|
LAPAS-PORTUGESE SWEET MEATS
|
|
|
Lapas are
an abalone-like marine snail very popular in Europe, where
they are known as Patelle or Flie in
France and Lampa in
Spain.
This delicacy is usually prepared lightly steamed then
dipped in butter or sautéed in olive oil with herbs or
simmered in tomato sauce and served with pasta.
They are also found in paella, make an excellent
chowder and are delicious raw.
Lapas average twenty or so to the pound and come stacked on
top of one another sealing in their salty, sweet flavor.
They should be
kept stacked until ready to use or the meats
will dry out. They will separate
upon cooking. Kept moist under refrigeration, Lapas have a
seven to ten day shelf life. |
|
|
|
|
SCUNGILLI
- (Busycon canaliculatum) All year round
7 lbs/bag, 70 lbs/master
|
|
|
A product
well known by both Asians and Europeans, it used to be
unavailable on the West Coast.
Scungulli, as the Italians call it, is made from the
Northern Whelk, of which there are a few very similar
species.
The whelks are cooked, cleaned, and then immediately
frozen. They come fully cooked and
when thawed are ready for use with no further preparation.
Fresh whelks on the other hand are notorious to cook,
giving off a very strong odor and taking a very long time to
cook. As the
old
Italian saying goes: "Put a brick in a pot with your whelks
and when the brick is tender your whelks are done!"
This is not too far from the truth.
Italians use the product sliced in salads and in
tomato sauces, the Japanese use it in salads and soups, and
as sushi, but they don't call it Scungulli. |
|
|
|
|
PERIWINKLE
-
(Ceritium vucgatum) All year round
50 ct/lb,
10 lbs/bu
|
|
|
These
small snails are also from
Maine and are harvested by
hand intertidally and by dredge subtidally.
Prepared steamed or sautéed, the meat is pulled from
the shell with a toothpick.
Very sweet indeed, they are wonderful finger food. |
|
|
|
|
GREEN SEA URCHIN
-
(Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis) October - May
5ct/lb,
10lbs/bu
|
|
|
Green
urchins are primarily from the coast of
Maine
and at one time were considered a nuisance.
Now, not only are they an important fishery for the
state, but also are considered a delicacy by many.
Most of the production is shipped straight to
Japan.
There, they are much more highly prized than the West Coast
purple urchins due to their clean, sweet and fragrant roe.
The eggs are a bright yellow - orange color.
The green urchin grows subtidally and is harvested in
one of two ways. They are either
hand picked by divers, or in some areas
|
|
it is
possible to drag for them using nets.
In either case, the harvest areas are constantly changing as
the spawning season will vary from bed to bed, and with it
the roe content of the urchins. The
animals we are currently harvesting are approximately 2 1/2"
- 3" and will have a minimum of 10% roe to body weight.
It is necessary to note here, however, that the
5ct/lb figure quoted above is dependent on roe content and
represents an average. |
|
|
QUEEN CONCH MEAT
- (Strombus gigas) Available year round
8-10/lb live, 5 lb/box frozen meat
|
|
|
Conch
(pronounced KONK) is a giant edible sea snail.
Even if you have never tasted it, you’ve probably
seen its broad, knobby, flaring pink-white shell.
Conch has been likened to a combination of abalone,
clams, and scallops. Firm textured
like the first, it hints at the briny flavor of the second
and the sweetness of the third. But
as any Key West-er will tell you, the flavor of conch is
unique.
|
|
For
ages conch has been the cornerstone of the
Caribbean diet and culture.
The Indians used the shells to make axes, scrapers,
fishhooks, jewelry, religious objects and even musical
instruments. Some of the highest
elevations in
Florida
are mounds of crushed conch shells discarded by the Indians.
Conch was once the staple of the
Key West diet, so much so that Key
West-ers called themselves “Conchs”.
Unfortunately, overfishing has depleted Floridian stocks to
the point where it is now illegal to catch them.
Today most conch comes
from Costa Rica
and the
Bahamas.
Popular dishes include conch ceviche, conch salad,
conch chowder, conch steak and conch fritters.
It is high in protein and low in fat.
Our
conch are the result of over a
decade of research and development by the worlds only
commercial conch farm, located on the
island of
Providenciales, within the Turks
& Caicos Islands.
Each year the farm uses about 400 conch egg masses, each
containing as many as 500,000 eggs. After hatching,
about 10% of the conch larvae are retained while the
remainder are returned to the sea
to help the wild stocks recover. In
about four years they reach an economically viable size and
are harvested at about six inches in length.
Conch are herbivores,
eating mostly algae and sea plants.
|
|
|
RED SEA URCHIN
- (Strongylocentrotus franciscanus) November - March
10 lb/bag, 1-2 lbs each, 4-5 inch diameter
|
|
|
There are
a number of urchin species along the West Coast but
the red urchin dominates the market. They are
harvested by divers, most of who walk the bottom
with a rake picking urchins out of rocks.
When they fill their bag it's sent up to the boat
and an empty one is returned to the diver.
Most fishing takes place between the low tide line
and 80 feet.
Sea urchins live on rocks and gravel, feeding
primarily on kelp.
The market size animal is about five years old.
The roe consists of five connected egg sacks and
recovery rates range from 5% to 14%. |
|
Most commonly known as Uni in sushi bars, the egg
sacks are the only edible part of the animal, but
more and more you see the shell being used in the
presentation of this tasty delicacy in fine seafood
restaurants. |
|
|
GOOSENECK BARNACLE
- (Mitella pollicipes) All Year Round
20 - 25ct/lb
|
|
|
These
barnacles are a crustacean harvested by hand off the West
Coast of Vancouver Island. They grow on rocks in the
intertidal zone. Gooseneck
barnacles are virtually unknown in this country but are
appreciated with enormous enthusiasm in
Spain
and
Portugal.
These extraordinary creatures consist of a tube of
meat, about the thickness of a finger, covered with a dark
leather-like skin. On this is mounted a sort of hoof, a pair
of white bony pads, under which the animal resides.
When served, the outer skin is peeled off and all the
meat below the |
|
hoof is
eaten. They can be served raw, as
in a ceviche or cocktail, or boiled first for about a minute
and a half, and then peeled.
Gooseneck barnacles have a wonderful crab-like flavor
with a scallop-like texture and are particularly delicious
during the summer when they are full of eggs. |
|
|
|