Beaufort Dollars

We want everyone to know that Sea Eagle Market is a participant in the Beaufort Dollars program. If you aren't familiar with this program, please click here for the full details. The short story is... beginning Saturday February 18th at 10:00 am, you can purchase 10 Beaufort Dollars for just $5. These Beaufort Dollars can then be used for purchases at participating stores (which we are one of!) These dollars may be redeemed until the end of the program on March 31, 2012. Only 15,000 dollars are being printed, and each person is limited to $50 (US Dollars which equals 100 Beaufort Dollars). You must purchase the dollars in person at the Main Street Beaufort Office at 101 West Street Extension.

Love is in the Air!

Valentine's Day is just next week - and it isn't just about CHOCOLATE and FLOWERS! Lobsters and Oysters together create an amazing dinnertime meal. It isn't difficult to cook either one of them and we carry both of them at the market. Because of the limited availability of the Lobsters, please call ahead to pre-order yours (843)521-5090. Pre-Orders for Columbia need to be in by Thursday for Saturday pick-up at Whaley Street Farmers Market, and Beaufort orders need to be in by Saturday for Tuesday pick-up.

Sexy Fish: Oysters & Lobsters

Did you know that President Abraham Lincoln used to have Oyster Roasts in Illinois? Me neither - and I grew up in the state. The Pilgrims had oyster roasts here on the east coast as well. There are piles of shells that historians have used to prove it. Here in South Carolina, we have some of the sweetest, saltiest oysters available - often touted as the "tastiest in the world" - our Eastern oyster is the Crassostrea virginica. The real question is though - what to do with those shells when you are through? There are oyster shell recycling programs in our area. Click here to view the places where you can take your shells to be recycled. If you would like to know more about why you should recycle oyster shells - click here.

Now to address the Lobster! The lobsters that most people know from their dinner plates are the American and European clawed lobsters Homarus americanus and Homarus gammarus. These are cold water species that live on either sides of the northern Atlantic Ocean. There are also tropical lobsters that are consumed, but these are generally clawless varieties called spiny and slipper lobsters.

Lobsters are ten-legged crustaceans closely related to shrimp and crabs. These bottom-dwelling, creatures are found in all of the world’s oceans, as well as brackish and freshwater environments. They have poor eyesight but highly developed senses of taste and smell. They feed primarily on fish and mollusks, but will consume algae and other plant life and even other lobsters.

Female lobsters carry their eggs under their abdomens for up to a year before releasing them as larvae into the water. The larvae go through several stages in the water column before settling on the bottom, where they spend the rest of their lives. They generally prefer to live in self-dug burrows, in rocky crevices, or hidden among sea grasses. Lobsters must shed their shells in order to grow, and some species can live to be 50 years old or more, growing continually throughout their lives.

Lobsters have not always been considered chic eats. In 17th- and 18th-century America, they were so abundant in the northeast that they were often used as fertilizer. Laws were even passed forbidding people to feed servants lobster more than twice a week. However, improvements in U.S. transportation infrastructure in the 19th and 20th century brought fresh lobster to distant urban areas, and its reputation as a delicacy grew.

Spicy Oysters with Mango Dip

Serves 4-5 as appetizer

Ingredients

Oysters

3 cups vegetable oil
1 pint shucked oysters
¾ cup bread crumbs
¾ cup flour
2 teaspoons curry powder
½ teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon paprika

Mango Dip

½ cup dairy sour cream
1 mango, pureed
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons honey

Directions

Make dip by combining sour cream, mango puree, salt and honey.
Refrigerate until needed.
Heat oil to 350 degrees.
Combine bread crumbs, flour, curry powder, pepper and paprika.
Drain oysters and dredge in bread crumb mixture; fry in hot oil.
Serve with mango dip.

Steamed Lobster

Serves 4

Ingredients
For the Lobsters:

4 Lobsters
Biggest, oldest cooking pot with a lid
smooth, clean, round rocks
Fresh parsley
Fresh rosemary
Fresh thyme
water
timer

Drawn Butter:

1 lb unsalted butter
saucepan
metal spoon
heatproof bowl
fine mesh sieve (optional)
cheesecloth (optional)

Directions

For the Lobsters:

Place rocks in pot and fill pot just below top of rocks with water. Place on stove and bring to boil.
While you are waiting for the water to boil, place lobsters in freezer to chill. This slows their metabolism and makes the process "friendlier" for them.
When water comes to boil, place sprigs of fresh parsley, rosemary and thyme on top of rocks. Place a lid on pot to build up steam for a minute. Do not allow water to boil out.
Remove lobsters from freezer and place directly into pot. Replace lid and steam according to chart below based on weight.

wt.          min.
1 lb.             7
1 1/4            9
1 1/2          12
1 3/4          14

** Weight does not change the taste of lobster but overcooking does!!

For the Drawn Butter:

Gently melt 1 lb. of butter over low-medium heat in the saucepan and bring melted butter to a slow boil.
Remove the foam with a spoon and discard. After a few minutes, the milk solids will separate themselves from the oil and sink to the bottom. The drawn butter is done when the oil is clear and is golden in color.
Allow the butter to cool slightly, then pour off the clarified butter from the milk solids into a heatproof bowl. You may also strain the butter through a fine mesh sieve or a few layers of cheesecloth. Discard milk solids.
Ladle drawn butter into individual serving cups.

For more information on steaming lobster please view this youtube video by Alton Brown