Oyster Stew

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup minced celery
• 3 tablespoons minced shallots
• 1 quart half-and-half cream
• 2 (12 ounce) containers fresh shucked oysters, undrained
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
  

DIRECTIONS
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat, and cook the celery and shallots until shallots are tender. Pour half-and-half into a large pot over medium-high heat. Mix in the butter, celery, and shallot mixture. Stir continuously. When the mixture is almost boiling, pour the oysters and their liquid into the pot. Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper. Stir continuously until the oysters curl at the ends. When the oysters curl the stew is finished cooking; turn off the heat and serve.


Servings Per Recipe: 4

How to Crack a Crab

1. Remove the two large pincher claws by breaking them off at the body. Set them aside for cracking and removing the meat later.

2. Hold the crab in one hand and lift up one point to remove the top shell.

3. Cut off the ‘face’ of the crab where it joins the lower shell and remove the internal organs by scraping them out with a knife. It is not necessary to wash the crab at this point.

4. Make a straight cut from the back to the front of the crab, just above the leg joints. This cut is important; be sure to make it deeply enough. Repeat the procedure for the other side of the crab. Set the two pieces removed aside.

5. Cut off (do not pull off) the remaining legs where they join the body. It is advisable to keep the thumb pressed securely over the backfin meat when making these cuts. Note where the flat, paddled-shaped swim fin or backfin is attached to the body.

6. Locate the large chunk of white muscle on either side of the body of the crab (the ‘backfin’ or ‘lump’ meat) and remove it with the knife. (This muscle is located where the backfin was attached.)

7. The rest of the white meat in the body of the crab is located in the chambers separated by thin walls of cartilage. Remove the meat from the chambers by sliding the knife under and lifting it out. This meat is called the ‘flake’ or regular meat.

8. Remove the meat from the pieces cut off the top of the crab in step 4. There will be one chunk of white muscle (the top of the backfin muscle) that comes off easily, revealing a piece of cartilage. Make a diagonal cut just under this piece of cartilage and remove the rest of the meat from the chambers.


9. Tap the claw just below the pincher to make a straight, clean cut in the shell. Gently break the claw open and remove the meat with your knife. Repeat the procedure for the other claw.

Susan Wades - Hot Crab Dip

Ingredients:

• 1 lb of Backfin or Special Crabmeat
• 8 oz. cream cheese
• 1 cup of mayonnaise
• 1/4 tsp. seasoning salt
• 1 tbs white wine

Directions:

• Mix mayo and cream cheese over low heat until softened.
• Add crabmeat until thoroughly mixed.
• Add seasoning salt and white wine.
• Stirring constantly bring all ingredients to a slow boil.
• Remove from heat.
• Serve hot or cold with crackers.

She-Crab Soup

Ingredients

• 4 quarts water
• 2 tablespoons and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
• 12 live blue she crabs, each about 4 inches wide
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 2 cups milk
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons finely grated onion
• 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon peel
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 3 tablespoons dry sherry
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley

PREPARATION:
Bring 4 quarts water and 2 tablespoons of salt to a boil in a large (about 8-quart size) kettle. Drop in the crabs and return the water to a boil. Cook for 15 minutes. Drain the crabs; clean and shell.

Set meat and roe aside.
In a heavy 3 to 4-quart saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. When the foam begins to subside, add the flour and stir until smooth and bubbly. Stirring the mixture constantly with a wire whisk, pour in the milk and cream slowly and cook over high heat until the sauce comes to a boil and is smooth and slightly thickened.
Stir in the crabmeat and roe, along with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, grated onion and lemon peel, nutmeg, and white pepper. Reduce heat to low and simmer partially covered for 20 minutes. Stir in the sherry, taste for seasoning, and pour the soup into a heated serving dish or individual soup bowls. Sprinkle the top with parsley and serve immediately.

Soft-Shell Crab Stack

Soft-Shell Crab Stack
Serves 4
Ingredients

• 8 Soft-shell crabs, cleaned
• 3 tablespoons Butter
• 4 English muffins, split, toasted and buttered
• 8 slices Cooked ham, 1/8-to ¼-inch thick
• 8 slices Ripe tomato1
• ½-1 ¾ cups Hollandaise sauce
• 4 Egg yolks
• 3 tablespoons Lemon juice
• ¼ teaspoon Salt
• ¼ teaspoon White pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
• 1 cup Butter

Cooking Instructions Prick legs and claws of each crab with the tines of a fork to prevent popping. Sauté in butter about 4 minutes on each side over moderate heat. To assemble: Place toasted English muffin halves on plate. Top each with ham, then tomato and cooked crab. Spoon about 3 tablespoons hollandaise sauce over each. Serve immediately.

