Unpopular opinions

[mclaincausey]

I grew up in the Deep South where blue crab is also revered. But stepping outside of prejudices, it is way down the list of shellfish. That’s why Atlantic coast people have to put Old Bay on it and southerners Tony Chachere’s. It’s just not that flavorful on its own and needs help. And yes it’s a pain in the ass to eat.

My (incomplete) shellfish hierarchy is something like:
Stone crab claws: the mustard sauce is great but you don’t need it or anything else for them to be delicious
King crab: excellent naked but drawn butter is welcome
Snow crab
Oysters
Dungeness crab
Lobster
Langostines
Crawfish
Shrimp
Blue crab

It’s not especially helpful to think of a hotdog or for that matter a burger as a sandwich when there is a specific term for it but sure, technically call it a sandwich if you must.

[goosehd]

IMO, blue crabs are for the experience of hanging out with your friends and family sharing laughs and drinks. It’s not just about the meat being consumed…

[seawolf]

@mclaincausey My incomplete shellfish hierarchy is:

Fried whole belly Ipswich clams (IYKYK)
Oysters, raw only. No condiments
Scallops
Uni
Littleneck clams
Maine Lobster, hard pass on Caribbean lobster.
Shrimp

With the exception of shrimp, I don't like my seafood from warm waters. I don't eat east coast oysters harvested south of Rhode Island, and I don't eat lobster unless its's Maine lobster.

[Tago Mago]

@goosehd in that case why bother with the crabs? Just order a pizza

[seawolf]

@goosehd That's exactly right. The same can be said for a plate of nachos.

[seawolf]

@Tago-Mago beat me to it.

[mclaincausey]

Oh yeah scallops would be way up there. I like clams and mussels too

Agreed on lobster and I mostly do PNW loogies

[Tago Mago]

Love some moules frites, even though my last two portions had me up all night. I'd do it again

[goosehd]

For the same reasons I like to make bread instead of buying it, exhaustively research things before buying, etc. It’s something I enjoy doing, especially in the company of those friends and family.

[seawolf]

@goosehd said in Unpopular opinions:

For the same reasons I like to make bread instead of buying it, exhaustively research things before buying, etc. It’s something I enjoy doing, especially in the company of those friends and family.

You're not wrong. I just hate crab.

I got zinc poisoning when I was on Cape Cod for my sister's wedding a few years back. I really overdid it with the shellfish and it messed me up. Be careful out there!

[seawolf]

@mclaincausey PNW oysters are obviously awesome. If you like those, don't miss out on PEI oysters (Canada knows what's up) and anything from Maine, NH, MA, or RI, or even SoCal. We have some tremendously great oysters right here in San Diego.

[Tago Mago]

Exhibit A - moules frites in cider

I may have overdone it that day because that dish was preceded by this:

[Danimal506]

@seawolf I always go red sauce. But some places have a bomb verde!

Here in Texas, the green is spicier than red. In California, it was red spicier and green sweeter.

Shoutout to Cotija’s and Lolita’s honorable mention, Roberto’s.

[Danimal506]

Unpopular opinion:

Crabs, Lobsters and Shrimp are all underwater bugs.
Fun Fact, Cockroach are a shellfish.

[Tago Mago]

@Danimal506 out of curiosity: how would you classify cockroaches as shellfish, beyond both cockroaches and crabs e.g. being arthropods?

[seawolf]

@Danimal506 said in Unpopular opinions:

@seawolf I always go red sauce. But some places have a bomb verde!

Heard!

Shoutout to Cotija’s and Lolita’s honorable mention, Roberto’s.

You know it! Adalberto's has been my San Diego go-to for over 20 years, but there are always so many to try. You're never more than 10 minutes from a decent CA burrito anywhere in San Diego County.

[Mister_Brue]

@seawolf Only if wrapped in a slice of bread, as above…

[Danimal506]

@Tago-Mago I have no clue. I just know that apparently on the tv show Fear Factor that Joe Rogan hosted, they had to test people for shellfish allergies before the cockroach stunts because somebody had an allergic reaction while filming an episode.

[Tago Mago]

@Danimal506 possibly because of this:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6500746/

in short, cockroaches have a protein that is very similar to the shellfish protein, which may cause an allergic reaction

[mclaincausey]

Not saying I’d eat a cockroach (though that is certainly done in many parts of the world) but there’s nothing wrong with eating bugs or bottom feeders. I’ll definitely eat a cricket. If we are to survive long term, humanity is going to have to learn to eat bugs, algae, and other things that many of us might find unpalatable. We don’t have an endless supply of ahi and other delicacies.

When it comes to seafood you’ll get less mercury eating at the bottom of the food chain and they’re delicious!