Musings from Gottingen Street: Fried Mussels

Aug 27, 2009

I am working at the Halifax Public Library on Gottingen Street this morning, although it's too bad, because it's a fine day outside; clear and cool, with a light breeze.  Nothing like yesterday during the afternoon and evening - it was near dungeon fog all the way down from Cape Breton pretty much, and I missed many miles of coastline in the grey unbroken.  Still, it was a nice drive, with plenty of turns in the road to keep me occupied. 

One thing that caught my eye yesterday was seeing little hand-painted signs along Marine Drive, Burma Shave - style, advertising lots of good fried foods at the approaching Trail Restaurant.  Although the signs weren't particularly unusual, one of them said 'Fried Clams and Mussels' and this one definitely was an attention-getter.  It was the 'fried mussels' part of the sign, since I've been wanting to try a fried mussel for several years.  I'd been introduced to the concept by Babe Stanley, a fisherman and erstwhile shellfish grower I'd met a while back, while we worked on his idea for a submersible mussel raft.  The mussel raft project was a modest success and deserves further attention, but the notion of fried mussels has been stuck in my brain ever since.

As it happened, Babe has been in the seafood industry for quite some time, and he brought up his fried mussels many a time, as we worked together on the model raft in the tow tank up in Orono.  He'd steam the mussels a bit to get the shells to open, shuck out the meats, and then fry them up in his own special batter recipe.  He said they were just delicious, and I certainly believed him.  According to the story, everything was going on splendidly in the fried mussel trade until he was tripped up by bureaucracy.  It seems that he was calling his lovely little inventions 'Blue Oysters', and the use of the word 'oyster' was a no-no - misleading the customer and what-not.  So, that turned out to be the end of that particular endeavor.

Now, when we flash forward to the present day, I've often thought that the seafood-consuming populace had matured enough so that the notion of a fried mussel might be a going concern.  No longer are mussels thought of as trash; fit only for the very poor or for bait to catch something worthwhile.  Mussels can be found on the menu of white tablecloth restaurants the world over.  Mostly however, they are steamed and offered with some sort of sauce; curry, wine and butter, butter and more butter, oil and pepper, and the etcetera list goes on.  Occasionally you can find a place that will actually serve them naked, and you can choose the dip you like, though a steamed mussel all by its lonesome is a delicious thing anyway, a delicate taste and just the right size mouthful.

I had to stop at this place, and so I did, there to chat up the owners.  Well - they were out of mussels; their harvester had not brought any to them lately.  Mostly, they get them wild harvested, but sometimes ranched as well.  They were short on clams too, and so it ended up being a Reuben-style hot dog for me.  Rueben halfway down and not bad at all, and lo and behold, there was one last order of mussels!  These were plump and obviously farm raised, so into the batter and then the fryer they went.  The owners noted that it's easy to steam them lightly first, then freeze the meats.  They get a very brief microwave thaw, then batter fried, and off you go.  So, if you've got a decent stock of fresh mussels but not enough market at the moment, you can put them by and keep them in good shape till the customers show up. 

Now, I'm a crispy-batter sort of guy - for fried clams, onion rings, and all that other good stuff.  Tempura is right up my alley, and some of the best fried clams I've ever had have been at Gritty McDuffs in Freeport, ME.   So, if you've had Gritty clams (note the capital G there, folks), then you'll know just what I'm on about. 

Having admitted to that, the mussels were very nice indeed - just the right size, and the batter did not cover up the taste of the mussel too much at all.  I asked the owners if this product was popular and they allowed that it was.  They'd seen other restaurants offer fried mussels, but only sporadically.  They then told me that some Japanese tourists had come by a couple of years ago, and being very familiar with seafood - what respectable Japanese person isn't? - they had to try the mussels.  They reportedly commented that their previous understanding was that the champion blue mussel growers and chefs were the Dutch, but that these fried little babies left them in the proverbial dust.  So, I left the shop with a story, a full stomach, new acquaintances, and a new experience. 

It was funny enough, having had a discussion two nights previously with Charles Purdy about the lack of value-added products in the shellfish industry (Atlantic Canada and the NE US, both), that here was one item that might just fit into this category.  It could be great for wild harvesters and for bottom culture operations together, and maybe even suspension growers.  I do wonder if suspension-grown mussels would fit into this on the basis of the price to the consumer, given the extra cost in raising them, but I guess that's for the individual businesses to figure out, isn't it?  It would be a good thing to diversify the products offered by Maine growers, harvesters and seafood businesses.

My take-away thoughts, as I drove away southwest down the foggy outer shore of Nova Scotia was why nobody in Maine is test marketing a fried mussel?  Seems like a market opportunity to me - and a potential fine future excuse for trying out more roadside food. 

