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Welcome to the June edition of the Penn Cove Shellfish Newsletter!
Recent visitors from the 7th grade class of The Northwest School from Seattle, Washington.
The summer season is in full swing even if the weather isn't here yet and we have been very busy with our day to day shellfish farm operations. Each seasonas farmers of the sea, we have environmental and weather issues to contend with just like farmers do on land; and presently we are working through such an issue with our Canadian oyster growers.
For the past few weeks, there has been a series of algae blooms ocurring there that has temporarily halted harvesting in the eastern Vancouver Island waters. This has put extra pressure on our U.S. oyster inventory and unfortunately it's been difficult to fill all of our oyster orders. At this point, we are not sure when we will be able to start delivering the Canadian oysters again but the area is being tested regularly and we will keep everyone posted on any developments.
On another seasonal note, this is the time of year that oysters normally prepare to spawn, so it's time to start paying closer attention to the spawn count on our
weekly oyster evaluation.
On our evaluation sheet, the numbers, 0 to 5, correspond to the strength of each condition or trait, such as shell strength, meat fullness, brine and sweetness, so the higher the number the better, EXCEPT for the spawn count for which the lower the score the better.
We recommend that if the spawn count is above a 3, that you choose a different oyster. Since we have so many varieties, there are usually several a good options.
We always look forward to talking with our customers so if you have any questions feel free to call us at 360-678-4803. |
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Our Quilcene Bay harvest vessel-
the "Mytilus"
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It's not very often we get to see our harvest vessels out of the water, so since we had the Mytilus hauled out for some TLC we thought we would share a photo and tell you a little information about her.
The Mytilus is our harvesting vessel that we use for our mussel farming operations in Quilcene Bay, which is off of the Hood Canal on the Olympic Penninsula. A crew of 10 works the Mytilus harvesting Mediterranean Mussels, which is our crop over in Quilcene Bay.
Built in 2007 by our boat building partners Everest Marine, we were able to use the hull from our oyster harvesting vessel design and incorporate the same mussel harvesting equipment that we us on our Penn Cove harvester, the Moule Mariner.
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Oysters and Clams from Penn Cove Shellfish | |
Although we are most often known for our quality mussels, we also distribute Manila Clams, Kumamoto Oysters and 26 varieties of Pacific Oysters. The Pacific oysters are grown in cold Pacific waters way up in Northern British Columbia down to California and brought to Penn Cove weekly to wet store until orders are placed.
Our U.S. oysters and clams are wet stored underwater on rafts in Penn Cove. This wet storage allows our oysters and clams to purge any sand or grit and also to continue to feed, thrive and stay ocean fresh.They only spend a few days in Penn Cove so the still retain the flavor profile from the area they where raised and leave our facilities in optimum condition for distribution.
Our Canadian oysters are wet stored in tanks in our new operations facility where they are kept healthy and alive until orders are received. Once again. they spend a limited time at our to keep their flavor profile ideal.
When it comes to live shellfish, fresh is always best. So our mussels, clams and oysters are harvested only after orders are placed and then shipped early the next morning, in most cases being delivered within 24 hours of being pulled from the water. We harvest and ship 5 days per week, every week of the year. At Penn Cove Shellfish, we take great pride in our ability to offer the absolute freshest, highest quality shellfish; worldwide or just down the street, we only deliver the best. |
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Recipe of the month- Angry Mussels with Vidalia Onions, Bacon and Serrano Chile (Thank you Kathryn!) | 
Ingredients-
1 pound Penn Cove Mussels
¼ of a Vidalia onion (chopped) or Walla Walla
3 ounces good smoked bacon (diced)
1 clove fresh garlic (sliced)
1 each Serrano chile (sliced)
¼ cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 stick of butter
2 tablespoons minced chives
Directions-
Using a large skillet, render bacon until it begins to crisp (medium-high heat). Once almost crisp, turn the heat to high, and add the garlic, onion and Serrano chile. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, and add the cleaned mussels. Stir until they start to open. Deglaze with the wine, and cook until the wine is almost dry. Add the butter, and keep stirring until the butter is almost completely melted (emulsified) and take off of the heat. Season with kosher salt, and finish with freshly cut chives. Serve with crusty garlic bread for dipping! |
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Penn Cove Mussel video |  | |
Enjoy this new video that our friend and restaurant owner, Chef Robert Wiedmaier made with the NBC affiliate in Washington D.C.
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Oyster of the month -
The Sunset Beach
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This oyster gives you that little extra for your buck. It is beach raised in South Hood Canal. Very popular for those who want to grill or those who want a full meal deal. The oyster is nice and briny in taste and a firm texture to go along with it. |
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SHELLFISH
CARE | |
There are different ways to take care of different types of shellfish. If you follow these methods, you will insure that the shellfish which you have will maintain its flavor and shelf life to the best extent possible. Just remember, the shellfish you have are alive, they are not dead protein like a fillet of fish, and you want to keep them alive until they are cooked or served.
Whether you are a commercial distributor or a home consumer, you should be holding the shellfish products you buy or sell in a refrigerated environment at 35-40 degrees Fahrenheit. The number one problem in storing shellfish is temperature abuse, or when they are allowed to get warm, so keep your shellfish cool, this also slows down their metabolism which will keep them fresh tasting longer.
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