{"id":9654,"date":"2016-09-15T04:59:36","date_gmt":"2016-09-15T04:59:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/food.hoggardwagner.org\/?p=9654"},"modified":"2016-09-15T04:59:36","modified_gmt":"2016-09-15T04:59:36","slug":"mussels-cherry-tomato-chili-lovage-wine-fresh-shallot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/food.hoggardwagner.org\/?p=9654","title":{"rendered":"mussels, cherry tomatoes, chili, lovage, wine, fresh shallot"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"mussels\"<\/p>\n

I did not know that the pea crab, like ourselves, loves\u00a0mussels as much as it loves oysters<\/a>. Tonight we found a number of them in our bowls of shellfish (t took\u00a0us a few minutes to realize where the extra crunch was coming from).<\/p>\n

The pea crab<\/a>: sent to remind us that food isn’t made in factories, or at least that it shouldn’t be.<\/p>\n

While they have occasionally been considered a delicacy here and elsewhere in\u00a0the world, occasionally remaining so even today, I can’t imagine, even if you\u00a0could get past the icky factor, how you’d be able to accumulate enough of the tiny creatures to make even a small splash on a plate.<\/p>\n

FOOTNOTE: From the department of, ‘you learn something new every day<\/a>‘: “A male pea crab will rub the edge of a shellfish containing a female pea crab for hours until the shellfish opens and allows the male pea crab to enter.” Sweet.<\/p>\n

If I haven’t totally turned off the reader, the rest of this post is likely to be a bit more conventually<\/em> toothsome.<\/p>\n