Choosing and Using Shellfish

If possible, shop at a fish counter that's always busy--this way, you can be assured the fish you're buying has not had a chance to sit around for long. All seafood should smell fresh and briny, not distinctly "fishy." Also, look for clean ice surrounding the fish. The care a fishmonger puts into clean fresh ice is a good indicator of his or her commitment to quality seafood.

Normally bought alive and in the shell, particular care must be taken when choosing and cleaning clams, mussels, and oysters. Along with smelling fresh, the shells on these bivalves should be tightly closed. If there is a slight opening, give it a tap: if the shell quickly closes, it is still alive--if not, discard it. Store live shellfish in the refrigerator, covered with a wet towel to keep them moist. Allowing them to breathe will assure they stay alive and fresh until cooking time. Oysters, of course, are often eaten raw, so freshness is even more imperative.

Shrimp can be found raw or cooked, peeled or unpeeled, and in a variety of sizes. Normally, the size is expressed by the number of shrimp per pound, such as 18/20 or 12/14. If you’re buying raw shrimp, freshness is again the key. Unpeeled shrimp are more work to eat, but the shells impart more flavors to the finished dish. If you purchase unpeeled shrimp, save the shells in the refrigerator or freezer and use them to make a shrimp stock or shellfish court-bouillon.

Choosing crab and lobster should seem fairly straightforward, because it is. They can be found either alive, for steaming or boiling at home, or already cooked. Whole, cooked crab is common, as is lump crabmeat. Live crab and lobster should be kept in the refrigerator, still wrapped from the fishmonger, until ready to cook. For crab, follow the recipe for boiled lobster but shorten the cooking time to 5 to 10 minutes depending on the size and type of crab.

With scallops, the freshness rules still apply, along with determining whether they are "wet packed" or "dry packed." Wet-packed scallops are treated with a chemical that allows them to retain more water. Try to find fresh, dry-packed scallops. They will taste fresher, cook more easily, and have none of the residual chemical flavor often noticed in the wet-packed variety.