Shellfish:
In THE BATTLE OF THE BERRIES, strawberries won, with raspberries and blackberries coming next in the poll.
It's now the turn of shellfish to do battle! Cue for a pun. What did the salmon say to the crab? "You're shellfish"!
Despite the name, shellfish aren't fish. Shellfish are crustaceans, molluscs and echinoderms that have an exoskeleton (a shell). However, for the purposes of this poll, I'm including cuttlefish, octopuses, sea cucumbers, sea pineapples, sea urchins, squid and starfish as shellfish even though they don't have shells.
Most shellfish eaten comes from the sea's saltwater but some comes from the land's freshwater (eg river mussels). And some shellfish don't live in water but live outside water (eg land crabs and snails).
My favourite shellfish are clams (only in a chowder), crab (dressed crab only), langoustine, and shrimps, with prawns (basically large shrimps) being my most favourite shellfish. A prawn cocktail, a cocktail of peeled prawns, lettuce and maybe tomatoes all served with Thousand Island dressing and a squeeze of lemon juice, is one of my favourite starters for a meal.
Prawn cocktail:
There's quite of shellfish I haven't tried and, to be honest, I wouldn't want to try (such as octopus, sand hoppers and snails). And I definitely wouldn't eat sea urchin gonads in a month of Sundays, though a knobbed whelk may tempt me one Sunday!
But my least favourite shellfish that I've eaten are cockles and scallops, with squid (or calamari) being my least favourite shellfish. Squid is just too squidgy to eat. And it's tasteless - squid is the tofu of the sea which is only tasteful because of the sauce it's served with. Just serve me the sauce on its own!
What are your most and least favourite shellfish?
If you like shellfish, how do you like your shellfish, shelled or unshelled, dressed or undressed, peeled or unpeeled?
Have you cooked or eaten lobster?
Generally I'm not a shellfish (or selfish!) person. I'm not a big fan of paella so beloved by the Spanish. But when I eat shellfish, I want it unshelled whether it's dressed crab or peeled prawns.
I've only tried lobster in a bisque soup. I don't want to eat lobster. The thought of boiling a lobster alive just puts me off in the first place, though many of my friends say a lobster thermidor is to die for - well, I tell my friends that the lobster did!
Below is a poll where you can anonymously select your most favourite shellfish. Unfortunately only one pick is allowed in the poll.
A poll on this site can only have 20 answer options. Unfortunately there was no room in the poll for sand hoppers (aka sand fleas), sea pineapples (aka hoya or sea squirt) and starfish (aka sea stars), though the latter is barely edible.
I think lobster will win the poll, though crab, mussels, oysters and shrimps may do well in the poll.
Please see the first comment below to see what has won each battle of the food and drinks so far.
Lobster thermidor:
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33 comments
I like farm animals
I hope you're farming some shellfish in your pond.
I voted other primarily because I love seafood in all varieties and ways. I do miss Maine where you can go out on low tide harvesting mussels, clams maybe even catch a crab or lobster that was left behind.
I hear Maine's good for shellfish.
Another nice thing is that you can go buy Lobsters off the boats without paying all those middleman prices.
I am sorry but I can't vote in this challenge as I am allergic to Seafood. I hope your Friday is a great start to a wonderful weekend..
I'm sorry to hear about your seafood allergy.
I chose lobster, but because of the price, I don't get it that often. Crab and shrimp are close 2nd and 3rd. I will eat ANYTHING seafood, except sushi. Blechh.
I've not tried sushi and I'm not tempted to try it.
P.S. I hate to destroy your pleasure in shrimp, but I would recommend you do a little googling and learn about the ecological disaster that is shrimp farming. Wild shrimp harvesting is very ecologically harmful as well.
I now can't eat another prawn cocktail without a guilty conscience!
Anyway I'm preferring some kind of 🐟🐟 calamari shrimp 🦐🍤 yeah good
I like shrimps but not calamari.
1.Crawfish 2.Shrimp 3.lodster 4.Crab 5.Prawns . In this order . None of others really show up. My preferences may be in part my physical location
Seafood should never wear dresses.
Crayfish etouffee made with onion, garlic, celery, bell peppers and Cajun spices served over rice. Then some shrimp gumbo with above ingredients plus okra and Andouille Sausage on side. Gumbo also over rice.
It seems you like your seafood.
Like you, I wouldn't eat seafood with a dress on!
@spunkycumfun seafood a limited eater. Yet occasionally like some fried catfish or baked white fish in lemon lime. Otherwise prefer the stately cow and majestic pig. Yet the whale consumed very interesting
@bignicktx I couldn't eat whale.
@spunkycumfun it was Norway 🇳🇴
@bignicktx Or Norwhale!
Lobster my favorite ahead of scallops
It's great to see you. I hope all is well with you.
I've not heard that song before. I liked it, very clever and funny. Thanks.
