SHELLFISH MOLLUSKS AND CRUSTEACEANS

Shellfish are distinguished from fin fish by their hard outer bodies and their lack of backbones or internal skeletons Two classifications: 1. Mollusks soft sea animals that fall into 3 categories –Three types: Bivalves : have a pair of hinged shells (clams and oysters Univalves: single shell (abalone and conch) Cephalopods: 2. Crustaceans have segmented shells and jointed legs

MOLLUSKS Most important in commercial kitchens: Oysters Clams Mussels Scallops Squid Octopus

Oysters Characteristics: 1.Have rough, irregular shells. Bottom shell slightly bowl shaped. Top is flat 2.Flesh is extremely soft and delicate and contains high percentage of water 3.Are available year round but are best in fall and spring! Locally harvested only in months containing an R 4.Four main varieties: depending on point of origin. Dozens of sub varieties depending of location; flavor also related to area

Four main varieties EASTERN OLYPMIA BELON JAPANESE OR PACIFIC

EASTERN KNOWN BY MANY LOCAL NAMES: Bluepoint, Box oyster (LI), Chesapeake bay, Chincoteague (VA), Cotuit (Nantucket), Kent Island, Patuxent (MD), Malpeque (Prince Edward Island, Canada), Apalachicola (FL), Breton Sound (LA), Wellfleet (MA)

Click and open link to see how to shuck oysters

OLYPMIA Very small, from pacific coast

BELON European oyster now grown in NA Shells are flatter than most eastern types Properly European Flat Oysters Belon reserved for those grown at mouth of Loire river in France Prized for briny taste

JAPANESE OR PACIFIC Usually large oysters The much smaller Kumamoto is same species

Oyster market forms Live, in the shell Shucked or fresh frozen, are graded by size Canned—rarely used in food service except as smoked canned

Checking freshness Oysters in the shell must be alive to be good to eat. Tightly closed shells or shells that closed when jostled, indicate live oysters. Discard open ones as they are dead and should not be consumed!! Live or shucked oysters should have a very mild, sweet smell. Strong odors indicate spoilage

Storage Keep live oysters in a cold wet place in the cartons or sacks in which they arrived. They should keep at least 1 week. Bag tags must be saved for 90 days from time of arrival in case someone gets ill. Fresh shucked in original container in refrigerator at 30 to 34F. Keep frozen in freezer at 0F or colder until ready to use. Thaw in frig for 24 hours.

Oyster cooking Cook just enough to heat through to keep oysters juicy and plump. Overcooking makes them shrunken and dry Cooking methods: poaching, deep frying, baking on half shell with toppings, in soups and stews

Clams Two major types of clams from east coast of NA: hard and soft shell clams Hard Shell clams or quahogs go by different names depending on size; Littlenecks are smallest; usually type eaten raw or steamed Cherrystones medium sized, most common Chowders largest also called quahogs; tough can be chopped for chowder or into strips for frying West Coast also has local varieties

Soft shell clams Commonly called longnecks because of long tube that protrudes from between shells Also called steamers because of how they are cooked and served with melted butter for dipping COCKLES Not actually clams but they look like tiny ones Cooked like clams almost always served in shells

Market forms Hard clams: live, in the shell; shucked, fresh or frozen; canned whole and chopped Freshness: same as oysters: must be alive, shucked should smell fresh Storage: Same as oysters Cooking: Become tough and rubbery if overcooked Steam until just opened Methods: steaming, poaching, deep frying, baking on half shell with toppings, simmering in soups and chowders

Mussels Common small black or dark blue/purple in color Shells not as hard as clams so need care in handling or will break Flesh is yellow to orange in color, firm but tender when cooked Green mussels from NZ are larger and command premium price. Always sold on half shell frozen in USA

Market forms Sold alive in shell same rules apply as with clams and oysters: must be alive Shucked are sold packed in their own liquor or brine. Discard any mussels that float. Watch for closed ones full of sand

Cleaning mussels Clean shells thoroughly: scrub well under cold running water Scrape off barnacles with clam knife Remove beard, a fibrous appendage protruding from between shells. Do not do this until you close to using them because it may kill them May be sandy if not commercially grown. May be soaked in brine and corn meal like clams to rid them of sand

Storage and cooking Store like clams and oysters but protect from light and be sure to keep sack damp Cooking Mussels are almost never served raw. Usually steamed / served in their shells with cooking broth, in soups, or chilled / served with mayo type dressing Cook only until shells open and mussels are heated through. Do not over cook Discard any that do not open

MUSSELS BEDS PICKING MUSSELS FROM THE SHELL STEAMED MUSSELS ON HALF SHELL Open link change to 480 instead of 360 better viewing and full screen is almost 10 minutes long but very good

