Shell Game
It's not only our spectacular year-round weather that makes the rest of the country covet the casual, beachy lifestyle of those lucky enough to live in San Diego. It's also the year-round availability and abundance of local seafood that leaves gourmands across the nation dripping with drawn-butter envy. San Diegans love seafood almost as much as they love going to the beach, so chefs around town are always looking for new ways to "surf it up." Here are some of our picks for favorite seafood dishes
— Terryl Gavre, photography by Vincent Knakal

Oysters Rockefeller from The Fish Market in Del Mar

AUGUST RECIPES

Oysters Rockefeller From The Fish Market in Del Mar

Ingredients:
6 each oysters, shucked, reserve oysters on the side
6 tbsp creamed spinach
6 tbsp cheesy mix (a blend of mayonnaise, grated Romano cheese, lemon juice, and chopped parsley)
wooden tray with rock salt filled to lowest lip on tray
lemon wedge
parsley sprigs
cocktail fork

Preparation:
Place 1 tbsp of creamed spinach in each oyster shell. Top each with the oyster meat, and top each oyster with 1 tbsp of cheesy mix. Place the shells onto the rock salted hot tray. Cook until golden brown (must reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Serve with the speared lemon and parsley sprigs.

Sauteed Day Boat Sea Scallops with Pancetta and Tagliatelli Pasta
By executive chef Mark Kropczynski of The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe

Ingredients for scallops and vegetables:
1 1/2 lb diver sea scallops
1 lb fava beans
1 carrot
2 green zucchini
2 gold bar squash
1 vine ripe tomato
salt and pepper
1 oz olive oil
1/2 lb tomato tagliatelli
1/2 lb saffron tagliatelli
1/2 lb egg tagliatelli

Ingredients for the sauce:
1/4 lb pancetta (sliced fine and Julienned)
3 oz vermouth
1 shallot (diced fine)
4 oz shrimp stock (or lobster stock)
6 oz cream
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1 oz butter
juice of 1/2 lemon

Preparation for the vegetables and pasta:
Julienne the carrot, green zucchini, and gold bar squash. Cook vegetables in boiling salted water until tender, and then place aside until dinner service. Shuck the fava beans from their pods and blanch for 1 minute, then shock in cold water and remove the beans from shells and place aside. Peel the tomato and dice it. Cook pasta in boiling salted water and rinse lightly with cold water to stop the cooking. Place all vegetables and starch in the refrigerator until dinner. (This can be done three to four hours in advance.)

Preparation for the scallops and sauce:
Clean sea scallops and season with salt and pepper. Preheat a large non-stick pan and add olive oil. When oil is starting to smoke add seasoned scallops. (Be careful not to overload pan so it doesn't cool the oil and start steaming scallops.) Cook scallops approximately two to three minutes on each side. When scallops are cooked, remove from the pan, discard the grease, and add the diced pancetta to pan. Saut? pancetta until crisp, then add shallots to pan and deglaze with vermouth. Allow vermouth to reduce to 1 oz and then add shrimp stock. Allow shrimp stock to reduce to 1 oz and then add heavy cream. Bring sauce to a boil and whisk in butter. Finish sauce with diced tomatoes, lemon juice, and parsley. Season sauce with salt and pepper.

While your scallops and sauce are cooking, start to reheat the vegetables with a small amount of butter and seasonings. Reheat the pasta in some boiling water and toss with a little olive oil and parsley. In the center of the plate, place the Julienned vegetables. Put the sea scallops on top of the Julienned vegetables and the pasta. Pour sauce around the plate and on top of the pasta. Sprinkle the fava beans around the dish. Serve at once and enjoy.

Lobster Club Sandwich From Red Tracton's in Del Mar

Ingredients:
2 lbs lobster meat cooked and chopped roughly
4 slices sourdough toasted
4 slices havarti cheese
12 leaves butter lettuce
8 slices tomato
12 slices bacon cooked
lemon wedges

Ingredients for the dressing:
1 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup honey
1 tbsp chopped green onion (tops only)
1 tbsp lemon juice

Preparation:
Combine all dressing ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Set aside. Prep lobster meat, toasted sourdough, havarti cheese, butter lettuce, tomatoes, and bacon. Mix dressing with lobster meat in a bowl. Assemble the sandwich starting with the toast, then a slice of havarti cheese, three strips of bacon, three leaves of butter lettuce, two slice tomato, top with half a pound of lobster mixture. Garnish with lemon and parsley.

Louisiana Blue Crab Cakes

1 lb. Blue Crab Meat
3/4 c Celery
1/2 c Onions
2 ea. Eggs
1/2 c Mayonnaise
1/2 oz. Teriyaki
1 1/2 tsp Granulated Garlic
1 1/8 tsp Baking Powder
1 T Old Bay Seasoning
3/4 tsp Crystal Hot Sauce
1/4 tsp Salt
1 c Panko Bread Crumbs

Small dice the celery and onions and saut? with 1 T butter until the onions are translucent.
Let the mixture cool and mix all other ingredients together with celery and onion mixture except the bread crumbs. Mix well

Fold panko bread crumbs into the crab mix.

Form mixture into 1/4 oz. bite size balls for hand passing or 2 oz balls for an appetizer then saut? on med.
Heat until golden brown on each side and enjoy.