CRUSTACEAN CHRISTMAS EVE DINNER
by Robin

First, find Atlantic Seafood Market in Cape Canaveral!! They have the best service and most delicious seafood. If you're ever in the Cocoa Beach/ Cape Canveral area, wanting fresh seafood... try Atlantic Seafood on Flounder St. for all your fresh, local fish. If you *ever* have a bad piece of anything, they will reimburse you. They are serious about fresh fish & seafood.

These stone crab claws are worth a bundle and as Jack says, a reuseable resource. They take only the claws and the crab is released & allowed to go regenerate a new one. Cool. I never knew that. (We did not get these but they made a pretty crustacean picture.)

These are rock shrimp - in season today. Yeah!! They look like grubs but I assure you, they are not. They taste similar to mini-lobsters.
We cut them in halves, line them up, brush SmartBalance/lemon/Old Bay sauce on them and then broil until done. Yummy!

Lightly fry up some crab cakes in EVOO. Give 'em a nice crust.

Steam clams until they all pop open, then either eat them with a little bit of Smart Balance on top or put on a cracker. Be sure to add some hot sauce. I find that to be the best way. This was a "Medium Neck" clam. I don't know. I don't want to know.

A favorite here with the guys is Alaskan Snow Crab legs. No meal is complete without a couple pounds of these guys.

You may be asking yourself....... Gee, I thought she said she was a vegan. Yep. I am with the exception of fish or seafood. We did have our veggies too.

We included in our meal with a Butter Bean Soup. The recipe is on the back of the soup can. In short, it is carrots, onions, celery softenend in EVOO. Add 3 Tbl flour, then 3 c water. Few minutes later, add 2 cans of butter beans w/ juices, tomatoes, basil, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper. This is my version of it. The can called for 4 c water and no bean juice but I think that's silly. The bean juice adds so much to the flavor. Simmer for 20 min and then chow down. It was a nice compliment to the seafood.

MERRY CHRISTMAS to ALL and HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS!!!

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