SCALLOPS Characteristics: Almost always sold shucked Only part we eat is side inductor mussels that hold shells closed If shucking your own leave side orange mussel ( coral roe) attached Two main types: Bay scallops: small delicate, expensive (32-40/#) Sea scallops: larger not as delicate but still tender unless overcooked (10—20 /# Creamy white color sweet flavor Available year round but local in late summer early fall

UNIVALVES Abalone are small to very large-sized edible sea snails Flesh (the adductor muscle) of abalones is widely considered to be a desirable food Various larger species of abalones have been exploited commercially for food to extent that many populations are now severely threatened. Highly iridescent inner nacre layer of shell of abalone has traditionally been used as a decorative item in jewelry, buttons, and as inlay in furniture and in musical instruments such as guitars, etc.

Conch Second in popularity only to escargot for edible snails, "meat" of conch is used as food, either eaten raw, as in salads, or cooked, as in fritters, chowders, gumbos, and burgers. All parts of conch meat are edible. Some people find only white meat appetizing. In East Asian cuisines, is often cut into thin slices and then steamed or stir-fried. Bahamas and West Indies in general, local people eat conch in soups (commonly Callao) and salads.

CEPHALOPODS Means “head-foot” referring to the fact that animals have tentacles or legs attached to the head, surrounding the mouth Most important in US are squid and octopus Cuttlefish similar to squid found more in Asian styles places

Squid On menus as calamari Have ten tentacles two longer than others Must be skinned and eviscerated Head and beak and internal plastic quill are discarded Hollow body and tentacles are eaten Somewhat chewy, it is cut up and either fried quickly or simmered for about 45 minutes in seasoned liquid or sauce

Octopus Means eight feet range in size from less than on oz to up many #s up to +100#s All are firm textured, even chewy but larger sizes are usually considered too tough Requires mechanical tenderizing ( pounding) or long slow cooking in court bouillon Cleaned by cutting off tentacles and discarding head and beak and eviscerating body cavity Pull off skin may be necessary to par boil to loosen it Skin reddish gray turning purple red when cooked

Crustaceans Most important of these are: Lobsters Rock lobsters Langoustes Shrimp Crabs

Lobsters American lobster, Homarus americanus, lobster found on Atlantic coast of North America. Also known as the northern lobster, Atlantic lobster or Maine lobster. Thrives in cold, shallow waters where there are many rocks and other places to hide from predators and is both solitary and nocturnal. It feeds on fish, small crustaceans, and mollusks. Found as far south as North Carolina, but is famously associated with the colder waters around the Canadian Maritimes, Newfoundland and Labrador, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire and also LONG ISLAND

CHARACTERISTICS MOST PRIZED OF ALL SHELLFISH LARGE FLEXIBLE TAIL WITH FOUR PAIRS OF LEGS AND TWO LAARGE CLAWS It is dark green or bluish green until cooked when it turns red Meat from tail, claws and legs is eaten White sweet meat with distinctive taste Claw meat considered especially good Coral (roe or eggs) which is dark green turns bright red when cooked Green tomalley (liver) found in thorax is also eaten

Classified by weight Chick = 1 # Quarters = 1 ¼ # Selects = 1 ½ to 2 ½# Jumbos = over 2 ½# Over 20# are caught but rare 1# lobster yields approx 1/4 # meat Some customers prefer females so they get coral legs closest to tail are flexible in female and hard in male Must be alive to use indicated by leg movement Sleepers (dying lobsters) should be cooked off ASAP

Handling Live are either cooked alive or cut up before cooking (broiling or sautéing) Live should be plunged head first into boiling water to kill them then simmered 5/6 mins /# served hot drained well and tail split and claws cracked for easier use by customer If splitting or cutting up insert knife through back above eyes and cut down towards tentacles to kill by brain death Are considered done when flesh has become white and coral has turned red

Storage Pack in seaweed or covered with moist heavy paper like old newspapers in a cool place Salt water holding tank used for display Remember lobster when being held live on their own stored muscle mass and it breaks down after week-10 days once their claws are banded Become very tough if over cooked!!!

