Saturday was a spectacular, clear San Francisco day so I headed across the Golden Gate Bridge to Fisherman’s Wharf for fresh local Dungeness crab and sourdough bread for my evening crab fest.

First stop, Fishermen’s Grotto No 9, a restaurant and outdoor seafood stand that’s been there for decades. I thought the wharf would be busy with tourists and locals buying crab and enjoying steaming cups of homemade clam chowder on this cold winter morning. Instead, it looked deserted with the exception of a few Japanese tourists.

The fish monger who’s prepared my crab for years was still there. His assistant helped me select a batch of crabs. As he tore them apart, rinsed and cracked the shells, he noted that tourism is off at the wharf and many locals are staying home. “Things are real slow.” One senses a deep public fear of eating seafood from areas affected by the Costco Besan oil spill, despite assurances of safety from scientists.

Perhaps shoppers want to see how those of us who indulge first will fare (your basic sacrificial lambs!). Or they’re more comfortable buying seafood from their local markets that stock crabs caught farther up the coast or out of state. My local Sausalito Mollie Stone’s market ordered 500 pounds of crab for the weekend from Eureka north of San Francisco, and sold 450 pounds by Sunday morning.

It’s not hard to see why this is happening. Local media coverage was intense following the disaster, and lots of grim speculation filled the airwaves when real facts were unavailable. Now we’re being inundated with the legal issues and pending lawsuits that compensate fishermen for lost income—sometime in the future. Let’s remember that these fishermen are suffering financially now, and need our support as they deliver a superior, safe product. In addition to supporting the fleet, shopping at the wharf gives you the pleasure of seeing your food prepared straight off the boat. Supermarkets cannot compete with this freshness.

With my crabs cracked and wrapped, I headed down the street to the Boudin bakery for just-out-of-the-oven sourdough bread—the perfect complement to Dungeness crab. Unlike the cold wharf, Boudin’s was warm, busy and filled with the intoxicating scent of baking bread.

In business since 1849, the historic Boudin invites shoppers to watch bakers work through large glass windows, or take a guided tour of the facility. I browsed racks filled with classic loaves, plus whimsical ones shaped like alligators, lobsters and seasonal snowmen. In the end, I couldn’t resist a giant, crab-shaped creation.

My crab fest was a huge success. It was definitely a crack, peel, dip, slurp, moan and indulge meal. Guests focused on eating and enjoying, not formalities. I covered the table with orange plastic and put out sturdy paper plates, lots of napkins and large bowls for discarded shells. A big ice-filled bowl stacked high with crab took center stage, surrounded by multiple bowls of hot, melted plain and garlic butter.

The crab-shaped sourdough bread was also hit. Guests loved breaking off the bread claws and dipping them in the garlic butter. A green Romaine lettuce salad with ripe avocados and blue cheese added depth, and chilled white wine washed it all down.

Perfection!

Cheers to the San Francisco fishermen who braved bad weather and high waves to deliver fresh Dungeness crabs to our Bay Area markets this week.

Things looked bleak earlier last month when the Costco Besan cargo ship hit the Bay Bridge and dumped 58,000 gallons of oil into the Bay. Fishermen remained dockside as crab season went on hold. That all changed last Thursday when scientists reported that the Dungeness crab, rock crab, herring, surf perch and mussels (with the exception of those at Rodeo Beach in Marin County and the Berkeley pier) were safe to eat. Officials lifted the ban.

Early Saturday morning fishermen loaded the decks of their boats with hundreds of crab traps and headed out the Golden Gate. Joining others from Half Moon Bay and Bodega Bay they set their traps and delivered the season’s first catch on Sunday.

News of their departure spread fast so I bundled up and braved the cold bay winds to wander the piers and watch the last of the boats head out. Word was that we’d have crab in the markets Monday afternoon.

My only problem was which crab dish to prepare first. Spicy crab cakes sounded good—or maybe a rich crab sandwich with baby shrimp and melted Gruyere cheese. I had a friend coming for lunch so opted for a crisp Crab Louis salad with creamy slices of avocado, hard-cooked eggs and homemade Thousand Island dressing. It was divine.

What next? Well, the most sinfully decadent way to eat Dungeness crab is boiled, cracked, peeled and dipped in melted butter—lots of butter. Simple—pure pleasure.

Friends are coming to my house this Saturday for our first crab fest of the year. I’ll get the Dungeness crabs at Fishermen’s Wharf in the morning, then walk down the street to the bakery for just-out-of-the oven sourdough bread. The only other things needed are a crisp Romaine salad and chilled white wine. It’s a meal fit for the gods—and your best buddies.

Sometimes things that we take for granted in life change in a heartbeat. What we know to be true is no longer and we are left with memories. For many of us in the San Francisco Bay Area, fresh local seafood is an expected part of life.

There is no better meal than cracked Dungeness crab and sourdough bread eaten bayside near the fishing boats at Fishermen’s Wharf.

Unless, it’s a quick trip out to Drake’s Bay Oyster Company for freshly harvested oysters—some for dinner—and a few that simply must slide down my throat.

Neither will happen anytime soon. Last week the fully loaded container ship Cosco Busan set sail in heavy fog from the Port of Oakland to South Korea. Within minutes, it hit one of the support pilings of the Bay Bridge and sheared off approximately 100 feet of the bridge fender. While the bridge did not sustain any structural damage, the ship tore open at the bow and spilled 58,000 gallons of bunker oil in to San Francisco Bay.

You’ve probably seen the reports on CNN and the national news programs—just another disaster—unless you live here.

The spill is an ecological calamity rippling through our lives and the local economy like the tides and winds carrying the oil through the Golden Gate and up the north coast.

