Funny clam story, from somebody who doesn’t use them very often. I made a seafood chowder last week using clams and Dover sole. Since there were just two of us eating, I bought 1 pound of little neck clams. It ended up being 13 of them. when I took them out of their shells to chop the meat of the clams weighed around 36 g or about the weight of a quarter of a medium apple. $8 for probably less than 1/4 of clam meat! Wish I knew how and where to dig for em.
2 Likes
Lol. If it’s any solace, you don’t get a much better return from digging them yourself, and it is hard work! The older we get, the harder it gets! 
Our legal limit is 30 butter clams apiece. It takes an hour or two of digging in rocky muck to hit that number, and then raking the rocky muck back into the holes. Then another hour to clean them. From our 60 clams, we get enough for 3-4 batches of chowder. Still, we persist…
9 Likes
We used to dig chowder clams on the South Jersey beaches when I was a kid. Mom would point out the air holes at low tide and the kids would dig. Pretty smart of her in retrospect!
6 Likes
Thanks! Yeah, I wanted a little more complexity in there and that worked out. Next time, I might add a chipotle in there for a little more smoke. I also want to try some collards in this (will have to play with cooking times).
Did you use fat-free? I have problems with that sometimes in dressing, but it’s most accessible.
ETA: found it! https://ottolenghi.co.uk/pages/recipes/fattoush
Regular buttermilk.
Mac and cheese + TJ’s breaded chicken tenderloins for 10-yo SO (no photo). He destroyed both which is unusual for him and makes me feel happy.
Oven-roasted hake with grape tomatoes/shallot/garlic/honey/red wine vinegar (NYT). A favorite in this house. On the side were blanched yu choy from our local Japanese market sprinkled by Fly By Jing zhoug (not a fan but I gotta use it up) and TJ’s microwaveable rice mix which I never get but it worked tonight in a pinch.
Edited to add (because my meal always seems to come last): Mine was with the veggie mushroom bourgignon that I made earlier this week.
18 Likes
Do you have any experience with Chili Morita?
I prefer their smoked flavor over Chipotle.
My meals have been rather nondescript this week.
Leftover lemon pot roast from the freezer, and I boiled some carrots and potatoes to go with. Also made a tuna melt last night, and had a bowl of cereal tonight.
Tomorrow night I go out to dinner with 3 friends. Can’t wait, since it’s been almost 9 months since I was last out to dinner!
13 Likes
Dalí? 
1 Like
Hot crab sandwiches made from the precious Dungeness I squirred away in the freezer earlier. We haven’t seen any Dungeness in a month and probably won’t for another 11 months😣
8 Likes
My other Happy Place, yes! 
Had to make an earlier-than-usual reservation so we weren’t standing around waiting for a table to open up, but since 1 of the group hasn’t been there before, at least it’ll be light out for her to find her way there.
4 Likes
I pulled the wrong piece of fish from my freezer yesterday (tail piece instead of center cut), so today’s planned roasted halibut was subbed with a halibut and veggie stew. I didn’t have any white wine, but as broth was tomato based, subbed red. Still good.
Served with the last of the focaccia from the freezer.
17 Likes
Have a great time at Dalí! I wish I could say I might have a chance at spotting you there, but alas, no. I hope to get back there soon. I’ve loved it for decades.
1 Like
Yes - I also tend to prefer it, but it’s often about what is available when I am at the store. Otherwise, I need to order online somewhere.
I can’t believe it’s our last day already 
Not sure we had enough time with our friends, in the warmth, with all the good food and drink and comraderie. Sigh. Next spring break is just around the corner…
We went out for our last evening together — to give our lovely hostess a break from cooking, and to check out a recently opened seafood restaurant with a large selection of oysters in a variety of preps.
My PIC and I split a dozen raw gulf oysters, which I’d never had — pretty mild, and large, as well as broiled Virgina Purcell oysters.
Our hosts also got a dozen of raw oysters each. Our mains were wahoo with a beurre blanc caper sauce & roasted fingerlings, I had the fried softshell crab sammich, but only picked at the crab bc I was full. Our hosts had wahoo & a mahi mahi fish sammich.
We wanted to cover the check as a thank you gesture for the wonderful hospitality, but no dice. Martinezzzzes for our nightcap.
13 Likes
Rotisserie chicken coq au vin. There was bacon crisped and set aside, carrots, onion, garlic, sauteed in the fat, added tomato paste, flour, a splash of bourbon (no cognac or brandy), wine, chicken broth, thyme and simmered until carrots were tender. Chicken leg, bacon, and mushrooms that had been sauteed in butter were added. Served with pureed cauliflower and butter. Little gem and red lettuce, asparagus, radish, red onion, salad, creamy Italian dressing. Wine.
Future desserts, it’s only 6", and yes there is a piece of pecan pie cheesecake missing.
20 Likes
Shrimp Chili from Fish without a Doubt by Rick Moonen - chili base made with red and orange bell pepper, onion, garlic, fresno chili, chipotle in adobo, kidney beans, diced tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, bay leaves and some lager. Diced shrimps (marinated in adobo sauce) get added for the last two minutes and finished with some cilantro. Served with rice and sour cream
10 Likes
Speaking of spring festivals, there were a few today, with the full moon (and bonus eclipse). The first day of Holi (tomorrow is the “fun” day, with color play, today is when the bonfires are lit), and a couple more.
Dinner was a box including masala potato, chapati, rice, and chickpeas. And a bite of a sweet made from gram flour that I happen to love.
On the way home, I happened upon dim sum happy hour again, and picked up a few things because why not. Shrimp har gow, beef cheung fun, radish cakes, long peppers stuffed with fish paste, and spare ribs with black beans and squash.
I made Rava Sheera / semolina “pudding” in the afternoon, so a warm bowl of that was a comforting conclusion to a long day.
.
.
.
17 Likes
