With the recent hepatitis A scare in connection with tainted scallops from the Philippines, one can’t help but wonder if eating any seafood raw is safe.
According to National Geographic, because of global warming, the warmer waters are increasing the population of a bacterium that causes fatal illnesses in shellfish eaters.
According to new research in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, increased temperatures are leading to more Vibrio bacteria, which collects in shellfish, causing often fatal illness in people who consume them raw.
In samples collected at nine areas in the North Atlantic between 1958 and 2011, the higher water temperatures directly correlate to the doubling of Vibrio, and even quadrupling.
Unfortunately, the Gulf of Maine, from Cape Cod to Nova Scotia, is warming faster than 99.9 percent of the rest of the oceans.
This is affecting the cod and lobster industries.
Just to be on the safe side, let’s eat our shellfish cooked.
Scallops with
Mushrooms in White Wine Sauce
Makes: 32 appetizers
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toast on baking sheet until pale golden, eight minutes:
1/2 cup coarse fresh bread crumbs from one baguette
Toss with:
1/2 cup Parmiggiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
Simmer in a large saucepan, uncovered, for five minutes:
2 1/2 cups dry white wine
2 cups water
1/2 bay leaf
1 small onion, sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Using a slotted spoon, transfer onions to a platter.
Continue cooking liquid until it reduces to 2 cups, about 10 minutes.
Pour the cooking liquid through a sieve into a bowl. Cook in pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally:
1 pound small button mushrooms, halved lengthwise, then thinly sliced
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Cook until liquid is evaporated, about five minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Whisk in heat-proof bowl:
1 cup heavy cream
2 large egg yolks
Melt in cleaned saucepan over medium low heat:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Add and mix to make a roux, about three minutes:
2 tablespoons flour
Remove pan from heat and simmer, whisking for one minute. Pour sauce in a slow stream into heavy cream and egg mixture, whisking constantly. Pour sauce into a pan and simmer, whisking, for one minute. Remove from heat, season with salt and pepper.
Preheat broiler.
Stir into sauce:
2 pounds small scallops, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
Cooked mushrooms
Place scallops on scallop shells and sprinkle bread crumbs over. Dot scallops with:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Broil 4 inches from heat for two to four minutes. Sprinkle with:
Chopped parsley
Serve hot.
Seafood Paella
Serves: 6
Aioli:
Mash in mortar and pestle:
8 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
3/4 teaspoon salt
Transfer to medium bowl. Whisk in:
2 cups mayonnaise
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Stock:
Bring to boil in a large pot:
Five (8-ounce) bottles clam juice
2 cups water
Add:
Shrimp shells from 1/2-pound of shrimp
2 parsley sprigs
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 teaspoons saffron threads
Simmer for half an hour.
Strain stock into a large measuring cup, pressing out solids with the back of a spoon. You should have 5 1/2 cups. If you have more, return to pot and boil to reduce to the specified amount.
You can make stock a day ahead.
Place in large bowl:
18 small mussels, scrubbed, debearded
Add enough cold water to cover. Cover and refrigerate at least three hours or overnight.
Drain well. Rinse and drain again.
Gently pull tentacles and viscera from:
1 pound squid
Peel off outer membrane from squid bodies and discard. Cut squid bodies into 1/2-inch rings. Place in bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut in half crosswise:
3 medium tomatoes
Coarsely grate tomatoes onto a large platter, discarding the skins. Transfer tomato pulp to sieve and drain. Set aside.
Bring seafood stock to a simmer. Cover and keep warm over very low heat.
Place a 14-inch paella pan over two stovetop burners. Add:
2 tablespoons olive oil
Heat over medium high heat. Add to pan:
1 pound firm fleshed white fish, such as mahimahi, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 pound shrimp (that you cleaned to place the shrimp shells in stock)
Season with salt and saute for two minutes, rotating pan occasionally for even heat. Transfer shrimp and fish to a bowl. Add and saute for three minutes:
1 1/2 cups finely chopped green bell peppers
Mix in and cook for one minute:
12 garlic cloves, minced
Add and stir to combine, cook for two minutes:
3 tablespoons aioli
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
Strained tomato pulp
1 tablespoon parsley
1 bay leaf, crumbled
Add and stir to coat with tomato mixture:
3 cups Arborio or bomba rice
Add:
5 1/2 cups seafood stock
1/3 cup frozen peas
Cook until rice is partially cooked and liquid is thick, stirring frequently, about 15 minutes
Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat. Add:
Shrimp and fish
Accumulated juice in bowl
Arrange decoratively around top of paella:
18 mussels, drained from water
1 (4-ounce) jar pimentos, drained and sliced
Transfer to preheated 375 degree oven and bake until rice is tender, about 10 minutes.
If you want to form a “socarrat,” or the toasty browned portion of rice that forms along the bottom of the pan, then place on stove again for 10 minutes to form the crust, but be careful not to burn. Cover with foil and let stand 20 minutes at room temperature. Sprinkle with:
Minced fresh parsley
Serve immediately with aioli.
Foodie bites
How to debeard mussels: The beards in mussels are the sticky membrane they use to attach themselves to surfaces. Grasp the beard between your thumb and forefinger and pull it downward toward the hinged-end of the mussel shell. Pull firmly until it comes out and discard. Paper towels help if you have trouble gripping the beard.
No need for fear: Don’t be intimidated by the length of the paella recipe. Paella in Spain is a family style meal, and when I was learning about Spanish cooking, the chef had me make paella for the kitchen staff and not for serving to the patrons in the restaurant.
Hawaii Community College’s cafeteria is open from 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. today (Sept. 13) through Friday (Sept. 16).
The cafe is open 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Take-out orders are welcomed. Order takeout by calling 934-2591.
Email me at audreywilson808@gmail.com.
