How to choose seafood to eat without risk to your health

Dariush Mozaffarian, professor at the oldest School of Nutrition, the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, from Tufts University, published a study that divided all foods into several groups according to how harmful or beneficial they are to humans. Seafood fell into the first group, where foods with proven and undeniable benefits were included.

With the development of logistics and international trade, high quality seafood became available to residents of cities far from the sea. However, as this has been happening relatively recently, many people pass by without looking at the sections with the sea creatures. O awesome.club decided to create a small guide to the most popular molluscs and crustaceans, which may help you to include them more often in your diet.

On the counters of any fishmonger you can find crayfish and shrimp. They differ not only in size. These are species that are distinguished like the crab and lobster.

How to choose: prawns and crayfish are generally sold cooked and frozen, less often frozen fresh, in fishmongers in cities far from the coast. When buying these seafood, look at their tails: if they are straight, the shrimp died before they went through the heat treatment and are best left on the counter. The black head, dark spots and irregular color indicate that the crustaceans are decomposing.

If crayfish or shrimp are sold fresh, make sure they have their antennae and limbs in place. When buying frozen seafood, choose those that have been frozen dry.

Regarding crustacean cooking methods: you’re unlikely to find a person who speaks to you better than Forrest Gump’s companion.

Let’s clarify at once: the lobster and the lobster are two different creatures🇧🇷 The lobster is a sea crab with huge claws. Lobster is more like a giant shrimp. Previously, the lobster was the food of the poor and prisoners, but today it is perhaps the most valuable crustacean.

Lobsters are cheaper and, in some restaurants, they pass them off as lobsters. Lobster and lobster taste similar but differ in texture (lobster meat is more like shrimp). Lobsters are usually eaten boiled, extracting the meat from the tail and limbs.

How to choose: the most delicious lobsters are quite young creatures, less than 10 years old (in general, they can live up to 70), with an approximate weight of 700 g. To prepare soups, experts recommend choosing females with roe, so that the flavor of the broth is more full-bodied. You can tell them apart by their wider tail and other signs.

Of course, the lobster must be alive or frozen. Crustacean that died before heat treatment is dangerous because it immediately becomes a breeding ground for dangerous bacteria, which multiply releasing toxins. And, by the way, be careful with your tweezers: a large lobster can fracture a person’s finger.

Crabs are part of a large group that includes many species. Both small crabs a few centimeters in size and huge specimens of the Japanese giant crab, which reach 6 meters in length, are edible.

A crab’s edible meat is found in the claws, paws and inside the cephalothorax, which are opened with a special tool. The least valuable meat is obtained from the “fists” at the end of the crab’s legs and, the most valuable, from the muscles that connect with the “fin legs”. But be careful, don’t confuse crab meat with its cheap imitation “crab sticks”, the kani-kama.

How to choose: It doesn’t matter if you want to buy boiled or fresh crab, it must have a hard shell with no damage or plaque. The eyes of a live, healthy crab are always black and shiny. The meat of young males is more tender than that of females and older specimens. The best quality crabs come from Norway, Canada and Australia.

Squids have been consumed for a long time. However, these cephalopods sometimes cause difficulties in the kitchen.

It’s best to buy fresh, skinned squid, so you can be sure you’re getting a quality product. It is not necessary to remove the membrane covering your torso, just remove the bone. The tentacles and squid ink are also very edible. In Italy, this paint is used to dye pasta and risotto.

Squid trimmings and smoked fillets, which are sold in large pieces, are not made from the squid we buy from fishmongers, but from giant squid, cheap and with a very unpleasant taste, with the addition of sweeteners, flavorings and sodium glutamate. .

How to choose: small specimens are tastier, especially those whose body length (not taking into account the tentacles) is 10-15 cm. Large squids are tough. Your body should be smooth and should not give off strong odors. A fresh squid’s eyes cannot be opaque.

Sometimes it is very difficult to get fresh octopus from fishmongers in towns located far from the coast. Most often small pickled octopus are sold, which are often added to salads. Meanwhile, there is a great demand for octopus tentacles for use in hot dishes.