Aug 26, 2009

Ron Boudreau and Rodney Fougere, of Sea Perfect Cultivated Products, are excited about scallops.  Kindred spirits, there.  I've been corresponding with Ron for a few years now off and on, having been introduced to him by Leslie-Anne Davidson of DFO, and having checked out his projects on spat collection and bottom fencing, via the literature.  What a treat to finally meet him and Rodney, and what a beautiful place to do it in.  If you have never been to Cape Breton, then make some time and go.  I imagine that it'd be breezy and bumpy in the wintertime, but on this August day, windy and grey overhead as it was, it's an idyllic setting. 

Ron Boudreau (left) and Rodney Fougère

Cape Breton's southwest shore is littered with islands and intervening waterways, and doubtlessly would make a great cruising destination.  Seemingly every back yard has a boat on stands, and the communities are like postcards; the villages seemingly lean down toward the waterfronts, hunching themselves under the wind. These are places where people are yet dependent upon one another, and the word 'community' still has real meaning. 

So, do yourself a favor, and make the trip some day.  You'll be glad you did; I was, and I didn't even have time to sit in a pub and listen to the music that the Cape is famous for!

Anyway.  There I was, and and up drives Rodney's father, just to make sure that I wasn't sitting there too long by myself, and to provide a little company since the boys are running a few minutes behind.  I told you the folks there are nice.  Then, Ron and Rodney drive up, we do introductions all around, and I say goodbye to Rodney's dad, who has to take off.

In we go to the space that the local fish plant lets them use. There is a big reservoir system for lobster, with a spat collector or two floating, a few lantern nets and some lobster crates with 3"+ scallops in them.  'So, do you want to try a scallop?' says Ron.  "Well, I'd love to eat about the whole box of 'em" say I, and they both laugh.  Out comes the knife, and before you can say Placopecten, I've eaten 6 or 7 meats - firm and sweet and absolutely delicious.  Ron tells me that on their site, scallops grow 2 inches a year, so these were stocked at about 1", after coming out of the collectors, and then grown for about 18 months.  The shells have a hard check at the point they came out of the collectors, then smooth thereafter, so they had a good life in the intervening time.  He says they put about 20 scallops per level of the lantern, and then never touch them again until harvest.  This is a pretty solid indicator of a good site. 

They also show me a scallop seed grader there in the shop, built in New Brunswick. It has a series of flat trays that travel a circular path, raising and lowering in and out of a water bath.  Half the trays trays have holes for undesirable shellfish to fall through (mussels and rock borers, mostly), the other half have bars spaced closely together to allow the scallops to fall through sideways.  They can grade out 3 sizes of scallops with this, and it works like a house afire.  We did not discuss price of the machine, but the scallops that come out of the grading process are as nice and clean as can be, and uniformly sized.

Seed grader in the shop; with holding tank and feeder on the left side of the grader

Top view of the moving table in the grader.  Scallops are graded via the bars (by thickness) and the other shellfish are sorted out through the panels with holes.  Works great - this was a smaller version of the grader I'd see in the Magdalenes later in the summer. 

Off then we went to their waterfront workshop across the harbor, just behind their site.  There, they had a grader for mature scallops, which can produce 7 different size grades.  The tube is made of SDR pipe with holes cut into it, and the whole shebang driven by a small electric motor.  They say that 7 grades is too many, and that 3 is better, so they combine some of the grades together. 

Drum grader for mature scallops.

Their site, which is nearly a stone's throw close to the shore, deep in a sheltered cove, is 70 feet deep, and their collectors and growout gear are held at about 40 feet, to reduce fouling.  They've tried a bunch of different things; lanterns, pearl nets, Savory cages, homemade designs, Mexican trays, and they are convinced that a biggish plastic tray is the answer, to reduce labor and to increase efficiency in growth.  A plan is cooking to develop a mold that will fill the bill.  

Meantime, they produce seed at an amazing rate, since they average 10,000 spat per collector, and they've got at least 4,000 collectors out there.  Having had some trials and errors in their past (and who hasn't?), they are quite optimistic about the future, both for seed sales and for growout.  Most of their seed now goes to St. Pierre and Miquelon, but they've got some customers in the Maritimes as well.  Recognizing that seed and growout are two vastly different operations and businesses, they're looking forward to progress on both fronts.  Ten years of experiences so far, and they are more enthusiastic than ever.  Bravo, Gentlemen, bon travail et bon chance!

Bay Enterprises Limited - Malagash Bay, NS

August 24 and 25, 2009

Driving up through Nova Scotia takes a long time, but it certainly is worth it. In Maine, we have a nice confluence of earth, water and sky, but it seems even more so here, north of the border between Amherst and Antigonish. I pass by farms and fields, none of which have a rock bigger than a softball in them. Amazing, in contrast to much of New England.

'Antigonish' is pronounced with the principal accent on the last syllable...'ish' and the secondary accent on the first. An-tig-on-ISH, but the locals, who have had a little practise at this sort of thing, run it all together smoothly so it comes out sounding like AN-na-gon-NISH. So, I fell into that pronunciation trap, and sounded like a rube right off the bat. Regardless of language foul-ups, I travelled yesterday to Malagash Bay, to meet with Charles Purdy, of Bay Enterprises, Ltd. and his wife, Nancy.

