Half Moon Bay Fish Market

One of the secrets to making a fabulous meal with seafood includes a trip to a favorite fish market for fresh choices.  Cannot count the number of times that we've left the beach, headed for home and have made shopping at the Half Moon Bay Fish Market a regular stop.

Great shop owned for many years by the same family - family photos and memories tacked up all over the tiny market.  They have thought of everything -

Great people to help - always friendly.  They treat us like long lost friends whenever we come in, even tossing in a few extra oysters on occasion!

Blue Point Oysters are always on the menu... (not mine, but Tom's!)

Fresh local dungeness crabs live, also cooked and cleaned ready to take home and dip in melted butter. (YUM!)

Salmon fillets, or whole salmon for the more adventuresome.  Not this girl - I don't like the bones! (or the heads)

Live crabs and lobsters available, as well as fresh squid, prawns, and jumbo shrimp!  We frequently pick up fresh clams here too for clam linguine and yummy clam chowder.

On several occasions we've also picked up the most incredible Ahi - melt in your mouth with just a light searing on the outside.

They have it all do you don't have to make another stop. Lemons, seasonings, fresh baked bread from Half Moon Bay Bakery...

Specialty private label sauces to complete your meal...

Forget the wine?  Half Moon Bay Fish Market has a nice selection to choose from, most of which are local California wines.   They even sell fresh flowers for the romantics!

Stop by and see our friends next time you take a drive down California's Hwy 1 past Half Moon Bay.
Phone: 650-726-2561
Website:
http://www.bizglimpz.com/HMBFishMarket

And to show off your seafood creations, 

how about these fun serving pieces?

Polished Fish Servers

Scallop Appetizer Dish

Large Oyster Shaped Serving Platter

Fun cocktail napkin boxes!

Coastal Themed Wine and Cocktail Glasses

R is for Oysters....

Well, not really. But it's the best way to remember which months are the best for oysters.  September, October, November, December, January, February, March, April - all of the other months of the year, oysters are busy reproducing, and are a little skinny, so they really are only recommended for the  barbecue.  

(photo taken at Hog Island Oysters at the Ferry Building in San Francisco)

 

On the barbecue is about the only way that I will eat them!  Some of my favorite memories  of eating oysters, were grilled on my dad's barbecue, dipped in a spicy bbq sauce, on a hot summer day on the back of the Gypsy Miss.. .It was so fun to be anchored in Westcott Bay, in the San Juan Islands, we could then dingy into  Westcott Bay Sea Farms, and buy their fresh oysters right off their dock.  Little tiny Westcott petites.. a cross between  the Miyagi from Central Honshu and the delicious, tiny Kumamoto from Kyush, rich, sweet, salty. So perfect when dipped in lemon + melted  butter, or a spicy sauce.  My dad still talks about those oysters!

Growing up we had oysters on our beach, but the tide was too swift, and although my dad tried everything to get them to stay on the beach they would simply get swept out with the tide. Or the starfish and moon snails would feast on them, leaving nothing but the shells. Luckily, we were close to Hood Canal, and we did have friends that would invite my dad to bring a bucket to their beach!

(photo taken at Twanoh State Park - Hood Canal)

I digress...

Since we are starting prime oyster-enjoying season, I thought I would share some oyster ideas with you.   Who knows?  Even I, non-oyster girl,  might give these another shot!  They are Tom's favorite food.....

(Make sure to check out our pretty oyster shells votive holders - hand crafted on Cape Cod)


 
 

Oyster Stew - This recipe is pretty darn simple, and one that came from my grandmother and my brother, Jeff.  I had to call him to get the low-down. According to my him, this is all you need - no extra potatoes, etc.

• 2 dozen extra small oysters
• 4 cups milk
• 2 cups cream
• 1 /4 cup leek, onion or celery which ever you prefer
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 T. of chives finely chopped

1. Combine milk and cream in medium saucepan. Drain oysters, save "liquor" and add to milk mixture.  Heat milk mixture slowly until hot, but below boiling point.

2.  Saute' veggies in 2 T. of the butter until soft.  Add oysters and saute' briefly until edges are slightly curled.  Transfer oyster mixture to milk, and add salt and pepper.  Cook until oysters are nice and plump, about 3-4 minutes. Serve with chopped chives, and some french bread - enjoy! 
(Small Seashell Bowls - $26.99 set/4)

 Fried Oyster Caesar Salad - 

(Oyster Salad Plates - $8.99)

Sent to me by one of my Facebook Friends - Imageglow Candles, from Joanne Weir's culinary website and blog. (serious foodies need to check her out!)

