I had such a great day Wednesday... my mum and I decided to spend the day together. We planned a seafood dinner for my dad and my sister at my place. It was such a blast going to the grocery store with my mom as we feasted on samples at Central Market. My family LOVES seafood.... The tasty clams at Long Beach in Vietnam still lingers in our memories, so we decided to make a clam, mussels, and shrimp dish.
We worked off basic recipe I got from Tyler Florence. I enjoyed the end result which was a very light sauce for our shellfish, but I think for my flavor hungry family, next time, we're gonna have to spice/salt it up a little more.
We got 3 lbs of clams and 1.5 lbs of large shrimp from Hiep Thai (a vietnamese market in Garland), 2lbs of mussels at Central Market. Prior to cooking, Rinse the mussels/clams under cold running water while scrubbing the shells. Remove the stringy mussel beards with your thumb and index finger as your wash them. Discard any mussels/clams with broken shells, or whose shells do not close while handling them. We want the seafood to be fresh, and steamed live.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add 3 chopped/sliced leaks (white parts only), 4 minced garlic cloves and cook until the vegetables cook down to a pulp, about 5 minutes.
Add the mussells and give everything a good toss. Add 1 cup white whine, 1 cup of seafood stock, and a bundle of lemon grass. Cover and steam over medium-high heat for 10 minutes, until the mussels open. Stir occasionally so that all the mussels are in contact with the heat. Add 2 more tablespoons of butter and half a lemon to the sauce remaining in the pot and swirl to incorporate. Season with salt and pepper. 
Stir fry shrimp in another skillet and serve with mussel/clam mixture on a platter. Serve on top of fettucine pasta and with crusty bread to soak up the juice!
A quick clam broth my mum also made.
serve up with a bottle of white wine!
Bon appetit!
A great way to spend time with the family. Next time, I'd probably add some salt, and some seafood spice to liven up the sauce.
On this September 11th, lets be reminded that every day should be a cherished day. Find something to be in love with today.
Happy weekend!
I love seafood too doc! Every now and then we would go pig out at an all-u-can-eat seafood buffet...yummy yummy...Only after the 10th lobster or so when everything starts to lose its flavor, the chewy lobster tail tastes similar to a piece of rubber, the crab juice tastes like salt water, the shrimp and the fish almost induce the gag-reflex, the deserts no longer look appetizing, and my tummy stretches by 3 inches, we would call it quit...
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