1/03/2022
Shellfish on your menu is a well known drawing card to bring in new and existing customers. Congressional has many options to choose from in shellfish. One of our most unique items is a farm-raised live bay scallop in the shell. Grown locally in Chincoteague Bay, Virginia, this scallop is the same species that is grown wild in Nantucket, Massachusetts. They average 2.5″ across and can be served in a multitude of ways. We also bring in manila clams and cockles. Manilas are grown on the west coast, and cockles are grown in New Zealand. The meat to shell ratio for both clams is very high, so the shells are full of meat! Both can be used in paellas, risotto, cioppino, chowders, and pastas. It is best to pre-order both these items with your sales rep each week to ensure availability.
All our hardshell clams (littlenecks, midnecks, and top necks) are grown on the eastern shore of Virginia outside of quaint little towns like Exmore, Willis Wharf, or Cheriton. We are increasing our weekly purchases of Dutch Style Mussels from Hollander & De Koning of Acadia, ME. Apart from the rope grown mussels in PEI, these mussels use a traditional Dutch
method, growing the mussels in a bed on the floor of the bay. Dutch mussels are plump, filling their entire shell with meat.
While these mussels have typically been much more expensive than the Canadian version, Hollander & De Koning have invested in new sorting and bagging machines which allowed them to operate more efficiently, leading to a drop in price.
