Best Shellfish?

[sestoppelman]

Cod

 

[steve white]

zieder zee clams at the Red Lion in Amsterdam are the best. Big fan of BIG scallops. Can't get enough lobster!

 

[ALbowhunter]

The Old Ebbit Grill in Washington, DC serves some of the best raw oysters. We tried 2 different ones from Nova Scotia. They were phenomenal. Other than that Dungeness crab and boiled crawfish would be my favorites.

 

[Bearbait1]

Spot prawns from Alaska and abalone

 

[Mekaniks]

Alaskan Red King Crab…. But good luck finding it. They haven’t had a season for two years and probably not again this year.

 

[Red Leg]

Good call on Stone Crab, in season. French Sancerre Sauvignon Blanc a nice addition.

Oysters from the brackish waters of the Mississippi estuary, Plaquemines Parish (county for the other 49 states) west of the river, Grand Isle oysters eastern side. The oystermen here sare from the Adriatic coast of Yugoslavia, post Ottoman Empire. Imagine that productive oyster beds there make good oysters.
But I digress.

Oysters are bivalve mollusks (like clams) not crustaceans. Some excellent oysters are harvested off the coast of Brittany France. And probably a few other places.

Fresh water crawfish, grown in rice fields, and purged for 24 hours in clear artesian well water are excellent compared to any crustaceans around the world. Carefully simmered in a broth of "Louisiana Crab Boil" seasoning, tastes remarkably like Old Bay.

Not surprising that McCormick, now owns Old Bay, bought Zartarians, supplier of "Crab Boil.",
used by everyone here.

In Norway, they harvest crayfish (sp.) about 4-5 weeks a year. No flavor like Louisiana crawfish. They poach it in a very weak dill broth.

Chinese crawfish, no comment, nor purchase intent.

Best crustaceans in Louisiana lake and offshore waters are Gulf Shrimp, Brown and White, when in season, and away from the dead zone of Mississippi River.

Second best Shrimp I have had are from the Persian Gulf, from the docks of Kuwait. I was surprised, but in 1997, the waters were good. I have no idea today.

Today's seafood markets, harvest and distribution are first local, for a price, then regional and international for another price. My next-door neighbor, an engineer, retired from the chemical plants, harvests Louisiana Blue Crab now with 4 boats. Same species as Maryland Blue Crab.

His Markets:

75% of his catch Blue Crab is overnighted to Maryland. He gets $3 per crab on the dock, and they cover the overnight airfreight. And he can sell all he catches. Here in Louisiana the price of crabs is still high.

I have enjoyed Maine Lobster, South Carolina oysters and Washington State oysters, King Crab and other species.
When ordering seafood, know where it comes from (local?).

When locally fresh, a great experience.

Born in Thibodaux and grew up in Lake Charles. Spent my life on 14 ft flat bottoms until I went off to the army (to my dermatologist's delight).

Back in the early eighties when I was a starving captain, my new bride and I would take the boat and two huge igloo ice chests into the Rockefeller Reserve and fill one with blue crabs twice the size of anything ever shipped to Maryland and the other with specks and reds. We would keep a dozen or two crabs for ourselves and half a dozen specks. The remainder went to the seafood dealer. We were flush for a couple of weeks.

But stone crab claws...................

 

[wesheltonj]

Stone crab claws, brown gulf shrimp, Dungeness crab cocktail, King and/or snow crab.

 

[TMac]

From the west coast, I favor Dungeness crab in a Cajun style boil. I pull them out and cover with ice to cool them immediately to avoid drying out. Eaten when still warm or later when cold, that’s my fav. Scallops and very fresh raw Kumamoto oysters are contenders too.

 

[sestoppelman]

Crab are great! If someone will catch it, clean it, cook it, put the meat in a cocktail glass with seafood sauce, I might even eat it!
Otherwise, uh no....

 

[Velo Dog]

1.
I’m with Mekaniks on the king crab, especially the huge and beyond delicious red king crab.
Every variety of sea crab I have eaten was wonderful.
However, red king crab is my #1 favorite shellfish, worldwide.

2.
After that, I would say fresh, raw sea urchin.
I believe the Japanese name for this wonderful delicacy is “Uni”.
And it is absolutely delectable.

3.
Next are Fresh, raw oysters that have been raised and picked just before eating, from clear, very cold sea water.

Like any seafood, especially shellfish, fresh is required for peak flavor and so, fresh goes without saying.
And, I guess I should stop prefacing each shellfish with that thought.

4.
Prawns are my 4th pick, cooked almost any style, from any culture, anywhere.
However, cooked in cheesy grits deserves to be included here.

5.
Razor Clams, prepared in a garlic-heavy stew, AKA “chowder” is another shellfish that I really enjoy.

6.
Abalone, sliced paper thin, pan seared in garlic butter and sprinkled with sliced almonds at the moment it is served is my 6th favorite.

7.
Conch Fritters (chopped, battered and deep fried sea snail), deserves honorable mention for sure.

8.
And mussels, simmered in butter, garlic and saffron is another shellfish deserving honorable mention here.

There are others but, the above are my favorites, in order if my preference.

 

[8 x 60]

Omani Blue Crabs grilled on the braii along with a Tagine of fresh veg

 

[Louis Toadvine]

Big fan of shellfish and seafood in general. I look forward to trying more local varieties as I (hopefully) travel more in the coming years. My current favorites are northeastern N.A.-centric.

In approximate order:

-Maine lobster
-Oysters (raw and fried)
-Crab (all varieties, but Peekytoe and King Crab are favorites)
-Clams (steamers and fried whole-bellied)
-Scallops
-Mussels

 

[8 x 60]

Yummy (Oman)

 

[Hunt anything]

I love it all but the most memorable are some sea scallops that we got in Maine by pulling up to the boat after a successful sea duck hunt taking them straight to the lodge wrapping them in bacon and grilling them with garlic butter.

 

[Hunt anything]

Here are some spiney lobsters ready for the seafood section in my freezer. They will be joining about 5 pounds of blue crab meat, 50 pounds of 12-15 count white shrimp and assorted gulf fish.

 

[Tra3]

I agree with @Velo Dog on the Razor clams. I’m surprised no one mentioned them earlier. During 5 summers of work in Oregon I really looked forward to getting fresh fried razor clams.

Also +1on Uni (sea urchin), but I’ve only had that in sushi restaurants.

 

[Doubleplay]

Generally speaking shellfish caught in cold water.
Alaskan king crab legs followed by North East lobster.

 

[PARA45]

Finally at the bottom of the East Coast in the Florida Keys I have eaten Stone Crab, Key West Pink Shrimp, and Hogfish sandwich! If you any recommendations please share them, I'd also like to see what ya'll on the west coast have for shellfish as I haven't been there yet.
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I don't believe it gets any better with Stone Crab and Hog Fish, two of my favorites. If you go back to South FL, you need to go to Joe's Stone Crab in South Beach, they have the best Stone Crabs, and the best Key Lime Pie.

 

[Doubleplay]

I don't believe it gets any better with Stone Crab and Hog Fish, two of my favorites. If you go back to South FL, you need to go to Joe's Stone Crab in South Beach, they have the best Stone Crabs, and the best Key Lime Pie.

There are also other locations for Joe's Stone Crab all over the country if anybody wants to try.
They are a franchise.

 

[Canadaboy]

I’ll go with lobster and oysters from Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. The scallops here are excellent as well !

This thread is making me feel like taking a drive down to the lobster pound this afternoon.