18 fresh oysters in their shell
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 whole eggs
1 cup dry bread crumbs
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Oil for deep frying, peanut, corn or olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced                                           
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 anchovy fillets, soaked in cold water 10 minutes, patted dry and mashed
1 egg yolk
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 small hearts of romaine, leaves separated
1/2 cup grated Parmigiana Reggiano

Shuck the oysters and reserve them separately from the oyster liquor from the shell.  Discard the shells.

Place the flour in a bowl.  Place the eggs in another bowl and whisk with 2 tablespoons water.  Place the bread crumbs in a third bowl.  Season the flour and bread crumbs with salt and pepper.  Dredge the oysters in the flour first and tap off the excess.  Next dip them in the egg mixture and then in the bread crumbs.

In a small saucepan heat 1-inch of oil to 375°F.

For the dressing, in a bowl, whisk together the reserved oyster liquor, the garlic, mustard, lemon juice, mashed anchovies and egg yolk until well blended.  Add the olive oil slowly in a steady stream and whisk until smooth.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Deep fry the oysters, a few at a time, until golden, 1 minute.  Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

Place the lettuce in a large bowl and toss with the dressing until the leaves are coated.  Add half of the Parmigiano and toss again.  Place on serving plates and top each plate with 3 oysters and sprinkle the top with the remaining Parmigiana.  Serve immediately. 

This might be the perfect salad bowl for your gorgeous Caesar Salad!

 Giant Shell  Serving Bowl - $62.99

Of course, you could always just make it simple and serve fresh, on the half shell.... a little lemon, some cocktail sauce...


Beachcomber Oyster Plates - $29.95

Traditional Oysters Rockfeller (from All Recipes.com)

• 2 slices bacon
• 24 unopened, fresh, live medium oysters
• 1 1/2 cups cooked spinach
• 1/3 cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 dash hot pepper sauce
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon anise flavored liqueur
• 4 cups kosher salt - spread on a serving platter (17" Oyster Shaped Serving Platter)

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (220 degrees C). Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.
2. Clean oysters and place in a large stockpot. Pour in enough water to cover oysters; bring the water and oysters to a boil. Remove from heat and drain and cool oysters. When cooled break the top shell off of each oyster.
3. Using a food processor, chop the bacon, spinach, bread crumbs, green onions, and parsley. Add the salt, hot sauce, olive oil and anise-flavored liqueur and process until finely chopped but not pureed, about 10 seconds.
4. Arrange the oysters in their half shells on a pan with kosher salt. Spoon some of the spinach mixture on each oyster. Bake 10 minutes until cooked through, then change the oven's setting to broil and broil until browned on top. Serve hot and bubbly! 

There's a few recipes to get you started for the oyster months!

 

Hood Canal Oyster Adventure

Tom, my oyster aficionado boyfriend, came up to visit last weekend, so I thought I could show him some "real" oysters on the Hood Canal. We began our fun drive in Belfair and then around the South Shore, all the way around to Quilcene and then back across the Hood Canal Bridge at Shine.  For local (and not so local!) Sunday drive fans, this is just a great stretch of curvy road!  There are plenty of parks to stop at, interesting beaches to explore, a few wineries,  and farm fresh products to buy.  Not to mention the views of the Olympic Mountains to the West and the absolutely gorgeous homes to drool over and dream about.  Hmmmm.... one day maybe?

First Stop Twanoh State Park: If you haven't ever stopped here, you are missing a little jewel! The park was created by the CCC in the 1930's, most of the building are still used today - built of native logs and sturdy bricks.  The beach is covered in oysters and little manilla clams, all can be yours with a shellfish license, a bucket and a little grunt work.  Oysters have to be shucked on the beach, leaving the shells for future oysters to grow. Although it was a little cold and gray as we strolled out to the beach,  we didn't mind. Tom was amazed at the oysters just lying on the beach waiting to be shucked and taken home!

I offered to take pictures of a group of family and friends that we met on our walk, having the best time shucking oysters and then running up to bbq them and steam fresh clams.  Funny how while at the beach, it is so easy to make friends... so generous that they opened up oysters and shared them with Tom.  Wow! His first oyster fresh off of the beach!

