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 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.