Ocean Tides – 3 Weeks Till Valentine’s Day

Chef – Red Shellfish. Peel the Love!

Valentine’s day is 3 weeks away. For the next few weeks we will look to the “Color of Love” for inspiration. Red is very recognizable for restaurants. It’s been proven to induce hunger and excitement in diners. That’s the goal of these next informational pieces. To incite excitement for some of our incredible “Red” offerings.

Royal Reds are a deep fathom species that are relatively new to the National Market. The sheer depth has kept the Shrimpers from exploiting the species. They have been celebrated in the local markets for a bit longer and could be regarded a “Best Kept Secret”. The Royal Red Shrimp have the “Snap” of White Shrimp with a creamier and sweeter finish. The best culinary applications call for moderate heat and monitored cook times. The Royal Red Shrimp need no masking ingredients, but accept complimentary herbs and light spice. Small Lobster is a very accurate description of the Royal Red Shrimp’s profile.

Enjoyed by notable chefs including Richard Blais, Rick Bayless and Roberto Cardazzo, chocolate clams or almejas chocolatas are often referred to as “Baja’s seafood candy”. Named for the uniform brown color of its shell rather than any chocolate flavor, the meaty Mexican chocolate clam is one of the largest West Coast bivalves, reaching up to six inches across. Chocolate clams are harvested in and around in Mexico in all coastal lagoons from Magdalena Bay south along the Pacific side of Baja, throughout the Sea of Cortez, and along the coast of the mainland to Guatemala where they colonize in sandy bottoms in very large, dense populations.