Welcome to the world of shellfish delights, where succulent treasures from the ocean depths await. In the bustling streets of the Washington, Dc, a mobile oyster bar known as S.S. Shucking has become a beacon for seafood aficionados. But today, a special package arrived, courtesy of Island Creek Oysters, delivering a tantalizing surprise.
Nestled within that carefully curated package lay the gifts of Skip Bennet himself—fresh clams and scallops. Each mollusk whispered tales of the sea, brimming with flavor and culinary possibilities. As a nationally ranked oyster shucker, Gardner Douglas could barely control the excitement of exploring a new shellfish frontier.
Before he could he even set up his camera he had already shucked open a few clams to calm his imagination. There is nothing like a fresh mollusk that has been picked from the sea for your eating pleasures. “With great powers comes great responsibility” and Gardner Douglas doesn’t take that lightly. The sunlight on his back and shade in his face he sat the camera up and began to record an epic seafood journey.
The Oyster Ninja as he is affectionately named by his seafood loving podcast listeners is accustomed to the art of shucking oysters, but embraced this opportunity to delve into the world of clams and scallops. With their pristine juiciness, those hand-selected clams burst open with satisfaction, rewarding your curiosity with their briny essence. A mere twist of the wrist freed the adductor muscles from their shells, unleashing the flavors of the ocean onto his sleeve. All the merroir or liqour was not wasted and more than enough made it to his palate.
Ah, the scallops, jewels of the sea, beckoning with their tender allure. The scallops were sustainably farmed in Penobscota Bay by Vertical Bay Farms in Maine. Grown using “Ear Hanging Method”, harvested at around 3 yrs and are carefully cared for. Some were destined for a raw rendezvous, allowing their purity to dance on his tongue. Others, lucky companions, were adorned with a coat of garlic butter, their flavors elevated by the flames of the grill. With deft precision, he skillfully broke their hinges, carefully slid his knife inside, and liberated the exquisite morsels from their protective shells.
As the Oyster Ninja, his passion for these treasures is boundless. The mobile oyster bar is his stage, where he dazzles with shucking prowess and share the secrets of the sea. But today, it was the clams and scallops that stole the limelight, captivating the senses and inspiring a culinary symphony.
This journey into the realms of clams and scallops has opened new doors, broadening his culinary horizons and igniting the imaginations of those who will listen to his tales. The Oyster Ninja’s podcast shall echo with the tales of these newfound treasures, inspiring others to explore the wonders that lie within the ocean’s depths.
Thoughts from the Ninja 