Shellfish Category

Asian markets are a good place to find these. Prod them gently before buying to make sure they're alive. The smaller ones are better. Canned or dried abalones are acceptable substitutes for fresh in some dishes. Unopened canned abalone can be stored for up to a year in a dry, cool place. Once opened, it will keep for up to two days if you wrap it well and refrigerate it.

Shopping hints: These are easier to find in the East than in the West. Frozen scallops are a good substitute for fresh.

These are found on the Atlantic coast. They're small, but otherwise similar to Dungeness crabs. When they molt, they're called soft-shelled crabs, a wonderful delicacy that can be eaten shell and all

These are popular in Japan, where they're often served as tempura.

See also pismo clam, soft-shell clam, razor clam, Manila clam, hard-shell clam, bar clam, and geoduck clam. Storage: Unopened canned clams can be stored for up to a year in a dry, cool place. Once opened, it will keep for up to two days if you wrap it well and refrigerate it.

This is popular in Florida and the Caribbean. In other regions, your best bet is to look in Asian or Italian markets.

Eat fresh crab the day you buy it. Unopened canned crab can be stored for up to a year in a dry, cool place. Once opened, it will keep for up to two days if you wrap it well and refrigerate it.

Crayfish are very popular in Louisiana, where restaurants serve them on large platters along with bowls of melted butter. Buy live ones if you can; if not, large supermarkets sometimes stock frozen whole crayfish or crayfish tails. Get the whole crayfish if possible--most of the flavor resides in the shells. Allow one to two pounds per person.

This is a close relative of squid and octopus. You can sometimes find dried cuttlefish in Asian markets.

Found on the Pacific coast, the Dungeness is a large crab highly prized for its sweet meat.

Littleneck clams are smaller than cherrystone clams which are smaller than quahog clams = quahaug clams = chowder clams which are smaller than ocean quahog clams = ocean quahaug clams = mahogany clams = black clams.

These are found in the coastal waters of New England.

These have long, spindly legs and are found off the coast of Alaska and Japan.

Storage: Unopened canned mussels can be stored for up to a year in a dry, cool place. Once opened, it will keep for up to two days if you wrap it well and refrigerate it.

This is a variety of abalone found in the Mediterain and North Atlantic.

The French like to serve these raw in the shell, with just a squirt of fresh lemon juice, but they can also be fried, grilled, or gently poached. If you eat them raw, you'll need to shuck them first; an oyster knife comes in handy for this. Storage: Unopened canned oysters can be stored for up to a year in a dry, cool place. Once opened, it will keep for up to two days if you wrap it well and refrigerate it.

These small, highly prized crabs resemble Dungeness crabs, only they're much smaller. It's hard to find whole crabs, but many seafood shops in New England sell peekytoe crab meat.

These marine snails are better known in Europe and Japan than in the United States. They're great in any clam chowder recipe, though they tend to get tough if overcooked. Look for them in Asian markets.

pismos are highly regarded.

These farmed-raised mussels are sweet and beardless.

comes dried or fresh