Hollandaise Sauce
Place egg yolks, lemon juice and seasonings in a blender. At medium speed, very slowly add 1 cup butter which has been melted to bubbling but not browned. Blend an additional 10 to 12 seconds until sauce is thickened and smooth.
Calories: 661,
Calories from protein: 22,
Calories from carbohydrates: 16,
Calories from fat: 60,
Calories from saturated fat: 32.

Charbroiled Oysters

This recipe serves: 6

Ingredients:

• 36 raw opened oysters on the half shell
• 1 pound of butter or margarine
• 2 teaspoons chopped garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• Grated Parmesan & Romano Cheeses
• Chopped Parsley

Grilling Instructions:

Mix butter or margarine with pepper and garlic in pan. Put oysters on the BBQ grill (gas grill is ok). Spoon butter mixture over oysters, then put a pinch of the cheeses and parsley on each oyster. Let them cook until the oysters have a puffed-up appearance.

Steamed Little Neck Clams with Tomatoes Over Angel Hair Pasta Recipe

This recipe serves: 4
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 (24 count) pounds little neck clams , whole
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 pound angel hair pasta
• 2 cups chopped tomatoes, canned or fresh
• 1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley
• salt to taste
• freshly ground black pepper
  

Cooking Instructions
Wash the clams. Place them, with just the water that clings to them, in a covered pot over high heat until they just open, about 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside. Meanwhile, bring a gallon of well-salted water to a boil. Remove the open clams from the pot and reserve the juice. Heat the reserved clam juice over medium-high heat and reduce the quantity by half. Add the pasta to the boiling water. Add the tomatoes to the clam juice and simmer. Season with salt and pepper. Add the parsley. Cook the pasta until it is al dente, about 6 to 8 minutes. In a large bowl, toss the pasta with the tomato mixture and arrange the clams. Serve immediately.

Facts About Virginia's Chesapeake Bay Seafood

The Virginia seafood industry is one of the oldest industries in the United States and one of the Commonwealth’s largest. The Virginia Institute of Marine Science reported the annual economic impact to be over $465 million dollars. 2003 dockside value to watermen alone was $108 million.
Virginia is the nation’s third largest producer of marine products with total landings of over 751 million pounds in 2003 and is only out paced by Alaska and Louisiana. We also rank as the largest on the East Coast. Reedville, VA is the second largest U.S. fishing port based on landing.
Virginia’s watermen harvest 87 commercially valuable species from some 620,000 acres of water. Among these traditional species in order of economic value, are sea scallops, blue crabs, striped bass, croaker, clams and summer flounder. Watermen are also harvesting more non-traditional products for the international market such as eel, conch, monkfish, and ark clams.
Virginia is home to over 194 seafood-processing plants. Over 6,000 Virginians work on the water–3,050 licensed watermen, their mates and helpers.
The total industry provided more than 11,000 full and part-time jobs for Virginians.
Virginia commercial watermen annually harvest enough seafood to produce over 123,000,000 meals.
Ninety-six percent of the seafood harvested in Virginia is day boat caught. Fish and shellfish are harvested, processed and shipped within 24hours.
According to the College of William and Mary, Virginia Institute of Marine Science research, forty-five counties and cities in Virginia have substantial economic dependency on the seafood industry.
According to Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Service’s statistics, Virginia seafood exports totaled $20.5 million in 2001, an increase of over 325% from 1990. The top countries where Virginia seafood is exported are France, Canada, Hong Kong, Belgium and Japan.
Watermen and processors in Virginia work under economic conditions, environmental conditions and regulations that provide sustainable seafood for customers and for future generations in the business. State and federal law set standards and regulations to ensure sustainable use and equitable distribution of the resource. The Potomac River Fisheries Commission, Mid Atlantic Fisheries Council, the Atlantic Marine Fisheries Commission and the Virginia Marine Resources Commission all manage our fisheries.
Virginia’s quality control and regulatory standards for water quality and processing plants are recognized among the most stringent in the nation. Virginia’s water and product are policed by a number of regulatory agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration, Departments of Agriculture; Virginia Department of Health, Division of Shellfish Sanitation; and Virginia Marine Resources Commission. Additionally, Virginia Tech scientists and engineers work with processors to monitor and improve control procedures in shellfish and finfish plants throughout the state.
According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, Americans consumed 16.3 pounds of fish and shellfish per person in 2003. Crab and clams are among seafood's "Top Ten" for 2003.
Virginia is one of the largest US suppliers of fish oil and protein products from menhaden. This herring-like fish is found in abundant quantities in coastal waters off the US mid-Atlantic. According to the federal National Marine Fisheries Service, the nation's menhaden resource is healthy and self-renewing. Menhaden oil, which is rich in long-chain Omega-3 essential fatty acids, is used as a food ingredient and is available in capsules as a nutritional supplement.