Charles is one of those guys - the ones who can make or repair anything (he's even trained the local crows and ravens to eat green crabs, and the photo of him above is about a woodburning unit he will use to drive a combustion engine, by capturing unburned vapors), who have a restless brain, and who take a creative approach to everything. Charles and Nancy have been operating this shellfish farm for over 15 years, and before that, had worked on the family farm, operated a sawmill, and even owned a store. Nonetheless, shellfish growing seems to have taken deep root, and they have invested time, energy and money into this growing business, a business that now includes the next generation in their daughter Rachel. Even Rachel's kids are on the farm many days, so it truly is a family enterprise.

***Charles Purdy, with a tractor he imported from Belorussia, one of his former endeavors.  The guy can do anything.  On his farm, he's able to use the tractor on the flats in front of his house, something that would be unthinkable in Maine.






The lease they work, or at least part of it, was originally owned by Charles' great-great grandfather, so a historical context is only a memory away. Today, the group operates two tracts of about 400 acres total, in Malagash Bay. They grow Eastern oysters, European oysters, hard clams, and a few bay scallops. It's extensive culture for the most part, with a steady natural set that they help along by working the shell beds, and which they are building upon with a hatchery.

*** I'm sorry to say that I can't recall the names of these two students who'd worked in the hatchery: Charles spoke very highly of both of them.




Their shellfish travels all across Canada and into the US, and they have sold into the EU a bit as well, although rules for importing shellfish into the European Union have made it difficult. The events of Sept. 11th also changed things for importing into the US as well, and has curtailed a fair bit of their shipments to the States.

Coming from Maine, it seemed that the water in the inner part of Malagash Bay was incredibly warm. It can reach over 28 deg C with not too much difficulty, and the warmest that Charles has recorded is 33 deg C. On the other hand, he's also measured 28 inches of ice in the dark of winter, so there are extremes to contend with.

Some of the relevant aspects of his business include the following:

- Bay Enterprises Ltd. (BEL) oysters take 4 to 5 years to reach market size.

- Two natural spawns occur, in June and early September. Sets can be a blessing and a curse, providing free spat, but overlaying market sized oysters too.

- Oysters beds are worked; to prune the shells, to break down clumps, and to reduce silt loads.

- He has worked hard to develop an escalator dredge for harvesting his oysters and hard clams, a dredge that he built in collaboration with a colleague at the Othniel Oyster Co., Poole, UK (http://www.othniel.com/) having visited Europe to learn about the industry there.

- There are few inshore uses to compete with, in terms of fisheries, but there is some recreational boating, and some shoreline development that has provided occasional opposition.

- There are few other shellfish growers in the immediate region, and he's the only one who makes all his income off of his farm.

- Quality is a top priority for him, and he sees benefit in holding to his price.

- Sharing information is something he sees a need for as growers talk with one another, both within his province and outside of it, including the E. Coast of the US. With so much of the seafood business being tied between the two countries, he sees no need to start a price war or drop quality to sell more product.

- Notata strain hard clams did not do well in his area; they tried to feed at such low temperatures, that the lack of food during that time caused them to lose too much energy. His local strain of hard clams has a better time of shutting off at 4-5 deg C, and can stay dormant during times of low food availability. He's had better luck with these since he's been doing his own selective breeding.

- Hatchery production of flat oysters mimics the natural set, so his hatchery was operational during my visit. He is working on an overwintering system that will provide some feed to his flat oysters during their first winter.

- Those who have visited or operated shellfish hatcheries will be surprised to visit the BEL hatchery. His place is a jumble of equipment, although maybe that's not the surprising part. However, he does only place a minimum of attention on things like maintaining precisely axenic cultures, or feed rationing. On the other hand, it works really well for him, and he's quite happy with the results. In addition, he's gotten some great students to work for him, and they've added a lot to the effectiveness of the hatchery operation.
 

On the night I arrived, he took a call that an old friend and colleague in the aquaculture business had died, so he took an early exit the next day, to travel to the funeral in Halifax. He was kind enough to let me help out a bit on the escalator dredge in his absence though, which was an education in itself. It moves a lot of water, and a lot of shells, and takes a skilled hand to operate efficiently.

Even abbreviated as it was, my visit with Charles and his family really was an enjoyable and educational one. He's a wealth of knowledge, with an "I can do it myself" approach to just about everything.

Incidentally, while I was there, I made a detour to the Jost Vineyard, which is just up the road a few miles from his farm. The wines are fantastic, which made the trip even better.

***This is the escalator dredge.  The main components include the spray head and conveyor belt; the engine to drive the water pump and hydraulics, and the outboard for propulsion.  Operating this device takes a watchful eye; while it can more a huge amount of shellfish in a short time, it's a bit finicky, and takes a combination of speed, direction and bottom contact to get into the sweet spot.