Seafood Beyond the Crab & Lobster

Crab and Lobster get a lot of attention as people's favorite seafood items, but they aren't the only dishes that deserve our love. As the best seafood restaurant at the Lake of the Ozarks, JB Hook's is diving into the delicious seafood delicacies you are going to want to try! Keep reading to learn all about scallops, mussels, clams, and oysters and how you can enjoy each of them at JB Hook's


SCALLOPS

What Are Scallops?

Scallops are one of the most popular kinds of shellfish across the world. Technically a mollusk, scallops belong to the same family as snails, sea slugs, octopi, mussels, and oysters. During their life in the ocean, scallops live and move by opening and closing their shells rapidly. Their shells also help them catch their own food - plankton.

The scallop’s adductor muscle is the part that we enjoy as one of our favorite seafood dishes. It is white and shaped like a medallion with sweet and rich flavors. They are often served in butter for an even more decadent flavor.

Fun Scallop Facts

Scallops are interesting creatures. Check out the fun fact below about this fascinating shellfish!
  • The United States has the largest sea scallop fishery in the world and can produce 56 million pounds of meat.
  • The top ports for sea scallops are in Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Virginia.
  • Scallops are hermaphrodites, meaning they have both male and female reproductive organs and release both eggs and sperm at the same time for fertilization.
  • Each ring on a scallop’s shell represents a year of growth.
  • Scallops can live 20+ years!

Enjoy Scallops at JB Hook’s!

Day Boat Scallops Rockefeller
Fresh dayboat scallops, lightly dusted in Cajun spices and pan-seared. Served over a bed of sautéed spinach, onion, and bacon in a sweet vermouth cream sauce. Finished with hollandaise.

Capellini Tutto Mare
Capellini pasta served with shrimp, clams, crab, scallops, mussels and mushrooms in a creamy garlic sauce.

Tuscan Scallop Pasta
Dayboat Scallops, pan-seared with asparagus, peppers, tomatoes, and mushrooms in a pesto cream sauce. Served over capellini pasta.



CLAMS & MUSSELS

What Do Clams & Mussels Look Like?

Clams and mussels are both enclosed by shells with somewhat similar shapes. If someone looked closely, though, they would find that clams are more circular or oval, while mussels have a longer, thinner shape.

Mussels are some of the smallest species of mollusks, typically measuring around two inches long. Clams can grow much larger. In fact, giant clams grow up to six feet in length. Can you imagine the pearl from a clam that big? One such pearl discovered in a giant clam weighed in at 14 pounds!

How Do They Move?

Mussels, much like oysters, root to where they grow and prefer to remain in one place. They can live in both freshwater and saltwater.

Clams can only live in freshwater, but they are also able to move about their environment with a large “foot”. They can stick this foot out and push themselves along the surface to where they want to go. In fact, clams have more than just a foot. Unlike mussels, clams have bodily organs including a digestive system, circulatory system, and even a heart. When they aren’t moving, they like to burrow beneath the sand and hide from predators.


What Do They Taste Like?

Clams and mussels both have a salty, mild flavor. Mussels are the milder of the two mollusks and tend to take on the flavor of the dish they accompany. Their sea-like flavor and soft, tender chewiness make them a crowd favorite. Clams have a subtle seafood flavor and tend to be a bit chewier than their counterparts.

Clams are commonly used in soups and chowders because their texture and flavor can stand up to the additional ingredients. A few other ways to enjoy them are on pizza, sprinkled on a salad, or chopped into a stuffing for a filling, flavorful option.
Mussels shine best when served with simple dishes. Add them to a clean broth for a bright reminder of the sea or serve alone with drawn butter or a side of horseradish.

Clams & Mussels at JB Hook's 

Steamed Little Neck Clams
Prince Edward Island clams steamed with white wine, butter, garlic and lemon

Steamed Blue Mussels
Prince Edward Island mussels steamed in garlic, butter, white wine & lemon



OYSTERS

Oyster Fun Facts

They've Been Popular for Centuries
People have been enjoying oysters since prehistoric times. Romans began cultivating them by building a system that could control water levels. They have been cultivated in Japan since at least 2000 BC.

They're ALL Both Male & Female!
Oysters begin life as a male and then later switch to an egg-producing female. Most remain female but some become male again later in life.

Variety of Shapes
It seems as if no two oysters are shaped alike. This is because they attach themselves to a bed occupied by a group of other oysters. As they grow, the shell forms around the surface they are connected to as well as the other oysters surrounding them.

Natural Water Filters
Oysters are capable of filtering more than a gallon of water per hour, resulting in anywhere from 30-50 gallons of water in a day.

Flavored by Environment
The same species of oysters can have different flavors depending on their surroundings. This is due to the large amount of water they filter on a daily basis. The flavor profile is created depending on things like varying levels of salt in the water where the oysters live and the different types of nutrients found there.

Rich in Nutrients
Oysters are not only delicious but incredibly good for you too. They are rich in a variety of nutrients including zinc, calcium, magnesium, protein, selenium, and vitamin A. Vitamin B-12 and iron are found in high levels too. Oysters are also a monounsaturated fat, which is the "good fat" like is found in olive oil.

Oysters at JB Hook's

Oysters on the Half Shell
Our Shrimp & Oyster Bar menu offers succulent Blue Point Oysters served with cocktail sauce and horseradish. You can order them either by the dozen or half-dozen.

Oysters Rockefeller
You'll find this savory dish on our dinner menu under the appetizer section. These oysters are stuffed with spinach, bacon, and onion and topped with hollandaise sauce.

Best Seafood at the Lake of the Ozarks 


JB Hook's serves up the best scallops, clams, mussels, and oysters at the Lake. Come on in and give each delicious menu item a try for yourself! We're sure you're going to love it and want to come back again and again... See you soon! 



The Lake's Best Ocean Fish and Steaks


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2260 Bagnell Dam Blvd.
Lake Ozark, MO 65049
(573) 365-3255 

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