Session 2 Shell Fish Identification and Fabrication

Today’s Agenda Quiz Review – Shell Fish - Four distinct categories based on their skeletal structure 1.Univalves 2.Bivalves 3.Crustaceans a)Lobster b)Crab c)Shrimp and Prawns 4.Cephalopods 5.Additional Items 6.Storage Lab Overview

What is a Mollusk? Mollusks have a soft, un-segmented body and no internal skeleton which may be completely or partially enclosed in a shell. univalvesbivalvescephalopods

Mollusk Purchasing Storage Cookery Fundamental s Indicators of Quality

Univalves single shelled mollusks Abalone – one shell and a suction cup Snails – imported from France Conch- from the Caribbean, gastropod A class of large mollusk.

Bivalves Clams, hard shell clam or quahog, littleneck are small hard shell. Cherrystones and 3” or more in diameter are quahogs Scallops: 3 species Bay, Sea or Calico often sold shucked Mostly farm-raised sold live in the shell Oysters sold live or shucked- marketed by the name which the bed they were harvested

Cephalopods Octopus firm texture sweet marine flavor Squid available range of sizes Smaller are stuffed and cooked whole Larger are cut into rings and fried Have no exterior shell instead they have one single internal shell called a pen or cuttlebone which is made out of calcium.

What is a Crustacean? Have a hard outer shell and jointed appendages and breathe through gills. New England Main lobster. sspiny lobster or rock lobster often sold frozen tails. Lobster Female Male

Crab Varieties of crab can be purchased common varieties Dungeness, King crab soft shell, blue. In the summer when the crab molts blue crabs are sold as soft shell Purchased by fresh, frozen, live, can, claw, lump….

Shrimp and Prawns One of the most popular crustaceans. Most commonly available frozen, generally fabricated and flash frozen right on the shrimp boat. Shrimp are sold according to the number in a pound,

Crustacean Purchasing Storage Cookery Fundamentals Indicators of Quality

Additional Items Caviar – salted roe traditionally sturgeon. Briny delicate flavor. Sea Urchin delicate, texture moderate, flavor – can beaten from the shell as is-smooth buttery texture and sweet taste. Krab, need we say more. Everywhere else in the world it’s called Surimi.

Harvesting Shell fish Pot Fishing Pots or traps, are fished on the bottom from single lines and buoys, with one pot per line, or from long lines, with several pots to a string and buoys marking either end of the “set.” Lobsters and most crab species are captured by the former method (single pots). A wire lobster pot may weigh less than 10 pounds, while a king crab trap can weigh 500 pounds. Pot fishing is highly selective, and the product is landed alive for maximum quality. Dredging This method used for capturing shellfish, primarily scallops, clams, oysters and mussels. A dredge is essentially a metal “rake” that’s drug across the ocean bottom, scraping up shellfish in its path. The shellfish are collected and held in a chain-mesh bag. Dredges vary from hand-operated to much larger, hydraulically operated versions like those used for harvesting sea scallops and surf clams.

Lab Overview Live Lobster Fabrication Cooked Lobster Fabrication P&D Shrimp Debeard Mussels, Steam, ½ shell, vacuum seal Shuck Oysters Squid clean, bread and vs Handle and Store Properly

Shucking a Lobster