MARITIME 



MORSELS 



SMlfish Expo Features 

 Clam, Oyster Dishes 



By A 



We,, Tom Mattison cooks up big 

 pots of clam chowder for community groups 

 around Camp LeJeune, he must remain very 

 patient. 



"If the chowder is not the right 

 temperature, it will burn," says Mattison. 

 "Chowder is a big tradition in eastern North 

 Carolina. I have been making chowder for more 

 than 30 years. I always use North Carolina 

 clams in my chowder, even though I make it 

 New England style." 



Mattison, who is on the board of directors 

 of the North Carolina Shellfish Growers 

 Association, was giving out samples of his tasty 

 chowder at the 2005 Shellfish Expo. Held at the 

 Carteret County Community College Culinary 

 Center in Morehead City, the event was 

 sponsored by the Shellfish Growers Association, 

 along with North Carolina Sea Grant, Carteret 

 Community College, Progress Energy and the 

 N.C. Department of Agriculture & Consumer 

 Services. 



y I o r 



"We are trying to promote North Carolina 

 farm-raised shellfish and to build relationships 

 between shellfish buyers and local shellfish 

 harvesters," says Jim Swartzenberg, president of 

 the state's growers association. 



In North Carolina, 267 shellfish growers 

 produce clams and oysters on more than 1,894 

 acres of state-leased lands within the state's 

 sounds and tributaries, according to the N.C. 

 Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF). 



In 2004, DMF reported that 7,125 bushels 

 of clams priced at about $400,000 and almost 

 10,000 bushels of oysters valued at around 

 $222,000 were harvested from private leases in 

 North Carolina. 



The shellfish expo also included a cooking 

 competition between several local chefs who 

 made a variety of recipes with clams and oysters. 



"The dishes were very tasty and showed 

 how many different ways you can prepare clams 

 and oysters," says Ronald G. Hodson, director 

 of North Carolina Sea Grant and a contest judge. 

 "North Carolina is a great source of fresh clams 

 and oysters harvested from waters washed by the 

 Atlantic Ocean." 



Below are a few winning recipes from the 

 chefs, as well as Mattison's clam chowder recipes. 



Hers d'Oeuvre Winner 



OYSTER AND CLAM SUSHI 

 by Anthony Garnett, Coral Bay Club 

 Atlantic Beach 



• 6 oysters in juice 



• 12 clams in juice 



• Sushi rice, as needed 



• 1 sheet nori 



• 2 spears of asparagus (blanched and cooked) 



• Cream cheese, as needed 



• Fish roe, as needed 



• 1 cucumber 



• 1 red pepper 



Cook rice according to the instructions. 

 Peel and seed cucumber, julienne-cut red pepper. 



Wrap flat sushi mat in plastic wrap. Form 

 rice in sliape of mat. Place nori on top of rice. 



CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Ron Hodson, David Inscoe, Patricia Smith, Jimmy Johnson and 

 Skip Kemp judged dishes presented at the Shellfish Expo. Oyster and Clam Sushi was prepared 

 by Anthony Garnett. Chef Eddie King of The Dunes Club was one of several participating chefs. 



28 HOLIDAY 2005 



