What is a shellfish? They are not really fish. Rather they are invertebrate animals. They are grouped into three distinct categories:
- Crustaceans - a class of arthropod. They are noted for having an exoskeleton, a segmented body (the cephalothorax and the abdomen), and jointed appendages. Examples are lobsters, crabs, prawns, langoustines, crayfish, and shrimp; or decapods--5 pairs of legs
- Mollusks - Their anatomy contains three parts--a muscular foot, an assembly of circulatory, digestive, and sexual organs, and then mantle; They are divided into three categories
- bivalves - creatures with two shells, such as oysters, scallops, and clams; saltwater creatures; they have adductor muscle that is used to close the shells
- univalves - creatures with one shell, such as snails and winkles; can be either saltwater or land inhabitants; they have an operculum, or the sole of the foot to move around
- cephalopods - creatures with bilateral symmetry and somewhat inverted--they have a muscular exterior mantle (the sheet-like muscle) on the outside of their shell. They have a siphon under their heads for movement, well-developed eyes, arms or tentacles, an ink sac. Examples are squid, cuttlefish, and octopus
- Echinoderms - a group of sea invertebrates that are found at every measurable ocean depth. Sea urchins and sea cucumbers.
There's a relationship between cooking time and the amount and type of connective tissue a protein source has. Crustaceans and bivalve- & univalve- mollusks have very delicate connective tissues, so they generally require very brief cooking. Whereas cephalopods have more connective tissues. For optimal flavor and texture, they can be either cooked briefly, or for a long time to soften the collagen. Echinoderms are used for their creamy, flavorful reproductive organs and eggs.
In regards to handling and preparing…
… Lobsters: Live ones can be kept refrigerated for up to 48 hours. Anesthetize them in iced salt water for 30 min or in a freezer for about 2 hours before boiling, grilling, or roasting them. Their tomalley (liver) and coral (ovary) can be added to sauces. As a general rule, the cooking time is 8 mins per pound, and for every additional pound, we add 2 mins to the cooking time. When boiling, the cooking time starts when the water or court bouillon comes back to a boil.
… Langoustines: Like lobsters, can be chilled then cooked.
… Prawns: Their exoskeleton can be peeled with the fingers
… Crayfish: Live ones should be placed in the freezer, for about an hour, before boiling them. Their tails can be peeled.
… Shrimps: They can be peeled with the fingers. The dark vein along the outside curve of shrimp is the end of the digestive tract. It should be pulled away from the surrounding muscle
… Crabs: Live ones can be kept refrigerated for up to 48 hours. Kill them right before cooking. Pierce the body at one of two points: the ventral nerve center or the head, going in through the mouth. Their large digestive gland, or mustard/butter is prized for a rich, intense flavor and creamy texture
… Clams: Can be immersed in salted water for about 20min. Scrub the shells to clean. Do not open until they are needed
… Oysters: They are the most tender bivalves. Do not open until they are needed
… Mussels: They have byssus, or beard, that need debearding. They may be soaked in salted cold water for about 20min. Flour may be added to to the salt water.
… Scallops: Remove the band of nerves surrounding the muscle. Briefly soak the shucked scallop in cold water or milk.
… And so many more… ARGHHHHHH!!!!!
What is Court Bouillon? It means "short broth." It's called a short broth because it is cooked for a relatively short time. It's made up of water and an acid (wine/vinegar/lemon juice), aromatics (mirepoix) and bouquet garni. A court bouillon is used for poaching seafood mainly. A fish served à la nave (swimming) is presented in the court bouillon in which it was cooked.
What is à l'américaine or armoricaine? The terms can refer either to a method of preparation (such as lobster à l'américaine/armoricaine), or to a sauce served to accompany shellfish (lobster with sauce américaine/armoricaine).
- To make the sauce, the meat of the shellfish is removed and prepared separately. The shells are used to make the sauce. The shells are broken apart and sautéed. Miropoix is then added. Next comes flambéing it with brandy and adding white wine/white vermouth, and then simmering with fish fumet and tomatoes (purée and paste). The mixture is then puréed and strained.
- To prepare a sauté en sauce, the shellfish is cleaned, sectioned, and sautéed in the shell. The meat is then flambéed and the sauce is prepared in the same manner as about. The way we did it in class wasn't a sauté en sauce. Rather the protein was prepared separately: we either roasted the whole lobster or boiled it. The sauce was made separately with shells.
- Bisque is basically a sauce américaine base with the addition of rice and cream.
Although we made several shellfish dishes, unfortunately I did not take any pictures. :o(
