Our adventure in bivalves

Aprons on...check! Prep station readied...check! Smiles all around...check!

Our view of the Columbia River

We had a bivalve adventure and learned how to cook them at Salty's on the Columbia River. It was a spur of the moment decision after getting an email about the upcoming class a few days before the event.

Bivalvia - Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bivalvia

Bivalves as a group have no head and they lack some usual molluscan organs like the radula and the odontophore. They include the clams, oysters, cockles, mussels, scallops, and numerous other families that live in saltwater, as well as a number of families that live in freshwater. The majority are filter feeders

Now in all fairness, I freely admit to loving clams, oysters, and mussels...oh my! My sweet steak-loving husband came with me even though his idea of delicious eating is more meat...add potatoes! I, too, am a steak and meat lover and am pretty comfortable cooking lots of different cuts of meat. What I am not comfortable cooking is seafood other than fish. It was such fun cooking together with ingredients that are way outside of our comfort zone. 

Our stations were setup perfectly and each person was given a glass of champagne upon arrival complete with a luscious cheese and fruit tray. I think that was a ploy to get us to relax and it worked perfectly.

Each person has his/her own cooking and prep station. Isn't that the prettiest picture of our ingredients!

Our three-course meal included: Oysters on the half shell. Sorry no pictures of them halved. I ate as I opened them. We were taught how to safely and properly open up those yummy suckers! It was nice to make our own fresh cocktail sauce. I made out like a bandit because Tracy fed me nearly all of his oysters too! SCORE!!!

Second on the list is Harissa Mussels with Smoked Tomato and Chorizo. Thankfully, the chefs had already cleaned the mussels so we could get down to chopping and cooking right away.

We needed bigger bowls and a larger tummy. The portions were huge!

Last on the list was clams risotto. By then I was so full that I could barely move, but they were so tasty, I couldn't stop eating mine and even helped myself to a few of Tracy's clams. Hey, we shouldn't waste, right?

We were surprised by the kitchen with tiny cooked desserts. Sorry no picture. Even as full as we were, we both swallowed them whole! 

It was a perfect evening spent with the most important person in my life. Thank you honey for such a wonderful date! How about we do our own private weekend class complete with New York steaks, baked potato, and a caesar salad.....and maybe a lemon cheesecake for dessert. YUM.....