Cooking Shellfish to Perfection

5 Tips

Need a little help with cooking that perfect shellfish dish? Today, I’m going to give you a few tips about how to get shellfish done the right way.

Many people accidentally overcook shellfish or worse under cook them which can lead to dangerous illnesses. But today, we can put an end to all of your shellfish cooking worries with these easy tips.

Cooks Companion
Amazon – 5 Stars

5 Shellfish Cooking Tips:

1. When cooking shellfish, make sure to watch to make sure that you don’t cook for too long or at too high of a temperature. Both of these can destroy the natural flavor and moisture content of the fish. Most shellfish varieties need only a few minutes to be cooked completely. So if you are preparing them as part of a recipe, the best idea is to add them in at the end.
2. You can microwave shellfish however it is very easy to accidentally lose track of time and overcook them. Therefore stove top or oven methods for cooking shellfish are much better so that you can keep an eye on your dish.
3. With mollusks such as oysters, scallops, mussels and clams, these shellfish are finished cooking when the shell has opened. If you have finished cooking and the shell has still not opened, discard that one because it is a bad one and may be contaminated by bacteria or other toxins.
4. For a fancier presentation of your shellfish dish, scrub a few of the shells from the fish that were discarded and use them as serving pieces.
5. To avoid drowning out the natural flavor of the shellfish, avoid mixing shellfish into recipes that call for heavy seasonings. Shellfish shine best when paired with simple flavors such as wine, butter, lemon and parsley.

So gather up some of your favorite shellfish and use these tips to make a hearty dinner tonight!