Second Stop: Hunter Farms  just past Union on the way to Potlatch.  Great farmstand!  We were hoping to find some fresh oysters in the shell to buy, since we couldn't take any off of the beach.  No such luck here, but bought incredibly yummy local ice cream - french apple pie and pecan/caramel swirl.  In my opinion, some of the best ice cream I have ever eaten!  Lots of fresh corn on the cob, local squash, tomatoes and fruit.

Third Stop: Hoodsport Winery in Hoodsport  This winery has been producing wine on the Hood Canal for over 30 years!  What I think sets this winery apart is that they produce wines that are made of other fruits, more than just grapes. Blackberry, Raspberry, Apple, Pear.. Their most popular selling wine is Raspberry, the #2 seller is Rhubarb.  Tom and I were the only ones in the tasting room that afternoon - what fun!  We each got 6 tastings, please don't worry, they were small and we were still full of ice cream.

Of course, we had to ask what their recommendation was for enjoying with oysters. Believe it or not, it was the Rhubarb!  So, we bought a bottle of Rhubarb and a very nice 1999 vintage Lemberger-Cab.




Fourth Stop: Hama Hama Oyster Company!  This was pretty cool! You can buy smoked salmon, shucked oysters, seafood salad, but best of all you can pick out your own fresh oysters (still in the shell)  from their hand selected buckets.  We learned so much about cooking oysters that afternoon from the extremely helpful gal in their store!

Those of you that are oyster fans probably already know that if you buy oysters during the summer months they really are only good for bbq'ing.  Apparently, they are not plump because they are all used up from reproducing.  Raw oysters are better to eat  in the "r" months.  She told Tom some inside secrets about barbecuing the right way... that's him enjoying a Martini at Mom and Dad's house!

Have to admit that I was really, really trying to psych myself up to eat bbq'd oysters.  Tom was so excited about trying to cook them, and I didn't want to disappoint him, but just in case I picked out a bunch of manilla clams for me.  Love the colors on the shells, and boy did  they taste terrific steamed in a little white wine, sweet walla-wallas and garlic.  yum!

Cooking Rock Crab

My dad is a crab cooking expert, claiming that the best way to cook crab is in clean sea water. I will agree with that - just make sure to clean out the stray floating piece of sea kelp! (Salted water can be substituted, just not quite the same flavor)

Needed:

1. very large deep pot for boiling

2. clean seawater

3. long tongs to drop in the crabs

4. a little bravery!

Fill pot with the sea water and place on the stove to boil. Be aware, due to the amount of water in the pot and the salt, it may take a while for the water to come to a boil.

There are two theories about preparing the crab for cooking; the crab can be cracked in half and cleaned before placing in the pot, or the entire crab can be placed into the pot and then cleaned after it's cooked. Either way will work, it's all in your preference for mess. I prefer cooking the whole crab first.

Carefully place the crabs in the pot using your tongs. I like really really long ones to avoid getting pinched - my dad is much braver than me! After filling the pot with the crabs, place the lid on and turn the heat down, but still boiling. Timer should be set for 20 minutes. When the crabs are done, run continuous cool water on them until they cool down.

Cleaning can be a very messy affair! We usually spread old newspaper on the outside

picnic table, it seems to be the easiest way to make clean-up a breeze. Alex and I have determined that effective crab cracking is all in the tools; GOOD crab crackers, and maybe a small hammer as Rock Crab are just a little harder than a dungeness to break open.

Cleaning:

1. Remove the back first, holding the base of the crab and pulling the shell away from the body

2. Remove the triangular-shaped section on the flip-side of the crab and lift away. Should be then easy to gently remove the gills on either side, and wash away the "crab butter" (kind of gross yellow stuff..). Some crab connoisseurs consider this a delicacy, not me.

3. Break off the legs and the front claws

4. Gently wash the remaining body under cool fresh water

5. Dig in! Use your fingers, crab picks, crab-crackers or whatever you find to break out the crab meat - YUM! Wonderful to dip in melted butter with garlic and lemon, or simply eat right out of the shell.

Here's one of our favorite E-Z appetizers to make! So easy, can be whipped together in about 5 minutes - one of my favorites after fun crabbing afternoons in the San Juan Islands.

Ingredients:

8 oz. softened cream cheese

cocktail sauce

cooked, cracked crab

Spread softened cream cheese on a decorative plate, then layer with cocktail sauce and crab. Serve with your favorite crackers. Guaranteed to be the hit of your next party!

Here's the kid, Alex, relaxing after a hard morning hunting crab and cleaning....