I grew up on the coast and spent summers on an island. Hence....ive caught, cleaned n cooked it all. From quahogs to lobsters. My fav would be clams or oysters, cooked or on the half shell with hot sauce n lemons. I have mussels n calamari left overs in the fridge as i type. I don't eat pork/beef , so my diet consists mainly poultry n seafood. Yup....to include sushi too. The lobster tenses up when they feel the boiling water and may become tough. Ive always started them in cold salted water, sometimes with the seaweed too. Boiled, fried, baked, grilled. blackened, broiled......its all good in my world ~
I can see how you got into shellfish nut I won't be raiding your fridge for the mussels and calamari!
I love prawns/shrimp (they're all "海老" (ebi) in Japanese). I like lobster, but simply boiled with no fancy cooking involved. I don't like crab, tho.
I don't eat sea urchins. For me, they're fish food, to break open while I'm snorkeling to draw in the pretty fishies so I can take pics 😂
I wouldn't want to eat a sea urchin either.
Because I'm Egyptian i have another kinds of fish.. 🦐 yes
This poll is about shellfish. I may do a separate poll on fish later. What fish are popular to eat in Egypt?
@spunkycumfun as in Alexandria I'll say sea fish but we've others I will tell you because it's in Egypt only
@Alfedofernanz200 Thanks.
@spunkycumfun perfect
I love see food!
I love to see food but not all seafood!
I voted crab, but I like others like shrimp and lobster. I rarely have lobster though. Last year in Halifax, it was everywhere. Lump crab cakes in Maryland are wonderful
I've eaten crab cakes but not lump crab cakes.
My dad couldn't eat shellfish. His dad (my grand dad couldn't even smell it cooking and he would break out in hives. I am not allergic to them. I love lobster, shrimp, crab, scallops, and squid.
I just can't get into squid.
@spunkycumfun My mom use to cook pieces of it with rice. She would use the ink that came with it to give the rice its color. I enjoyed it but would easily prefer the breaded pieces with marinara sauce accompanying it.
@CallMeMrWrong69 I don't think my squid was cooked properly when I've eaten it. It's mainly at Greek restaurants I've had squid.
Clearly lobster is my favorite - if someone else is buying it, like at a banquet.
Every day favorite would probably be shrimp.
Best shrimp I ever had was some peel-and-eat kind in a bar in Key West. The lady I was with didn't want any but she peeled it for me!
Your luck was in in that bar. A woman not wanting her shrimps but peeling them for you!
I have a yoga teacher who makes us do a plank and then tells a dumb joke while we're planking. Recently this one was featured:
Why did the oyster refuse to give up its pearl?
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Because it was shelfish.
@citizen4722 will be borrowing that pun!
@citizen4722 It's a good one!
For the record, Brussels sprouts won THE BATTLE OF THE VEGETABLES, bananas won THE BATTLE OF THE FRUITS, basil won THE BATTLE OF THE HERBS, garlic won THE BATTLE OF THE SPICES, cashew nuts won THE BATTLE OF THE NUTS, sunflower seeds won THE BATTLE OF THE SEEDS, roast beef won THE BATTLE OF THE ROAST DINNERS, cheesecake won THE BATTLE OF THE PUDDINGS, pepperoni won THE BATTLE OF THE PIZZA TOPPINGS, Caesar salad won THE BATTLE OF THE SALADS, green beans won THE BATTLE OF THE BEANS, watermelon won THE BATTLE OF THE MELONS, tomato-based pasta sauce won THE BATTLE OF THE HOT SAUCY DIPS, barbecue sauce won THE BATTLE OF THE COOL SAUCY DIPS, vanilla ice cream won THE BATTLE OF THE ICE CREAMS, capellini (aka angel hair) won THE BATTLE OF THE PASTAS, steak won THE BATTLE OF THE BARBECUE, romaine lettuce won THE BATTLE OF THE LETTUCES, honeycrisp apples won THE BATTLE OF THE APPLES, stout won THE BATTLE OF THE BEERS, whisky won THE BATTLE OF THE SPIRITS, clam chowder won THE BATTLE OF THE SOUPS, sourdough bread won THE BATTLE OF THE BREADS, liver won THE BATTLE OF THE OFFAL, roast turkey won THE BATTLE OF CHRISTMAS FOODS, Old Fashioned won THE BATTLE OF THE COCKTAILS, Americano coffee won THE BATTLE OF THE COFFEES, green tea won THE BATTLE OF THE TEAS, maple syrup won THE BATTLE OF THE PANCAKES, barbecue sauce and ketchup jointly won THE BATTLE OF THE CONDIMENTS, ribeye steak won THE BATTLE OF THE STEAKS, portobello mushrooms won THE BATTLE OF THE MUSHROOMS, beefsteak tomatoes won THE BATTLE OF THE TOMATOES, barbecue crisps won THE BATTLE OF THE CRISPS, and strawberries won THE BATTLE OF THE BERRIES.