Thai-Style California Mussels: An Awesome After-Clamming Afterthought!

"I used to dig clams, 'till one day I pulled a mussel!" Anonymous ancient proverb

California Mussels (Mytilus californianus) of the open coast

My good ol' buddy Alex and I headed out last weekend for a little clamming as the tides were low. We forage so much that the thought barely occurred to us to film any of this. I mean, at this point, we are kind of beating a dead horse when it comes to steamer clams on our Youtube channel Catch n Cook California... but honestly they are the best and most abundant clams in the state, so maybe it is worth a little repeat?

Anyways, Alex and I dug a secret local spot on superbowl Sunday and had 50 steamer clams each in less than an hour!

So, not wanting to waste the rest of such a beautiful tide, we headed up the coast a few minutes to our favorite California mussel spot and we were not disappointed! 

At this point, we should remind our readers to ALWAYS CALL THE BIOTOXIN INFORMATION HOTLINE BEFORE HARVESTING SHELLFISH IN CA (CRAB INCLUDED) AS THEY CAN BE DEADLY POISONOUS DURING CERTAIN TIMES OF YEAR! Go ahead, don't be shy, program this number into your phone...800-553-4133... it is a recording so you don't even have to talk to anyone! IT'S NOT WORTH YOUR LIFE, SO JUST DO IT!

Alex and I have been harvesting mussels here for decades (check previous posts on this blog for proof), and we decided this day to honor the tradition and cook some on the beach. 

Even though the mussel ramen was awesome, there was too little light for photos or video. So, after I came home, I cooked up a Thai-style red curry with mussels for me and Diane.

Rich coconut milk infused with curry paste, lemon grass, kafir lime leaf, and ginger...it was awesome to say the least!

So, even though the mussels were an afterthought of a quick logistical forey to our steamer clam spot, the subsequent meal was absolutely astounding!

Check out our Youtube channel Catch N Cook California for the full video!

Keep the old ways alive!

2018 Was a Fruitful Year!

"In many respects, we are in the good old days." Steven Rinella, The Meat Eater

We had some darn good times with tight lines this year!

Some great food was enjoyed by all!

And it was nice to hunt on my own two feet again, rather than by wheelchair (broken kneecap).

If you have not checked out our new Youtube channel Catch n Cook California, we have been busy shooting footage and that is why I have not been posting as often here. We hope you enjoy the video media and we are looking forward to a lot more catching and cooking with stone tools in 2019!

Keep the old ways alive!