SEAFOOD

Whole fish can be kept in the refrigerator in a flat container with holes in the bottom, covered with a sheet of wax paper with ice on top. If you don’t have something flat with holes, put the fish in a large colander set over a large pan. Keep shellfish such as mussels, clams, cockles and live crabs and lobsters in a bowl, covered with a wet towel, in the refrigerator.

SHELLFISH

Despite the name, shellfish are not fish, and not all of them have shells, either. They come in two basic types:  mollusks (clams, oysters, snails, scallops, and mussels); and crustaceans (lobster, shrimp, crayfish, and crab).

MOLLUSKS:

Clams – are sold as hard-shell or soft-shell. Because hard-shell clams stay shut, they are less sandy and better suited to serving raw (smaller cherrystones and littlenecks), or baked and stuffed larger quahogs). By contrast, soft-shell clams (steamers and razor clams) gape when they are alive, so they can contain a lot of sand. If you’re making clam broth, strain the sand out through a paper coffee filter.

Mussels – whether you’ve got North Atlantic blue (found mostly on the East Coast) or “Mediterranean” mussels, scrub them with a stiff brush to remove any grit and de-beard them (pull on the strands extending from the shell) before cooking. You can refrigerate mussels for one day in a colander covered with a damp kitchen towel. If the mussels won’t close when tapped, discard them.

Oysters – as a rule, Atlantic oysters are briny with an intense hit of fresh, cold sea salt (all Atlantic oysters are the same species: crassostrea virginica). They range from 2 inches long to nearly 6 inches long. Pacific oysters are rarely as salty and often taste complex and fruity.

Snails – not all shellfish live in the ocean. The snail is a mollusk, therefore a shellfish, but many of those that we eat live on land. In America, intrepid eaters will likely find only frozen or canned (already cooked) snails. They are a French favorite.

Bay Scallops – harvested from North Carolina to Maine, these are small, cork-shaped scallops (also sold as Nantucket scallops). Since their season is limited (fall through mid-winter)—they are pricey. One pound may include as many as 90 scallops. Chefs prize them for their sweet taste and use them in soups, stews and stir-fries.

Sea Scallops – unlike bay scallops, the larger sea scallops are in markets year-round. Before cooking, remove the small crescent-shaped muscle that attaches the scallop to the shell (it’s tough and chewy). Avoid “wet” scallops (ask at the store), which are treated with a chemical preservative. If wet is all you can find, soak them in 1 quart cold water, 1/4 cup of lemonjuice, and 2 tablespoons of salt for 30 minutes to mask any off flavors.

CRUSTACEANS:

Lobster – The quality of lobster meat depends to a large extent on where the lobster is in its molting cycle, during which the old, hard shell is replaced with a soft, new one. Hard-shell lobsters taste better and are meatier. To determine the stage of your lobster, just squeeze:  a soft-shell lobster will yield to pressure. If you like the roe, look for a female—her soft “swimmerets” (appendages under the lowest legs) give her away.

Blue Crab – Such classic American dishes as crab imperial and crab Louis are best with blue crab (or its close cousin, the blue swimmer crab from the Pacific Rim). The Chesapeake Bay is famous for its blue crabs, although demand not outstrips supply. In that region, he crabs are typically steamed with vinegar and Old Bay seasoning, then cracked with mallets and slurped with melted butter. Soft-shell crabs are blues that have just shed their hard shells and not yet grown new ones.

Dungeness Crab – is a Pacific crab with a range from Alaska to Baja, California. Only adult males at least 6 1/4 inches long can be legally harvested, so Dungeness crabs typically weight at least 2 pounds. Their rich, firm meat is often compared to lobster meat. Boil live Dungeness crabs in water or in seasoned crab boil. If you don’t live on the West Coast and can’t get live crabs, buy cooked, frozen whole crabs. Defrost, crack, dress with vinaigrette, and toss with salad greens.

King Crab – Fishing to king crab, mostly done in Alaska, is serious scary business. The peak season is winter, when all too often fisherman die of exposure (or drowning). Among the three species of king (red, blue, and golden), red is the best, and the leg meat is prized above all else. The legs are meaty, sweet, mild, and big—10 to 12 inches long. Most king crab is sold cooked and frozen. To reheat the legs, steam them, which preserves their firm texture.

Crayfish – (lobster kin) also known as crawfish, crawdads, or mudbugs, they are closely related to lobsters. They live in fresh water, though. North America, particularly Kentucky and Louisiana, is home to more than half of the world’s species. Soups, bisques, and étouffées use the tail portion of the crayfish, but at crawfish boils (great, messy fun in Louisiana and Texas), people eat the whole body (including the head) with gusto.

Shrimp – shrimp are sorted by size. Look for the letter U (for “under”) followed by a number. One pound contains fewer shrimp than that number, soothe smaller the number, the bigger the shrimp. To remove the unsightly vein and peel the shrimp in one easy step, snip along the shrimp’s back with scissors. Save the shells to make a quick, flavorful stock. All shrimp sold at stores are frozen by the fishermen on the fishing boats even before they return to shore, and most of them are thawed for selling, so it is nearly impossible to buy truly fresh shrimp from any store. 

[More to come]