Scribbles & Munch

      The ocean is big, and it has a lot of tasty things in it. Although not all of them should be eaten, and some of them have been the victims of gluttony and need some time to get their reproduction on so we don't eat them out of existence. Not sure which is which? Here's the best resource for responsible seafood consumption I know of--it's regularly updated and reminds you that whatever your favorite fish may be, there are plenty of yummy things in the sea.
      Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, I ate a LOT of seafood. As a small child most of what I ate was clam chowder (the real kind with cream; the red stuff is just wanna-be Cioppino, as far as I'm concerned). Then my mother's easy-on-a-weeknight-when-you-have-picky-children shrimp pasta became the fav; this was bay shrimp tossed into herb parmesan flavor NoodleRoni with thawed frozen peas folded in. It's actually not a bad way to make a quick and dirty seafood dish most little kids will eat, but you need access to bay shrimp (the little tiny pink guys the size of your thumbnail) and I think we tend to hog them on the west coast because I've yet to find them in the midwest.

Here you see some of Oregon's local ocean offerings. Bay shrimp may be seen in the back, there.

      My tastes expanded and I learned to love salmon (of course), halibut, cod, swordfish, tilapia, sardines, bass, rockfish, and every shellfish imaginable*. But the ocean-dwelling critter that has occupied the throne of favoritism for all of my adult life is none other than the dungeness crab. This rosy crustacean has sweet, tender flesh that some of us - namely my brother - think superior even to lobster. So since my family and I were gathered on the cool, misty shores of Oregon, a crab feed was inevitable.

These are about 2/3rds of the size I usually try to buy, when at the end of the day freshness counts for more than size in crab.

      You can keep your snow crab, your king crab, your soft shell and even your blue crab--as far as I'm concerned, dungeness is the way to go. The best thing about fresh seafood is that the less you do to it in terms of preparation, the better it will be: good, fresh ocean fare speaks for itself, no fancy sauces or cooking techniques are wanted. The only accompaniments I would even bother to suggest would be fresh lemon or melted butter. Tartar or cocktail sauces are fine, but if you're depending on them for a good fish dish then your fish is far from fresh, my friend.
      And now, here's the menu I recommend:

I would have taken more pictures, but I seemed to float away into a altered state of consciousness where smell and taste were the primary senses, and when I came back to myself there was nothing left but crumbs and empty shells.

Dungeness Crab: FRESH. Buy from your fishmonger already boiled and kept on ice, and get them to clean it and crack it for you (or at least snip the darn things in half). When purchasing the crab by weight I'd go for at least a pound per person. Less than that and somebody's getting short-changed. Considerably more than that and you'll have leftover crab, which doesn't keep well, and therefore you will weep sad, briny tears as you waste that marvelous meat.

Bread: go for a tender, bakery-fresh baguette or French loaf.

Roasted Garlic: easiest thing in the universe is to get a full head of garlic, cut off the top third, smear the top with a half teaspoon of olive oil, wrap the whole thing tightly in foil and stick it in a 300º F oven (cut side up) for an hour. The cloves become sweet and butter soft, and can be spread directly onto your slices of bread.

Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing: if you've never made/tasted this, you're missing out. A good warm bacon spinach salad is the best way to eat spinach, hands down. And in this case, the distinct bacon flavor and the bitterness of the spinach make a wonderful accompaniment to the sweet, faintly briny fabulousness that is the crab. I recommend Alton Brown's Spinach Salad, it's fairly easy and flawlessly tasty.

Wine: a lot of people insist on white wine with seafood, and if it's a good white there is nothing wrong with that. For this meal, however, our sommelier (my brother) brought up a wonderful red blend that was full-bodied and well balanced, which stood up to the strong flavors without drowning them. When in doubt, ask your brother wine merchant to make a recommendation.** If you're more of a beer person, then by all means go for a local microbrew, I would go for a porter (but that's just me). If you're more of a cocktail person, avoid anything too fruity or sweet. And if you don't drink alcohol, then I do not recommend drinking anything but water, sparkling water, or unsweetened iced tea--don't even think of besmirching your palate with a soft drink.

My brother was kind enough to bring this Alexander Valley Vineyards gem from his personal (and extensive) wine collection. GOOD CHOICE. Also, the 2001 is peaking this year. Just saying.

      And that's it, no other side dish is necessary. Other tips for a good crab feed include having good tools on hand for extracting the meat, such as crackers and picks. Whether you have these extra utensils on hand or not, however, we also recommend extra napkins--or even better, moist towelettes. It's amazing how fast your hands get messy when you're eating fresh crab. Finally, if you even want to bother with dessert (and I am a woman who almost inevitably does) I would not go with something heavy. For me, a little dark chocolate or a small fresh fruit crisp is just about right. After all, you won't have a lot of room left in your stomach--TRUST ME.


P.S. - my Mom insisted that I add a final emphasis on the fresh aspect of good seafood...or at least fresh flash frozen. Whatever the fish, if it's caught out of season or it's been sitting around, the flavor is going to be less than fantastic. It could be so blah it might put your off your dinner. It might also make you sick. Your nose is probably your best tool for picking out the good stuff: if the seafood smells too fishy it's past it's prime. And let Nature plan your menu; She knows what She's going.


*except oysters, but that's another post.

**And if you don't like it, never go back to them.