Officials closed beaches and sent an army of clean-up crews in protective gear to bag the gooey oil.

Over 500 oil-covered birds are confirmed dead with hundreds more being rescued and cared for.

Today, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered all commercial and recreational fishing in the San Francisco Bay Area halted until December 1, or when ever the Department of Fish and Game determines that it’s safe to eat the seafood again.

The Dungeness crab season is on hold meaning there will be no local, fresh crab for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday celebrations.

The Drake’s Bay Oyster Company that harvests over 100,000 oysters a day—3.6 million pounds per year—or 60 percent of the California oyster crop—was temporarily shut down by the State Board of Health because of the spill. If this goes on for any length of time, it could be the demise of this wonderful company.

The spill could also affect the herring, smelts, and several types of salmon.

I’ll keep you posted on the clean-up and celebrate its completion with a very fine Dungeness crab dinner—complete with chilled white wine—on a dock by the bay at twilight.

Come into my kitchen! There is a joyful sense of community when the Adams clan gathers to prepare Sunday dinner. The room pulsates with music, laughter, easy conversation—and the busy sounds of everyone chopping, grating, assembling, and tasting.

The menu is shrimp scampi with its pungent garlic-lemon sauce, fresh linguini pasta, a simple green salad, and San Francisco sour dough bread topped with lots of butter, fresh, minced garlic, and grated Parmesan Reggiano cheese.

My recipe is quick and easy if you buy peeled and de-veined shrimp—and it’s packed with flavor. Pair it with your favorite white zinfandel or Sauvignon Blanc and life is good.

Shrimp Scampi with Linguini Pasta Recipe

Ingredients Serves 4
Preparation time: Under 25 minutes with cooked pasta.

1 pound fresh linguini*

1 lemon, zested

1 cup flour

1 pound (21–25 count) shrimp, peeled, de-veined and patted dry

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

6 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons shallots, minced

1 tablespoon crushed garlic

1 cup dry white wine

1–2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 teaspoon dried red chili flakes

1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley

~ additional chopped Italian parsley, for decoration

*Find fresh pasta in good grocery stores, delis and specialty food stores. Use dried linguini if fresh is unavailable.

Directions

1. Cook the linguini in plenty of boiling salted water until just al dente (tender with a tiny bit of “bite” remaining). Drain, reserving about one cup of the cooking water for later.
2. Sprinkle the lemon zest over the freshly cooked pasta and toss well. Set aside.
3. Place the flour in a spacious bowl and dredge the shrimp, shaking off excess flour.
4. Sprinkle the shrimp with the salt and pepper. Set aside.
5. Place a skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and heat until sizzling.
6. Add the shallots and sauté until translucent, approximately 1–2 minutes. Adjust the heat as needed to prevent burning.
7. Add the garlic and cook for thirty seconds.
8. Add the shrimp and cook until just pink, approximately 3–4 minutes.
9. Pour in the wine and lemon juice and bring to a lively simmer. Remove the shrimp with a slotted spoon and set aside.
10. Continue cooking the sauce until reduced by half, approximately 2–3 minutes.
11. Add the butter and mix well.
12. Add the chili flakes and Italian parsley.
13. Return the shrimp to the sauce and stir to coat.
14. Plate the linguini and top with the shrimp and sauce. Decorate with chopped Italian parsley and serve.

NOTE: If the sauce or pasta appears dry, use the reserved cooking water to adjust the consistency before plating.

Get my printable Beyond Wonderful Shrimp Scampi with Linguini Pasta recipe.

You’ll also find cooking tips and techniques for cooking perfect pasta, zesting citrus, and peeling and de-veining shrimp and prawns.

Several times a year, the Adams clan heads to a beach house at Bodega Bay for rest and relaxation family style. Alfred Hitchcock put the place on the map in his 1963 thriller, The Birds starring Tippi Hedren. It hasn’t changed much since then—beautiful beaches, small fishing harbor, bare hills dotted with houses—and the original schoolhouse where the birds circled and sent scores of kids screaming for cover.

Hedren’s character drove the country back roads in her Aston Martin DB2/4 Drophead Coupe while I arrived in a red SUV packed with enough food and coolers to feed an army. This group loves to eat.

Of course the only vehicle the kids are interested in is the giant red wagon that transports them and all their sand toys to the beach. There the only gathered flock of birds were the seagulls resting quietly up the beach. Jackson and Sam—using their “outside voices” ran screaming towards the flock. (Did anyone tell them what Hitchcock’s birds did to little children?)

Worn out, we all returned to the house where I made my famous hot chocolate with a dollop of lightly whipped cream. It’s my secret weapon for calming tired little boys and getting them to sleep all afternoon.

With the house quiet, I put a good shot of peppermint schnapps in my chocolate and curled up in a cozy chair with Nancy Verde Barr’s Backstage with Julia: My Years with Julia Child. This is heaven!

Best Hot Chocolate

Serves 4 cups
Preparation time: 10 minutes.

Ingredients

2 cups heavy cream

2 cups whole milk

1/2 cup Dutch processed cocoa

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2+ cups sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

~ whipped cream topping

Directions

1. Pour the cream and milk in to a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan.

2. Combine the cocoa, cayenne pepper, and ¾ cup of the cream mixture in a small mixing bowl and mix with a fork to form a paste. (Add more cream mixture if needed to create a smooth mixture.)

3. Place the remaining cream mixture in a medium saucepan. Add the sugar and chocolate paste and mix well. Bring to a simmer.

4. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.

5. Pour the chocolate into mugs and top with whipped cream.