Hermosillo, Mexico

Shellfish ... Get 'em and eat 'em

Oysters are not easy to gather on your own. They are common on the rocks along the shores of the gulf but the edible sizes have almost all been taken by local gatherers. Thus, the oysters you eat will be cultivated. The seeds (tiny oysters) are spread in plastic trays which are then hung from heavy ropes on the edge of the channel in an estuary. The boxes are tended regularly and the oysters are cleaned and turned. The oysters reach eating size in about six months. Most of the "oyster cultivation farms" are small coops and they usually have a palapa that sells oysters on the half shell. Palapa or no, almost all of the little farms will sell you oysters by the piece. Expect to pay 15 to twenty cents for each oyster. By Chesapeake Bay standards, these oysters are small, watery and often relatively tasteless. I eat them because of my memories of Chesapeake bay blue point oysters served over ice and with horseradish cocktail sauce. I am almost always very disappointed and can't remember a time when I did not have diahrea after eating them. I find the oysters are very good if taken home (or to the campsite) and placed on a hot charcoal grill. The shell's open when the oysters are cooked and they are quite good, especially with cocktail sauce. No diahrea from this.

Clams: Tools (hands, feet, screwdriver, garden type rakes with heavy tines), buckets or floating box or basket.

Clams or "almejas" are abundant in the esteros and relatively easy to gather. Occasionally you can buy them from markets that specialize in seafood or from vendors along the side of the road. They cost about 1.5 pesos or less than 15 cents each. The common variety is very similar to the hard clam or cherry stone clam of the east coast of the U.S. As in almost all shell fish here, the high temperatures and salty water of the esteros do not provide for the best in flavor. But when fresh, the local clams are more than adequate for those who like them. Like cherry stones the smaller clams are more tender and the larger ones are best used for chowder. Even then, you may not be able to chew them.

You can gather your own clams from the flats of estuaries when the tide is out. Sometimes the flats are completely exposed and dry. Just sit down and rake through the sand with your fingers or some other tool ... a garden rake is best. In shallow water you can "tread" them with your bare feet. Just work your feet and toes around in the soft sand until you feel a clam. Again, a trusty garden rake is most efficient here. If you don't find clams within a few minutes, move to another spot. they are usually abundant. Remember, the smaller the better... shells between one and two inches across are best.

You will want to find clams in the shell and with the shells closed tightly indicating that they are alive when you buy them. These clams are adapted to the heat and as long as they are kept in the shade they should survive for some time. Keeping them cool as in an air conditioned house and moist (wet towels not covered with water) will help them last even longer. Unlike shellfish of the U.S. Atlantic Coast, these animals never encounter really cold water. Therefore, putting them on ice or in the refrigerator will speed up death. It will keep them fresh for some uses but, on death the shells open slightly and the juices come out of the shell.

There are several other kinds of clams that are usually only available at the palapas along the estuaries. These include the blood clams and a variety of surf clam. I have not tried them. I have not seen them for sale in the seafood markets within the city of Hermosillo. I have seen them for sale by street vendors in Obregon ... but Obregon and points south are characterized by a change in the traditional appetites.

Calla de Acha, which we call the pen shell in English is a popular delicacy. If you scuba dive or snorkel, you may be able to gather them but they are almost always deeply embedded in cracks in rocks and you will need an appropriate tool to work them free. The meat is tender and delicious and expensive. The animals are not abundant and they grow slowly so the relatively small, disorganized fishery, has severely depleted the population. Most seafood restaurants and larger palapas serve it as an appetizer.

The horse mussel is called mexillon or choro here. The mussels grow in clusters of several to tens deeply embedded in the cracks of large rocks. They are tightly attached to their position by strong "byssil threads" that they make. Mexillones are abundant along rocky stretches of coast from the mean low water mark to fairly deep. The shallow water populations are decimated by local gatherers in many areas but plenty are available by snorkeling or best, scuba. You need a tool like a strong diving knife to work the mussels loose from their perch in the crevasses.

Horse mussels are dark fleshed and strong tasting. They are often prepared with lots of vegetables ... resembling a less watery cauhamanta and occasionally they end up in the mixed seafood cocktail called campaniche.

Thai snails or caracols are relatively easy to gather in the rocky intertidal zones. Just pick them up carry them back to camp or home and put them on a grate over a fire. The snails cook and simmer inside the shells and when done, they are easily removed with an ice pick, screwdriver or similar tool. Snails are mostly intestine, except for the meaty foot. Some people eat the whole thing. I stick to the foot which is tasty but it makes it all a lot of work. Caracols are available out of the shell in almost all supermarkets and seafood specialty markets. But the taste is lost and it is just not the same.

Octopus is very common here and you can get them while snorkeling or diving. At night when the tide is low and if the water is calm you can get them in shallow water along rocky shores. You need a lantern or strong flashlight and a long handled hook or gig. Do not forget your bucket or floating basket or box. Best done with two people.

I have trapped octopus like this for my biology class field trips. We use a crab net or dip net instead of a gig and we return the animals to the water after everyone has seen them and handled them. I do eat octopus en cocktails and prepared by other people, but I have some empathy for their intelligence and have not found the taste sufficiently good to make them a special target as food for myself and my family. I had a friend in Puerto Libertad, where octopus is abundant and fishing pressure is low, who wanted me to help market a pate that she had developed. The pate was good but I just couldn't find the motivation to get involved. I feel the same way about whales, dolphins and porpoises.

Squid, although a relative of the octopus, does not arouse the same emotions. In fact, I wish squid was tastier. It is relatively cheap to buy, keeps well and is pure 100% protein with all of the perceived benefits of the special chemicals that shellfish mythology promises. You will not catch your own squid under normal circumstances. But, you can buy them almost anywhere. there are two basic varieties. the first is the common, garden variety small squid. You buy the animals whole and have to clean them which usually involves removing almost everything but the arrowhead shaped muscular body wall.

The other variety is fairly unique to this area. It is a giant squid. The meat is sold in slabs or strips that are about an inch thick. There is little cleaning to do because all of the undesirable parts have been removed. The exception is the "skin" which you can pull off. It is easier to remove the skin after boiling the meat until it is cooked. Sometimes tentacles of giant squid are also available. The meat must be one of the least expensive sources of protein available. The problem is preparing it so that it is something more than tasteless. I will devote some effort to gathering and providing recipes for giant squid on other pages. It is too good a source of inexpensive protein to pass up and I have had it (prepared by others) as part of some delicious dishes.

Seafood ... a first look..

SHRIMP.

Go to the HOTPAGE Do It Yourself Seafood page.

Buying crabs and crabmeat.

Catching your own crabs ... a real learning experience.

Soft Shell Crabs ... yes, they are here.

Catch and cook your own clams, mussels and snails.

Back to the HOTPAGE FOOD & DRINK index.

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