Shrimp, Scallop and Sausage Wonderland, With an Appearance by Asparagus

On that first afternoon when I went to fulfill all our seafood dreams, one dream had to not only be deferred but outright abandoned. That dream was soft shell crabs. The man behind the counter, with what I believe I could refer to as a 'handlebar mustache' (though maybe not) told me conviction and knowledge that the season down there had already been over for almost a week...he also told me that the soft shell crabs I enjoyed a few weeks back with L. and Fat T. were - regardless of what the fishmonger might have said - not from Maryland but from North Carolina. It was all very confusing and disillusioning and meant that we would be having no crabs at all ... we're purists and don't really believe in frozen soft shell crabs. So on that second night C. whipped up a garlicky, lick splickety good pile of shrimp, scallops and chicken sausage, which was served over pasta and accompanied by asparagus.
Wonderful stuff, this.