Pair of ten pounders Rare blue lobster always found in extremely cold waters Cooked lobster In the water

Rock / Langoustes or spiny lobster Found in warmer waters If you by lobster tails you are buying tails from these lobsters since they have no claws Meat similar to Maine lobsters but is drier and coarser with less flavor Tails weigh between 2 to 12 oz Langoustines or langostinos are smaller relatives and also marketed as rock shrimp (just tail meat) Scampi in Europe is really a variety of langostinos from Italy but has come to mean other things as well

Spiny are cooked by same methods as regular lobsters but tails may be broiled, baked, steamed or sautéed

Crayfish/ Crawfish or crawdads Are freshwater crustaceans resembling small lobsters, to which they are related. They breathe through feather-like gills (as do lobsters) and are found in bodies of water that do not freeze to the bottom; they are also mostly found in brooks and streams where there is fresh water running, and which have shelter against predators. Most crayfish cannot tolerate polluted water, although some are more hardy. Crayfish feed on living and dead animals and plants and are a favorite food of trout

Crayfish are eaten all over the world Only small portion of a crayfish is edible. In most prepared dishes, soups, bisques and étouffées, only tail portion is served. Claws of larger boiled specimens are often pulled apart to access meat inside. Favorite is to suck head seasoning and flavor can collect in fat of boiled interior. Popular double entendre laden from this practice: "Suck the head, pinch the tail"

Crayfish, crawfish, or crawdads Louisiana supplies 98% of the crayfish harvested in the United States Open link to learn how to eat crawfish

Shrimp Live in schools swim rapidly backwards. Shrimp are an important food source for larger animals from fish to whales. They have a high tolerance to toxins in polluted areas, and may contribute to high toxin levels in their predators. With prawns, shrimp are widely caught and farmed for human consumption.

Shrimp typically have two pairs of claws, and the second segment of the abdomen overlaps the segments on either side. The abdomen shows a pronounced bend. Prawns typically have three pairs of claws, and even-sized segments on the abdomen. There is no pronounced bend in the abdomen

Shrimp Cocktail

Blue Claw Crabs Undergo a seasonal migration After mating female crab travels to southern portion of the Chesapeake, fertilizing her eggs with sperm stored up from the last mating months or almost a year later. In November or December, female crab releases her eggs. Crabs hatch in a larval form and float in the mouth of the bay for four to five weeks, then the juvenile crabs make their way back up into the bay.

Blue crab meat is available year-round in the pasteurized form, live crabs are seasonal and much more plentiful during the warm water months of the year. Fresh or pasteurized cooked crab meat is usually available for purchase as lump, flake, or claw meat: lump meat consists of whole lumps from the large body muscles which operate the swimming legs; flake meat consists of small pieces of white meat from the body; claw meat consists of a brownish tinged meat from the claws.

Chesapeake Bay, in Maryland / Virginia Famous for its blue crabs, one of the most important economic items harvested from it Yearly combined harvest of blue crabs was valued at around 100 million US dollars. Over years harvests of blue crab dropped; combined harvest was around 45 million dollars. Blue crabs remain a popular food in Chesapeake Bay area, Bay is not capable of meeting local demands. Most whole blue crabs sold in restaurants in Maryland are shipped into the region from North Carolina, Louisiana, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Texas and many crabcakes are made of crabmeat imported from overseas especially Mexico and Venezuela. Phillips Seafood, began as a crab shack in Ocean City, Maryland, actually imports a Southeast Asian crab, an industry there that employs about 15,000 people.

In the past US crab meat was picked and processed by a labor force comprised almost exclusively of African- American females. They received transportation to and from work usually on old school buses and were paid by the picked pound with company coins or chits which could be converted to cash at the week's end. That labor force in the US has today been replaced by a Latin American female work force. Some seafood shops being socially sensitive offer crab meat processed both in the US and in Latin America the differences in the quality of the two products being little to none; the Latin American product being about $2.00 a pound less expensive.

Grading (Sizing) There is no industry standard for grading hard crabs. For instance, a crab that is graded "large" in the lower Chesapeake Bay region would be graded "medium" in the upper regions. Use the following as a general rule: Colossal - Hard crab measuring 6 ½ inches or more. Jumbo - Hard crab measuring 6 to 6 ½ inches in size. Large - Hard crab measuring 5 ½ to 6 inches in size. Medium - Hard crab measuring 5 to 5 ½ inches in size. Small - Hard crab measuring 4 ½ to 5 inches in size, usually females. Note: In most states there is no minimum size for keeping mature female crabs (sooks). This is because it is generally accepted that female crabs cease to molt following maturity, thus they remain the same size throughout the remainder of their lives. It is illegal to keep immature female crabs.

