Shellfish

Chapter 18

Univalves

• Single shell

– Marine snails• Abalone: harvested in

California (cannot can or ship out of state.) Frozen from Mexico or Canned from Japan.

• Conch: found in warm waters of the Florida Keys/Carribean

• Snails: French escargot avaialble from small ranches.

Bivalves

• Two bilateral shells

– Clams– Oysters– Scallops – Mussels– Cockles

Clams

• Cockles: 1”• Littlenecks: 2”• Cherry stones: 3”• Topnecks: stuffed• Chowders: largest

quahogs, minced for soup.• Pacific clams: too tough to

eat raw• Soft Shell Clam: “Steamer”

meat is tender & sweet.

Oysters

• Rough gray shell. • Soft, gray briny flesh.• Cooked in shell, fried,

steamed baked, stewed or eaten raw.

• Available in the US sold in shell or shucked.

• 4 main types: Atlantic, European, Olympias, and Pacific.

Cephalopods

• No exterior shell• One single internal shell

called a pen

– Squid– Octopus• Calamari

Crustaceans

• Have a hard outer shell and jointed appendages

• Found in both fresh and salt water• They breathe through gills – Crayfish– Crab– Lobster – Shrimp

Crab

• King: 10 lbs cold N. Pacific (always frozen)

• Dungeness: West coast. 11/4 -4lbs

• Soft-shell: Molted crabs

• Blue: 50% in US

• Stone: claws 2.5-5.5 oz

• Snow: Alaska = most expensive.

King Crab

Stone Crab

Dungeness Crab

Interior Structure of a Maine Lobster

Inspection and Grading of Fish and Shellfish

• Grades assigned to fish are A, B, C• Inspections on fish and shellfish are voluntary – Type 1: plant, product and processing methods

from raw to final product– Type 2: warehouses, processing plants and cold

storage facilities– Type 3: fishing vessels and plants• Inspection services for sanitation only

Storing Fresh Fish and Shellfish

• Temperature between 30°F and 34°F• If shipped in ice, store in ice• Do not allow seafood to become dry• Scallops and fish fillets should not be in direct

contact with ice• Live animals should be stored in saltwater

tanks or in boxes with seaweed• Bivalves should be stored in net bags or boxes

at high humidity

Purchasing Terms• Fresh

– Never frozen• Chilled

– Fresh, held at 30°F to 34°F• Flash-frozen

– Quickly frozen onboard ship, within hours of being caught• Fresh-frozen

– Frozen while fresh, but not quickly• Frozen

– Subject to temperature below 0°F • Glazed

– Dipped in water to form a protective shell of ice• Fancy

– Code word for previously frozen

Cooking Seafood

• All cooking methods can be used• Seafood is inherently tender• Should be cooked until just done• Overcooking is the most common mistake

made in preparing seafood

Determining Doneness

• Translucent flesh becomes opaque.– Shellfish appear somewhat

translucent. As the proteins coagulate, the flesh b/c opaque.

• Flesh becomes firm.– Determine by resistance

when pressed by your fingers. Raw will be mushy or soft. Cooked should spring back but not be rubbery.