SHELLFISH

There are two classifications of shellfish: 1. Mollusks: soft sea animals that fall into three main categories: Univalves, which have a single shell (such as abalone and conch) Bivalves, which have a pair of hinged shells (such as clams and oysters) Cephalopods (such as octopus, squid and cuttlefish) 2. Crustaceans: animals with segmented shells and jointed legs 26 Shellfish Classification

Mollusks - univalves Conch Caribbean & Florida Keys lean meat, smooth, firm sweet smoky flavor chewy texture pound to tenderize eaten raw slow cooked Abalone harvested in California not permitted to ship out of state or can imported from Japan - canned sweet delicate flavor, similar to clams must be tenderized raw or seviche tough when over cooked

27 Mollusks - Bivalves Oysters Clams Mussels Scallops

Oysters - characteristics Rough irregular shell Extremely delicate and soft flesh Available all year, best in fall, winter, spring Eastern - known by local point of origin along east coast Olympia - Pacific ocean - very small Belon - mouth of Loire River, France, (European flat oyster now grown in North America) - Japanese/Pacific - large from Pacific coast Malpeque Oyster, PEI

Oysters - Market Forms 1. Live, in shell 2. Shucked - fresh or frozen - graded by count per gallon Grade Number per gallon extra large 160 or less large medium small very small over 500

Oysters - freshness Oysters in the shell must be alive to eat Strong odor indicates spoilage Scrub shells to ensure dirt removal Store in cold wet place, usually on ice -1° to 1 ° C

Shucking Oysters

Clams - East Coast - North America 1. Hard shells - based on size ‣ Littlenecks - most tender ‣ Cherrystones - most common, good for steaming or raw ‣ Chowders - tough, chopped for cooking or cut into strips for frying

Clams - Soft shells Long tube protrudes from the shell Shells do not close completely Classically served steamed in broth served with melted butter Geoduck clam

Cockles Not technically clams, but look similar No more than 1 inch(2.5 cm) across Cooked the same as clams and served in their shell

Market Forms Live, in shell Shucked, fresh or frozen Canned, whole or chopped

Freshness & Quality Clams in the shell must be alive, no cracks in shells, discard clams that do not open when steaming Shucked or live, must smell fresh, no off odor

Cooking Methods Clams will be tough and rubbery if over cooked, ie. steam in shell, until shell just opens to keep them tender 1. Steaming 2. Poaching 3. Deep-frying 4. Baked on the half shell with toppings 5. simmering in soups or chowders

Opening Clams Calms can be sandy Soak in salt water for 20 minutes to expel sand, repeat if necessary Some chefs use flour or cornmeal to encourage clams or mussels to expel sand

Opening Clams

Mussels Characteristics ‣ green - New Zealand or Southeast Asia ‣ blue - wild ‣ dark blue - farmed

Freshness & Cleaning Check for freshness the same as oysters and clams Push slightly opened shells together to see if they are alive and will close Soak to remove sand Cleans shells thoroughly Remove the beard

Scallops - Characteristics 1. Almost always sold shucked 2. Most common only the adductor muscle 3. Creamy white in color 4. Sweet flavor 5. Available all year scallop with roe or coral

Kinds of scallops 1. Bay Scallops - small, delicate flavor, expensive, per pound 2. Sea scallops - larger, still tender, unless overcooked, per pound bay scallop sea scallop

Market Forms 1. Fresh, shucked, sold by weight ‣ many chefs prefer fresh product 2. Frozen ‣ IQF (individually quick frozen) ‣ 5 lb blocks ‣ (most sold in grocery stores are previously frozen)

Cooking Scallops Cooked in the same manner as fish Saute, deep fry, broil, poach, Over cooking will make the scallops rubbery