Seafood ID Crustaceans Flashcards
Define crustaceans
Crustaceans are aquatic animals with jointed legs and exoskeletons that molt (Shed their exoskeleton in periods)
What are the basic groups of crustaceans?
Shrimp, Crabs, Lobsters, Crawfish
What are the group types of shrimp
Grouped by color:
White, pink, brown, Black tiger
White Shrimp are…
Herbivores, the only shrimp farmed in america, Wild caught is about 30% of total sold, Mild flavor, sweet aftertaste. higher cost
Pink Shrimp are…
Omnivores, available fresh as minority catch from south US, less firm with sweeter flavor
Brown Shrimp are…
Omnivores, inconsistent in flavor, often iodine taste, majority catch in the US. summertime shrimp of the east coast with a deep rich flavor
Black tiger shrimp are…
Farm raised, fed pellets of fishmeal, Main producers are India, Thailand, Bangladesh, Philippines. muddy flavor with shrinkage when cooked. grown in pens, wild caught in india
What are freshwater prawns?
Market term for freshwater shrimp. usually farm raised, good appearance, soft texture, served whole most often.
Shrimp terminology
Green- Shell on uncooked
PUD- Peeled, not deveined
P+D- Peeled and Deveined
PDQ- Peeled Deveined and Quickfrozen
IQF- Individually quickfrozen
What are the types of Crab?
Blue Crab, She-Crabs, Jimmies, Soft shell, florida stone, dungeness, Alaskan King, Snow crab
What are Blue Crabs?
Harvested from maine to Florida and along the gulf coast. two year lifespan, overharvested
What are She-crabs?
Female Crabs with red claws
What are Jimmie Crabs
Male Crabs with Blue Claw.
Misc info on crabs
check apron to determine sex, available all year as live or cooked and picked, need to be sold 48 hours out of water
Soft shell crabs are…
Harvested within 7 hours of molting, 2 day shelf life, cleaned at cook time
Soft shell crab sizes
Medium (3-4 in)
Hotel (Spider) (4-4.5)
Prime (4.5-5)
Jumbo (5-5.5)
Whales (over 5.5 in)
Leatherback- Tougher shell due to calcification
Florida stone crabs are…
Plucked of their claws then tossed back in the water to regrow them later. cooked on the boat typically, live five years
Dungeness crabs are…
West coast crab like the blue crab, shells are not palatable after molting. sold live, cooked or cooked and picked
Alaskan king Crabs are…
2 species (red and brown) wild caught, northern pacific, can be 6-7 ft in width, 10-20 year lifespan, usually sold IQF
Snow Crab is
Substitute for king, cheaper, less sweet, salty and stringy
Lobster is…
American and european, regenerate claws and legs, European do not grow as large. most provided by maine
lobster sizes
Chicken - 1lb or less
quarters- 1-1.25 lbs
select/primes- 1.5-2.5 lbs
jumbo- 2.5 and above
culls- vary in size, but only have one claw.
Spiny lobsters are
Sold just for their tail, are actually just crayfish
Crayfish are…
Crawfish- Small freshwater crustaceans that look like lobster, used in boils
Langostines- Come from the mediterranean