If the octopus is well cooked, its texture will be similar to that of a lobster. Almost every part of the octopus is edible: the tentacles, the head, the skin, the ink, and even the eyes — which are dried and added to different dishes. And people in China, Korea and Japan often eat raw octopus, not even the risk of choking stops foodies.

How to choose: animals up to 3 kilos are considered the most valuable, but smaller or larger octopuses are also good for certain dishes. Fresh octopuses are elastic to the touch, feel soft, shine and smell like the sea, the skin is reddish brown, undamaged, and the eyes are transparent.

Oysters are a symbol of luxurious living, but trying them for the first time often proves to be a challenge. There are many ways to cook oysters, but they are usually eaten raw. In restaurants, the shells are opened just before serving.

There is an opinion that the clam should be sucked out of the shell and swallowed without chewing, like a raw egg. But it’s not like that. Experts say: without chewing the oyster’s body, you won’t feel its unique taste and aroma, which you paid so much money for.

Oysters should only be eaten in reputable establishments, as they can carry the deadly Vibrio bacilli. Doctors recommend that people with diabetes, weak immunity and liver disease not take unnecessary risks.

How to choose: if you still dare to try the oysters, choose live molluscs with closed shells, with a pleasant smell of the sea. And don’t be afraid of the green patina: it’s phytoplankton. It is believed that there can only be oysters in the months when the letter “r” appears, but this is a common myth, which has nothing to do with reality.

Mussels inhabit almost all seas and oceans, so they are known and loved all over the world. There are many recipes with mussels: they can be enjoyed fried, boiled, baked, with salads, soups and sandwiches. They are added to pasta, risotto and stews and suitable for dietary nutrition and, according to some sources, they are especially useful to men.

If you are going to cook mussels in their shells, be sure to clean them well under running water inside and out, otherwise you will feel sand in your teeth, and they may also contain algae and pebbles on the inside.

How to choose: mussels are sold whole, with only half the shell (in this case they are steamed and frozen) and in the form of fillets: frozen or in brine. When buying whole mussels, choose the biggest ones: they are juicier. Shells must be tightly closed and undamaged.

Unlike oysters, scallops usually undergo heat treatment before consumption, although they are also eaten raw. If you are lucky enough to find shelled scallops, buy them without hesitation, it costs nothing to clean them.

How to choose: unlike oysters and mussels, scallops die almost immediately after being removed from their habitat, which is why, most of the time, they are removed from the shells and frozen or stored in special aquariums. When buying live scallops, try to choose molluscs whose shell is tightly closed. If there is a gap between the shell parts, tap it with your finger: the live clam will close immediately.

There are two types of scallops: sea and bay scallops. The first ones are a little bigger, the others are smaller and softer, excellent for stir-fries and quick roasts.

Rapana venous, or simply rapana, is the most underrated seafood. It can be grilled, added to salads, cooked with sour cream, fried with onions, used as an ingredient in soups and prepared in a wide variety of delicious dishes.

Rapana extracted from its bark is sold in some fishmongers, but it is also possible to catch them yourself. Rapanas love the sandy bottom and usually live at a depth of 6 to 25 meters, but after a storm they often spawn in shallow water. It will take some effort to remove the live mollusc from its shell: for this, you must remove the hard membrane with a knife and pierce its body, or simply boil the rapana in salted water.

Unfortunately, rapana has not yet reached the mass consumer. In most countries, their supply to regions far from the coastal area is from small companies that work mainly with restaurants. So, if you’re planning a trip to the coast, don’t miss the opportunity to try this delicacy.

Behind the name “seafood cocktail” there can be almost anything. Most of the time, we expect to find shrimp, squid, octopus and mussels. In fact, it may contain artificial crab and shrimp, krill instead of shrimp, and simply lower quality seafood.

There is no standard that establishes the ingredients of the canned seafood cocktail, so the composition and quality of seafood is not regulated by the state. Sometimes they contain clostridia, and there is excess yeast and sodium benzoate. In addition, the actual composition does not match that indicated on the label.

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