This is ever so silly - but sea food advice please

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

Got an odd hankering for proper seafood - clams, whelks that kind of stuff but I've only ever had it in France where plates of oddly named things are placed in front of me and to which we just give nicknames. I do love it very much though.

So I have demanded asked that tomorrow we go off to a proper fishmongers to get some but:
a)I don't know what to order and how much of each thing - dont want to get ridiculous amounts and waste it and bankrupt us but dont want to go hungry (3 of us)
b)what on earth do I do with it when I get it?

I off out for a bit but await hopefully for any advice :)

I love shellfish like scallops, mussels, baby squid etc. You don't need very much... about 4 - 6oz per person is fine... and the 'secret' is not to overcook anything, a few minutes is fine. Longer and you can end up with little blobs of rubber!

Very simple method is to take your choice of prepared shellfish and cook in a combination of garlic, butter & seasoning before finishing with a dash of white wine. An alternative is to add a tomato sauce and serve with pasta. My personal favourite is to make Paella... and there are lots of good recipes around online. Good luck

:) thank you. I do like paella but have only made it with pre-packaged mussels. That is really helpful. So I don't have to cook them separately if I wanted a bit of a selection?
I can't wait!

We got a shellfish platter from loch fyne to have at home. It was very reasonable and they prepare it all for you

that's a thought. Did it taste really good? I don't mind preparing it, I do like new challenges (even if it is a bit of a minor one) but the main thing is that it tastes good.

Like a good butcher a fishmonger should also be able to advise myou on qty and ways to cook etc.

brilliant. Have got the hang of butchers (through brutal honesty along the lines of 'help, what do I do with that') so I can try the same tactic.

Rick Steins Fish books are also good.

Wish we had a good fishmonger near us.

We are going to have to drive some way to go to one, nothing round here :( - I hope it is good!

I cooked mussels the other day. 1 kg was just right for 3. hth

it does - thank you :)

I can't wait! I hope it works out.