• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

CooksInfo

  • Home
  • Encyclopaedia
  • Kitchenware
  • Recipes
  • Food Calendar
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • Encyclopaedia
  • Kitchenware
  • Food Calendar
×
Home » Seafood » Shellfish

Shellfish

Shellfish is a very broad catch-all phrase that describes animals that live in the water: generally salt water but the water can also be freshwater.

Shellfish subdivide into two types:

  • crustaceans such as lobster and shrimp that have an external skeleton;
  • mollusks such as mussels and oysters that actually have an actual shell.

Snails that live in the water are often classified as Shellfish, too. But because most people ordering a fancy meal of Shellfish wouldn’t be impressed with a dish of snails, the popular, general definition of Shellfish doesn’t include them. Interestingly, octopus and squid are categorized scientifically as “cephalopods”, which makes them mollusks, which makes them Shellfish. But foodwise, you’re more likely to see them called just “seafood” rather than “Shellfish.”

The American Food and Drug Administration doesn’t include in its definition of Shellfish scallops that have been shucked so that just the adductor muscle remains.

If any Shellfish have a strong smell to them, don’t buy them. Their smell should be very mild.

Cooking Tips

Treat Shellfish as you would meat: do not put cooked Shellfish on a plate or in a container that has held raw Shellfish.

Do not overcook; one minute they are done, and the very next minute they will be tough.

Storage Hints

Have a profound respect for just how perishable fresh Shellfish is. There have been too many unnecessary cases of food poisoning or upset tummies because of improper handling. Buy fresh Shellfish on the day you intend to use them — and keep them in the refrigerator until you do cook them. In the fridge, don’t have them in a sealed plastic bag, or they will suffocate. It’s just to put them in a bowl with a damp paper towel or cloth on top of them. Resist the temptation to put some ice cubes in the bowl: they do better at temperatures that are a bit warmer than freezing, ideally about 38 F / 3 C, and the ice cubes may melt, drowning your critters in fresh water, which they can’t live in.

Frozen will, in general, keep up to 6 months.

Store any cooked Shellfish in the fridge and use within three days.

Other names

Italian: Crostacei
French: Crustacés
German: Krustentiere
Spanish: Crustáceos
Portuguese: Mariscos

This page first published: Oct 13, 2003 · Updated: Jun 17, 2020.

This web site generates income from affiliated links and ads at no cost to you to fund continued research · Information on this site is Copyright © 2025· Feel free to cite correctly, but copying whole pages for your website is content theft and will be DCMA'd.

Tagged With: Shellfish

Primary Sidebar

Hi, I'm Skylar! This is a fake profile talking about how I switched to a paleo diet and it helped my eczema and I grew 4". Trust me, I'm an online doctor.

More about me →

Popular

  • E.D. Smith Pumpkin Purée
    E.D. Smith recipe for pumpkin pie
  • Libby's Pumpkin Pie
    Libby’s recipe for pumpkin pie
  • Pie crust
    Pie Crust Recipe
  • Smokey Maple Pepper Glaze for Ham
    Smokey Maple Pepper Glaze for Ham

You can duplicate your homepage's trending recipes section in the sidebar to reinforce the internal linking.

We no longer recommend using a search bar, newsletter form or category drop-down menu in the sidebar. See the Modern Sidebar post for details.

If the block editor is not narrower than usual, simply save the page and refresh it.

Search

    Today is

  • Onion Ring Day
    Basket of onion rings
  • Chocolate Eclair Day
    Chocolate eclairs with chocolate cream filling

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • About this site
  • Privacy Policy
  • Copyright enforced!
  • Terms & Conditions

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Site

  • Recipes
  • Encyclopaedia
  • Kitchenware
  • Food Calendar

This web site generates income from affiliated links and ads at no cost to you to fund continued research · The text on this site is © Copyright.