Love Life, Hate Kittens

Made a seafood-centric dinner on Sunday and had enough for leftovers tonight. Mmmmm. Truthfully, seafood looks way more impressive than it really is. All it takes is careful watching and timing. You can put together a 4 course dinner in less than 30 minutes. Yes, you want to date me. I know.

Note: All seafood was purchased from Santa Monica Seafood on 10th and Wilshire. 2lbs of mussels, 12 oysters (kumamoto, hama hama, malpeque), 4 jumbo scallops, a shucker, cocktail sauce = under 50 bucks. Such a great deal and super helpful and fresh. The guy that worked there was super nice! He took time to teach me how to shuck oysters :D (it’s hard! and dangerous!)

I’m only putting up the recipes for the mussels and scallop recipes cuz even retards know how to make garlic fries.

Sunday menu: Fresh oysters, scallops with tarragon butter, mussels with saffron cream, and garlic fries.

Mussels with Saffron Cream (adapted from epicurious)

• 1 large onion, halved lengthwise
• Rounded 1/4 teaspoon crumbled saffron threads
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 lb cultivated mussels, rinsed well
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tbs of garlic, minced

Cut onion halves crosswise into less than 1/16-inch-thick slices with slicer.

Cook onion and garlic with saffron and 1/2 teaspoon salt in oil in a wide 6- to 8-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes.

Add wine and bring to a boil, then stir in cream, pepper, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and mussels. Cook, covered, checking after 4 minutes and transferring opened mussels to soup bowls with a slotted spoon. (Discard any that remain unopened after 8 minutes.)

Stir parsley into broth and pour over mussels.

Seared scallops with tarragon butter (adapted from gourmet)

• 4-6 large sea scallops, tough ligament from side of each discarded
• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons, divided
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 cup white-wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped tarragon

Pat scallops dry and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper (total).

Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until foam subsides, then sear scallops, turning once, until golden brown and just cooked through, about 5 minutes total. Transfer to a platter.

Add shallot, wine, and vinegar to skillet and boil, scraping up brown bits, until reduced to 2 tablespoons. Add juices from platter and if necessary boil until liquid is reduced to about 1/4 cup. Reduce heat to low and add 3 tablespoons butter, stirring until almost melted, then add remaining 3 tablespoons butter and swirl until incorporated and sauce has a creamy consistency. Stir in tarragon and salt to taste; pour sauce over scallops.

Enjoy!