on the Upper Cape:

Cape Fish and Lobster, Hyannis
Falmouth Fish Market, Falmouth (They ship, too, if you can't make it to the Cape)

Lobster Salad (serves two)
1 lb fresh cooked lobster meat
1/2 stalk celery (diced)
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tsp sun-dried tomato paste
Salt and pepper, to taste
Squirt of fresh lemon juice
Fresh chives for garnish

If you're cooking your own lobsters, and need some guidance, then go here. If not, chop the meat into 1 inch cubes. Remove the cartilage before chopping the claws. Add the mayo, tomato paste, celery, and salt and pepper, to taste. Add a squirt of fresh lemon juice, and garnish with chopped chives. You can serve as a salad, or toast up your favorite roll. Traditionally they're served on a buttered and toasted hotdog bun, which is pretty tasty. They're also nice on toasted bioche from Pain D'Avignon Bakery in Hyannis. Perfect for the July 4th weekend!

Lobster: A Cape Cod Delicacy

Living on Cape Cod and having access to lobster year round is a treat, and I could certainly eat it more often than I do, but that would spoil the experience for me. Lobster is a delicacy and should be treated as such in my book. Whether we are serving it to friends who visit, or I'm preparing it for my family,  it's a special event.

My preference is steamed and served with drawn butter, or a homemade mayonnaise for dipping. Mayo was the choice this time around as we had artichokes that needed to be dipped, too.

Baby Artichokes

Wash and trim the tops and cut off a bit of the bottom. Slice them in half, place in a shallow pan with an inch of water and a tbsp of olive oil. When the water boils add a pinch of salt. I steamed mine on the grill where I also cooked the lobster. This avoids having your house smell like a fish market for the next three days. Lots of folks here on the Cape have them steamed at the fish market, and this is a great option especially if you're visiting and don't have the required cooking tools, but I prefer to be in control of the cooking time, so the grill works well for me.

Cook the artichokes for about 25 minutes, or until the the leaves and center are tender. With the baby artichokes you can eat the entire heart as they don't have the prickly center, or choke, like the larger ones. You'll also be able eat almost the entire leaf once you get past the outside layers as they're very tender.

When you have about 15 minutes left on the cooking time for the artichokes place a large pot, filled with about 2 inches of water, on the grill. You can use a vegetable steamer to keep the lobsters out of the water. When the water starts to boil add the lobsters (1.5 lbs each) and allow to steam for about 12 minutes. Rule of thumb is 10 minutes for the first pound and 3 minutes for each additional pound.  Remove from the heat and cool for a few minutes before eating. Some say you should kill the lobster before cooking, while others just throw them in the pot. Here's a link on how to kill a lobster. Personally, I think killing them first results in more tender meat, but I understand that for some this is hard to do, so the link above offers a few techniques that might make the process a bit more palatable for those who choose to cook at home.

Sun-dried Tomato and Basil Mayonnaise:

2 Egg yolks (organic)

Juice of 1/2 lemon (add a little more if you like a more intense lemon flavor)

1/3 cup olive oil

4-5 fresh basil leaves

1 tsp sundried-tomato paste

Salt and pepper to taste

Place the egg yolks, lemon juice, basil leaves and tomato paste in a food processor, or blender. Mix well, then with the motor running slowly add the oil until it forms a nice smooth paste. Add salt and pepper to taste.

That first bite reminds me of all the special meals we've shared over the years with family and friends. Surely the pure joy we experience, as we enjoy this gastronomical delight, is what earns lobster it's place of honor at our table.