ingredients in seafood soups and stews Choosing and Handling Molluscs Unless they’ve already been removed from their shell, fresh bivalves should be alive and healthy: otherwise they are likely to have begun spoiling A healthy bivalve has an intact shell, and its adductor muscle is active and holds the shells tightly together, especially when sharply tapped Molluscs keep best on ice covered with a damp cloth, and should not be allowed to sit in a puddle of meltwater, which is saltless and therefore fatal to sea creatures Clams and relatives often benefit from several hours’ immersion in a bucket of cold salt water (1/3 cup salt per gallon, or 20 gm/l) to clean themselves of residual sand and grit When the cook wants to “shuck” an oyster or clam, or open the shell and remove the raw meat, it’s the hinge ligament and adductor muscles that must be dealt with The usual technique is to wedge the blade of a small, strong knife between the shells near the hinge, then cut through the elastic ligament Then run the knife along the inner surface of one shell to sever the adductor muscle(s) (clams and mussels have two, oysters and scallops one) Remove the loose shell, and cut the other end of the adductor(s) to free the body from the remaining shell Heat causes the adductor muscle to relax, which is why mollusc shells open during cooking Shells that don’t open may not contain a live animal and should be discarded Abalone There are about 100 species in the abalone genus Haliotis; they have a single low-slung shell, and the largest grow to 12 in/30 cm and lb/4 kg In the United States, the red abalone, Haliotis rufescens, is now farmed in offshore cages and onshore tanks, reaching 3.5 in/9 cm across and yielding 0.25 lb/100g meat in about three years Abalone ... shell to sever the adductor muscle(s) (clams and mussels have two, oysters and scallops one) Remove the loose shell, and cut the other end of the adductor(s) to free the body from the remaining shell Heat causes the adductor muscle to relax,...technique is to wedge the blade of a small, strong knife between the shells near the hinge, then cut through the elastic ligament Then run the knife along the inner surface of one shell to sever the adductor muscle(s) (clams... Shells that don’t open may not contain a live animal and should be discarded Abalone There are about 100 species in the abalone genus Haliotis; they have a single low-slung shell, and the largest