Other types of crabs Alaskan king crab: largest crabs weighing from 6 to 20#. Meat can be removed in large chunks, making especially attractive to serve in restaurants! It is expensive!! Alaskan Snow crab: smaller than king. Often used as less expensive alternate. Legs come in clusters Dungeness crab: another west coast crab sold as whole cooked crabs. Meat very sweet Soft shell crabs: actually molting blue crab, harvested before hard shell re-grows. It is usually sautéed or breaded and fried after gills and face are removed. Eaten entirely

Alaskan King Crab Legs Alaskan King crab legs are succulent, mildly sweet and tender, with snow-white meat with highlights of bright red. Taken from the very finest king crab harvested from the icy waters of the Bering Sea and North Pacific Ocean, king crab legs come fully cooked and are easily and quickly prepared by steaming, boiling or baking. King crab legs are cooked at sea where they are caught and flash frozen aboard the fishing vessels to protect their flavors. Frozen cooked crab legs may be steamed or microwaved. Place them frozen over boiling water and steam them covered tightly for 6 minutes. Or place the frozen crab legs in the microwave covered with a damp towel and heat on defrost for 5 minutes. Brush with melted butter, season to taste and serve with cocktail sauce.

What they try to harvest on deadliest catch

Dungeness crab Crabs are sexually mature and active breeders after their second year and grow to the legal harvest size (6 ¼" across the shell back) in roughly four years. By not harvesting sexually mature but undersized male crabs so that they can breed with female crabs (which are never harvested), the reproductive capacity of the population is protected. Dungeness crab can live in excess of 8 years and reach a size of 9-plus inches.

Alaskan Snow Crab Legs Snow crab is somewhat similar in appearance, but smaller than the king crab. As snow crab is sold and pre-cooked, it needs to only be thawed for chilled applications, or thawed and heated for hot applications. Split legs are best prepared broiled, grilled or served cold as an appetizer. Whole legs and clusters are best steamed or sautéed as an entrée. Snow crab meat is very good in omelets, crepes, quiches, soups, salads, pastas and casseroles. A convenient appetizer is the cocktail claw, cap removed and ready to eat. Any part of the snow crab can be used to make a dish more visually appealing.

Soft-shell crabs are one of America's favorite seafood delicacies The blue crab is the only commercially available soft-shell product. The scientific name, Callinectes sapidus, is derived from Latin and Greek. Calli = beautiful; Nectes = swimmer; sapidus = savory. The translation is not only accurate but surprisingly poetic—the beautiful, savory swimmer. Blue crabs grow rather rapidly, months, from the juvenile stage to adulthood. A full-grown blue crab will measure nearly 8 inches across. During its lifetime the blue crab will go through several growth stages. In order for a blue crab to lose its shell, the body of the crab physically grows 30%. T he commercial crabbers will harvest the blue crab and place it in floating tanks according to its expectant shed dates.

The crab expert looks for a faint line next to the crab's paddle-like finlet (backfin). The color of this line will determine when the crab is about to shed its shell. What crabbers refer to as a "green" crab is a crab that is just entering the shedding stage. The "green" crab will have a white line on the backfin and will most likely shed its shell in approximately days. If the line is pink, the crab is likely to shed within 2 days and probably not longer than one week. If the little line on the backfin is red the crab is likely to shed its shell at any time.

Soft-shells: 5 basic sizes SIZE DIMENSIONS AVERAGE WEIGHT DOZENS PER TRAY DOZENS PER CASE as follows: Whales: 5 ½ inches oz 2 Jumbos: ½ inches 4.5 oz 3 Primes: 4 ½ - 5 inches 3.3 oz 4 Hotels: ½ inches 2.5 oz 5 Mediums: 3 ½ - 4 inches 1.8 oz 6

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Miscellaneous seafood Escargot is a dish of cooked land snails, usually served as an appetizer. The word is also sometimes applied to the living snails of those species which are commonly eaten. Lt: meat out of shell Rt: Meat cooked in the shell

Frogs’ legs Frogs' legs are one of the better-known delicacies of French and Cantonese cuisine Also eaten in other regions, such as Caribbean, Alentejo, in Portugal, northwest Greece, Piemonte in Italy, Spain and the Midwest and southern regions US. A type of frog called the edible frog is most often used for this dish. A bag of frogs legs from Vietnam

Frogs’ legs They are often said to taste like chicken because of their mild flavor, with a texture most similar to chicken wings Frogs are raised commercially in certain countries, e.g. Vietnam. Frog muscle does not resolve rigor mortis as quickly as warm- blooded muscle (chicken, for example), so heat from cooking can cause fresh frog legs to twitch

Surimi Surimi Japanese: 擂り身 (literally "fish puree or slurry") is a Japanese loan word referring to a fish-based food product intended to mimic texture and color of meat of lobster, crab and other shellfish. Typically made from white-fleshed fish (pollock or hake) that has been pulverized to a paste and attains a rubbery texture when cooked.

A tub of uncured fish surimi ready for finish- processing

Surimi In many Asian cultures and is available in many shapes, forms, and textures Most common surimi product in Western market is imitation or artificial crab legs. Often is sold as sea legs and krab in America, and as seafood sticks, crab sticks, fish sticks or seafood extender

Surimi in various forms; really they look artificial