Coastal New England - Summer and Fall
Lobster (F)
Crab (F)
Mussels
Haddock (F),
Corn (silver and butter)
Blue Berries
Green Beans, Spinach, Carrots (see Alice Waters, “The Art of Simple Food,” Minestrone Soup and Carrot Soup)
Macoun Apples (Fall)
(F) Can be successfully frozen up to 3 months.
Freezing Tips
Crab: Place crab meat in a plastic container and then store in the freezer upside down. The juice from the crab will create a seal and prevent air from burning the crab.
Lobster: Place lobster meat in a plastic container and fill with milk. The milk will protect the lobster meat from freezer burn and upon defrosting, will preserve the natural sweetness of the lobster.
Haddock: If possible, vacuum seal prior to freezing.
Farmers Markets - for Midcoast Maine (Camden, Rockport, Rockland, Thomaston) see Maine Living
Beth’s (Warren) - outstanding produce grown on Beth’s farm
Jess’ Fish Market (Rockland) - outstanding fresh fish, lobster, crab, mussels
Sage (Rockland) - nice cheeses, cold cuts, some specialty products from Italy
Stonewall Kitchens (Camden) - specialty foods such as jams, chutneys, spreads etc that are nice to have on hand to flavor meats or a quick appetizer when guests join you unexpectedly
Atlantic Bakery (Rockland) - outstanding artisan breads and pastries
The Bread Basket (Rockland) - great sandwich breads, challah and cookies
The Wine Cellar (Rockland) - excellent selection of wines
Hannafords (Rockland) - nicely stocked Natural / Organic Foods section
Shaws (Rockland) - nicely stocked Natural / Organic Foods section
Favorite markets in Rhode Island
Farmers Markets - check Farm Fresh
Dave’s (Wickford) - very well stocked grocery store with specialty gourmet and boutique food items, very nice produce, meats, cold cuts and fish.
The Aquidneck Lobster Co. (Newport) - live lobster, mussels and whole fish
Recipes
New England Crab Cakes
Mussels
Haddock
New England Crab Cakes
This recipe is adapted from a recipe that comes from Maine and is excellent! I like preparing a romaine salad with either a homemade Caesar dressing or Briannas Homestyle Caesar Dressing and placing the crab cakes on top of the dressed romaine adding grape or cherry tomatoes, sprinkled with shavings of Parrano Cheese. Adding a few slices of avocado is also a nice touch.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Yields: 4 servings
Ingredients:
1 pound crabmeat
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 teaspoon dijon-style mustard
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
pinch of nutmeg
2 tablespoons butter
Directions:
In a medium size bowl, combine the bread crumbs and crab meat. Stir in beaten egg, mayonnaise, mustard, Worcestershire and Old Bay seasoning. Lightly mix these ingredients being careful not to overwork the crab meat.
Form into 8 round, flat crab cakes
Heat butter in a skillet over medium heat. Fry the cakes on each side until crusty and golden brown.
Serve warm.
Mussels
I adapted this recipe from Cook’s Illustrated, “Mussels Steamed in White Wine with Tomato and Basil”
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 14-18 minutes
Yields 4 servings
Ingredients:
1 cup white wine
1/2 cup minced shallots
4 medium cloves garlic , minced
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1 bay leaf
4 pounds mussels , cleaned and debearded
2 cups crushed tomatoes (if tomatoes are out of season, I like Progresso canned whole
tomatoes. I dice them prior to adding to recipe)
1/4 cup olive oil
Table salt and ground black pepper
Directions:
Bring wine, shallots, garlic, basil, and bay leaf to simmer in large pot; continue to simmer to blend flavors, about 3 minutes. Increase heat to high. Add mussels; cover and cook, stirring twice, until mussels open, 4 to 8 minutes, depending on pot and mussel size.
Remove mussels from liquid and place in a bowl to serve. Meanwhile, add chopped tomatoes and olive oil and simmer until reduced to sauce consistency, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Pour reduced sauce over mussels.
Serve with a baguette from Atlantic Bakery
Haddock
Directions:
Bake in 350 degree oven up to 10 minutes depending on thickness or until fish just begins to flake. Top with Stonewall Kitchens Curried Mango Grille Sauce.