Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
There a lot of varietys of clams and oysters. I tend to like tiny oysters and big clams. The tiny oysters are less chewy when cooked.
I love steam clams, the juice is so delicious. I know people don't eat escargo in America but it is also one of my favorite. Much more meaty than both clams and oysters.
People in America don't eat escargot? That's where I've eaten them.
We're talking about sea creatures. Fish, mussels, oysters, clams, shrimp, scallops and all of the others all taste different from each other.
My wife and I remember Tarks Raw Bar well. Always had a dozen steamed clams each as we sat at the counter. We used to live off on Dania Beach blvd back in the '80's, and patronized it every chance we got.
(Just south of the Ft. Lauderdale airport off of 441)
A cup of Clam chowder was also nice. Ah, brings back some great memories.
As to Marinos' original question, I love clams, mussels, scallops, just about all of them. Just could never develop a taste for oysters.
In the Willamette River that flows through my hometown, there is a large population of freshwater mussels and also small clams. The gulls harvest and eat them and some islands in the river are stacked with their shells. They would probably be delicious, but you can't eat them, because of heavy mercury contamination.
In the 19th Century, there were many goldmines in the hills and they used a type of mercury to separate the gold from the ore. They hauled the mercury in by the carloads and dumped it into the watersheds after it was used. Thanks to that, no type of resident fish or mollusk is safe for anyone to eat, downstream from the old mine locations.
Migratory fish, such as salmon and steelhead, that come upriver to spawn, can be eaten, as they've spent most of their lives out to sea and they don't eat anything after they've entered fresh water. When they were young, they spent their first year in freshwater, but that was mostly in smaller side streams, that didn't have much, if any mercury pollution.
In the lower river, there is a population of sturgeon. But they are heavily contaminated with mercury, as they are bottom-feeders and live to be very old, accumulating the toxin, year by year. I had an uncle who caught and ate them regularly, before the danger became known. He was a crazy old coot and I wonder if the mercury was a cause of that?
Regarding all the clams, mussels and oysters people have described eating here, I wonder if they know anything about toxins they may have accumulated? Shellfish that have lived close to the outflow of rivers in the sea, would be most likely to have pollutants in them.
My wife and I remember Tarks Raw Bar well. Always had a dozen steamed clams each as we sat at the counter. We used to live off on Dania Beach blvd back in the '80's, and patronized it every chance we got.
(Just south of the Ft. Lauderdale airport off of 441)
A cup of Clam chowder was also nice. Ah, brings back some great memories.
As to Marinos' original question, I love clams, mussels, scallops, just about all of them. Just could never develop a taste for oysters.
I think you are mistaking 441 for US1 (Federal Hwy).
For those who haven't tried them, Cherrystone Clams...preferably raw are amazing! They're meatier than most Oysters and have a clean briny saltwater flavor with just a touch of sweetness. They're delicious raw/ice cold on the half shell with a squeeze of lemon and maybe a drop of hot sauce. I live in Florida now where you can't even find them since they're more a Mid-Atlantic product seemingly (PA-DE-NJ-DC-MD). I might have to try the mail order route, here's a link to some photos and a description. https://shop.fultonfishmarket.com/li...hoCe4wQAvD_BwE
I like both clams (cherrystones and littlenecks are the only ones I've had raw) and oysters raw. Delicious, with somewhat different flavors. I prefer them with just a squeeze of lemon and a little cracked pepper -- but certainly won't turn my nose up at horseradish or cocktail sauce if in the mood. I've found cherrystones and littlenecks chewier than oysters, and yes, I do chew them -- that way, you get the taste rather than simply swallowing them whole.
Oysters are of course delicious grilled, in oysters Rockefeller or similar preparations, fried, or in oyster stew. Clams are great raw, steamed, in chowder, in clams casino or similar preparations, or fried (like the whole belly ones -- not the strips, which are like chewing fried rubber bands).
Love mussels (steamed with or without wine or other flavorings), and scallops (baked, fried, etc.) also.
Someone mentioned escargot, which are also yummy. Have eaten them several times in the US and France, baked in garlic butter.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
