another friday in lent

Well, I finally made it to Local130 Seafood located at 1300 Memorial Drive in Asbury Park. It's not your typical fish market. While there was some fish on display, I assume most of it is kept in the  back on ice. I purchased a bag of PEI mussels brought in from Confederation Cove Mussel Co. Ltd. in Canada. I  must say, the mussels seemed to be a bit larger than the ones I purchase at Wegmans and tasted a bit sweeter too.

The price for the mussels on Friday was $3.75/lb. Normally at Wegmans I can purchase a 2 pound bag for $6. I had to stop at Whole Foods and they charge $6.99 a bag. In any event, I felt I was supporting a small business owner selling an excellent product. 

In the past, I prepared the mussels with a spicy tomato sauce. However, this time I wanted to try something different. So I found on epicurious.com a recipe for steamed mussels in white wine. Luckily, I had all the ingredients in house. A few minutes to dice an onion, garlic and shallot and I had supper done in less than 15 minutes. I nice large loaf of sperlonga bread from Wegmans helped to sop up all the wonderful juices. My husband enjoyed the mussels, however, he prefers tomato sauce to white wine, but would eat it again. 

I almost forgot, while walking to the checkout, I passed a case of soups. Looking for something to go with the meatless Friday menu, I picked up a container of Shrimp and corn chowder. It was delicious, rich and creamy and perfect for Friday's rainy weather.