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Please Fave the original Here

A great new gem from !

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1/2 Seafood dishes for a special seafood dinner I did about a week ago. I've been experimenting with seasonings alot lately and this was the best mix I've found for tasty ocean bugs.

What You'll Need:

(Seafood)

-2 dozen frozen clams
-2 dozen frozen mussels

For this boil I only used closed shell mollusks, but you can also use different kinds of various mollusks/shellfish too. Such as shrimp, crawfish, scallops, squid, etc.

(Brine)

-1 stick of butter
-1 Cup water
-half an onion
-1 whole clove of garlic, chopped
-1 cup of oil. Vegetable or olive works fine, but I'd recommend getting a slightly higher quality oil such as ones infused with roasted garlic or basil.
(Seasonings) Unfortunately, I don't have an exact measurement for each spice as I add to preference. For an exact measurement, I'd say at least 2 tablespoons of each seasoning.
-creole. Signature seasoning for seafood
-garlic salt
-black pepper
-cayenne pepper
-paprika
-seasoned salt
-mustard powder
-tabasco sauce

Spice will be mild with this blend. If you desire a much more spicy blend, I'd recommend adding hot peppers, and your favorite hot sauce. Or maybe even finding some ready made cajun blends.

Step 1:

In a large skillet or pot specifically with a lid, add half of the onion (It won't be used for eating just for flavor, so it doesn't even need to be chopped, just rip it into rings and scatter it through the pot. You can totally eat it if you want to though.) Also add the rest of the brine ingredients (chopped garlic, butter, water, and oil.)

Step 2:

Remove clams and mussels from freezer, take out of package, and add to the pot. No need to defrost, the excess ice and trapped salt water will add more water to the brine.

Step 3: Top with all seasonings across the top of the seafood mixture as evenly as possible. No need to stir in.

Step 4: Cover with the lid and cook on the stovetop at medium heat for about 10 minutes. Do not boil on high, the steam trapped from the lid will help in the cooking process.

Step 5: After 10 minutes, Lift lid. Your dish should look like the picture since I took the picture half way through. The seasoning will be quite sludgy and the clams/muscles should be opening. Give the mollusks a few gentle stirs to mix up the seasonings. I say gentle because muscle shells break very easily so be careful. Place lid back on top once stirred.

Step 6: Continue to cook an additional 7-10 minutes until all of the mussel meat has turned orange. When ready, use a straining spoon to serve and enjoy.

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From Chris: With this recipe, there are two things to keep in mind - first, since Ota mentions that they used "closed shell" shellfish, make sure that you rinse and clean both the clams and mussels of any extra sand / grit with a good scrub and rinse.

Not only that, but when you are finished cooking - if, at any time, you come across a clam or mussel with its shell still closed, THROW THAT PARTICULAR CLAM/MUSSEL OUT. This is to avoid food poisoning as the offending shellfish meat would already be dead inside...yeah, it won't end well if you eat it, trust me :B

Secondly: I consider the broth the most important 'building block' to this recipe. So, if there is any extra broth at the bottom, don't throw that out. Rather, get a fine sieve and get it over a decent sized bowl, and then pour your broth right in there. (Or you can also use a fresh cheesecloth, whichever comes first.) Serve that along with the dish and you'll be golden.