The term shellfish is given to animals of the sea that have their shell or skeleton on the outside. Even though they are called fish, shellfish are not actually a fish, they are an animal. The vast majority of them live in salt water but there are exceptions such as the freshwater clams, mussels, crayfish and some types of shrimp.
Shellfish are broken down into 2 major categories, mollusks and crustaceans. The most obvious differences between them are the segmented shells and the jointed legs of the crustaceans. The mollusks have neither of these.The mollusk group consists of clams, mussels, oysters, scallops, conch, abalone, winkles, periwinkles and squid. The clams, mussels, oysters and scallops are the most marketed. The crustaceans include crayfish, lobster, crab and shrimp with shrimp being the largest market. The shrimp are not only fished but are farmed extensively.
Shellfish are a very nutritious food being high in protein and assorted vitamins and very low in fat and sodium. If cooked properly they all have a mild, sweet flavor and are very tender. Many of the shellfish, on this site will be unfamiliar to most people especially if you don’t live on a sea coast. Spend some time looking and you will probably be able to find something new to your taste buds. The most important cooking tip I can give any one is, “If you haven’t tried it yet, try it”. The average person will eat 50 to 60 thousand meals in a life time. You should be able to spare 1 or 2 to see if you like something new. Just click on the labels above or below for information on different types of shellfish and easy instructions for cooking.