Serves: 5

The colors, flavors and shapes of shellfish add variety "and a taste of the sea" to a wonderful array of dishes. Check out the selection of shellfish at your local supermarket or seafood market for both fresh and frozen shellfish it’s best to buy shellfish from a vendor you know. For the best ocean-fresh flavor, buy and eat shellfish the same day. Shellfish can be grouped into three main categories:

Crustaceans have long bodies with soft, jointed shells and legs. Crabs, crayfish, lobster and shrimp are crustaceans.

Mollusks have soft bodies with no spinal column and are covered by a shell in one or more pieces. Examples are abalone, clams, mussels, oysters, scallops, snails, octopus and squid.

Imitation seafood products such as imitation crab legs and lobster bites often are less expensive than shellfish but provide similar taste and texture in recipes. Imitation seafood is made from pollock, a mild white-fleshed fish. To flavor it, real shellfish, a shellfish extract or artificial shellfish flavoring is added. So if you have a shellfish allergy, check labels carefully.

Selecting Shellfish:

Live clams, oysters, mussels and scallops should have tightly closed shells and a mild odor. Shells should not be cracked, chipped or broken. If a shell is open, test to see if the shellfish is still alive by tapping on the shell. Live shellfish will close when tapped. If shellfish are not alive, don’t use them.

Shucked clams, oysters and mussels - those with their shells removed - should be plump and surrounded by a clear, slightly opalescent liquid. Clams range in color from pale to deep orange. Oysters are typically creamy white but may also be tinted green, red, brown or pink. Mussels can be light tan to deep orange.

Shucked scallops are available in two sizes: the larger sea scallops, which are about two inches in diameter, and the tiny bay scallops, about 1/2 inch in diameter.
Sweet and moist, scallops should have a mild, sweet odor and look moist, but they should not be standing in liquid or in direct contact with ice. Sea scallops are usually creamy white and may be tinted light orange or pink. Bay scallops are also creamy white and may be tinted light tan or pink.

Live lobsters and crabs should have hard shells and be moving their legs. For food safety reasons, lobster must be cooked live or killed immediately before cooking. To test if a lobster is alive, pick it up-it should tightly curl its tail under. Discard dead lobsters or crabs. Use lobsters and crabs the day you buy them. Lobster meat and crabmeat also are available fresh, frozen and canned.

Shrimp are sold either raw "green" with the heads on raw in the shell without the heads raw and peeled and deveined, or cleaned cooked in the shell or cooked, peeled and deveined. Shrimp also are available frozen and canned. Fresh shrimp may have descriptive market names, such as "jumbo" or "large", but they’re usually sold by count, or number per pound. In general, the smaller the shrimp, the higher the count per pound the larger the shrimp, the lower the count - and higher the price. Because the market names can vary, look over the sizes, ask the fish manager for suggestions and buy shrimp by the count. Following is an approximate guide to the number, or count, per pound of raw shrimp in shells, along with some common market names:

Count (Number)
Shrimp Market Name Per Pound

Super/Extra Colossal Less than 10
Super/Extra Jumbo 16 to 20
Jumbo 21 to 25
Extra Large 26 to 30
Large 31 to 35
Medium Large 36 to 40
Medium 41 to 45
Small 51 to 60
Extra Small to Tiny 61 to 100

Squid, also known as calamari, should be cream colored with reddish brown spots. As squid ages, the skin will turn pinkish. Buy fresh squid that’s whole with clear eyes and a clean sea odor. It’s also available cleaned. Cleaned squid should be in juices, and the meat should be firm.

Note: For more information about shellfish handling, safety and nutrition, call the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, 1-800-332-4010. Recorded information is available 24 hours to speak to a specialist, call Monday through Friday, 12-4 eastern standard time. Or check the FDA’s Web site at www.fda.gov.

How Much Shellfish to Buy:

Live clams, oysters and mussels: About 6 small hard-shell clams, 3 large hard-shell clams, 18 soft-shell clams, 6 oysters, or 18 mussels per serving. Shucked clams, oysters, mussels and scallops: About 1/4 pound per serving.

Crab and lobsters: About 1 1/4 pounds live or 1/4 pound cooked meat per serving.

Raw shrimp: About 1 pound whole shrimp, 1/2 pound headless unpeeled shrimp or 1/4 pound headless peeled shrimp per serving.

Squid: About 1/2 pound whole squid or 1/4 pound cleaned squid per serving.

Determining When Shellfish Is Done:

When done just right, cooked shellfish is a delight: moist, slightly chewy and delicious. Overcooked, and it’s tough and rubbery. These are the clues to watch for when determining when cooked shellfish is done. Live clams, oysters and mussels will open their shells as they are done. Shucked clams, oysters and mussels will become plump and opaque. Oyster edges will start to curl. Crabs and lobsters will turn bright red. Scallops turn white or opaque and become firm. Cooking time depends on the size. Raw shrimp will turn pink and become firm. Cooking time depends on the size.

Microwaving Shellfish:
Shrimp and scallops are two varieties of shellfish that cook well in the microwave. For best results:
1. Cut large scallops in half. Rinse shrimp. Arrange shellfish in circle in shallow microwavable dish that’s large enough to hold shellfish in a single layer.
2. Cover with plastic wrap, folding one edge or corner back about 1/4 inch to vent steam.
3. Microwave on High (100%) as directed in chart below, rotating dish once if microwave does not have turntable, until shrimp are pink and firm or until scallops are white.

Crab legs reheat well in the microwave. Here’s how:
1. Cut crab legs to fit 8-inch square microwavable dish.
2. Cover with plastic wrap, folding one edge or corner back about 1/4 inch to vent steam.
3. Microwave on Medium-High (70%) as directed in chart above, rotating dish once if microwave does not have turntable, until hot.

From "Betty Crocker's Complete Cookbook, Everything You Need to Know to Cook Today, 9th Edition." Text Copyright 2000 General Mills, Inc. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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