Stalking the Blue Eyed Scallop

I concur with goosefish's review. This is an inspiring book that Euell Gibbons compiled and it makes you want to run to the shore looking for all of this stuff. If you are a serious forager this book should be in your library. Gibbons covers crabs, clams, oysters, mussels, scallops, shrimp, lobster, even seaweeds like kelp and other plants found by the sea. Depending on where you live you may need a license for taking some of these food items so be careful (I know...sigh!) but the fun you'll have when you find stuff is worth it especially if you can get more food than the license costs (that's the idea anyway). From his encouraging stories and lore to finding, identifying, preparing, recipes and other entertaining ideas you'll sure enjoy this read. In general, it's hard to confuse many of the crustaceans and bivalves he mentions but I suggest at least one other identification guide as a cross reference and supplement for ID'ing the seaweeds and other plants because you really don't want to make a mistake here. You may find some of the recipes a little unhealthy because Gibbons liked to use a lot of saturated fats like bacon lard and butter for cooking. You either don't care about this or you'll find a way to replace his suggestions with healthier choices.

I bought this book with the high hopes of learning more about foraging from the sea, and I chose correctly. Euell Gibbons is a master and the illustrations are clear and precise. I was amazed at how well this book was put together. You get key information on each animal such as where they live, best ways to catch them, and best of all recipes. The only thing I would have negative to say about it is that the recipes are in paragraph form along with the descriptions. Granted they are not hard recipes but if you want to find them you have to skim through the whole chapter. Other than that the book was excellent.

This is my third Gibbons book. I have loved them all. Even though they were all written in the 1960's the information contained inside remains very interesting and entertaining. I would highly recommend all three of them. I did, however, enjoy "Stalking the Wild Asparagus" and "Stalking the Wild Herbs" more than this one. If you can only buy one, I'd recommend "Stalking the Wild Asparagus" as my first choice.

With much enthusiasm, Euell relates stories of his seaside foraging. No prejudices color his opinion of what is edible. Cockles, Pen Shells, Coquina Clams... nothing escapes Gibbons' palate. Often, his "insider" information is priceless, e.g. how to remove a stone crab from its burrow without getting nipped; how to procure a harvest of the elusive but sweet Eastern Razor Clam; what to look for in Gulls' behavior to find surf clams...One drawback: details are sometimes sparse as to how to find some of the clams discussed. I have yet to find a single living cockle or razor clam, despite having read those chapters repeatedly, over several years. I suspect it was intentional on Euell's part; to keep his foraging disciples from taking too much from the sea, he obfuscated somewhat. Regardless, this book thoroughly deserves attention.

Great author, great writing and great recipes.. This book is sure to be an adventure in cooking and an adventure on the border of the sea.