shellfish day

Shellfish is definitely my favorite kind of protein, hands down. I could have clams every day for the rest of eternity and be -- wait for it -- happy as a clam. Sorry too easy. 

Anyway, although we ate wonderfully this day, we had to go to a dark dark place to get our lobstery reward. I'm talking murder. Slow, torturous murder. I knew that I would be asked to kill a lobster, since the other students in upper levels told us weeks ago, so I tried to mentally prepare myself. But nothing could have prepared me for such a horrific experience. I tried this task only one other time, when gorgeous 5-lb. lobsters were on sale at Fairway and I convinced my family to have a lobster bake. But, when I saw those little critters crawling around, I just couldn't bring myself to kill them. So I did what any sensible animal-lover would do -- asked the landscaper if he could do it for me as I ran out of the kitchen until the shrieking subsided. They were deeeelish. 

So, obviously my anxiety was high days before the execution. But I felt a little bit better when I heard that we kill the lobsters by sticking a knife between their eyes, which makes them die instantly. FALSE. That tortured crustacean wrapped its tail around my wrist as the knife went in, and I'm still having nightmares. What's worse is that it was still MOVING for an hour, and even after it was cut into 10 pieces (by my partner, duh). It's little tentacles still feeling around, it's legs struggling to get off my cutting board. Ugh, so upsetting. Never again. 

Now, obviously I had no problem eating louie the lobster, he was also delish. But still...

moules á la marinere
[mussels with white wine and shallot reduction]

coquilles saint-jacques, coulis au persil
[seared scallops with parsley coulis]

oysters and clams shucked by yours truly

escargot bourguignon
[snails with parsley shallot butter]

Louie
[sauce Américaine]

<3 lisa, the little foodie