Preparing & cooking shellfish

You can’t beat freshly cooked shellfish in their natural and simple state, simply accompanied by some good mayonnaise and brown bread and butter. Armed with crackers, a finger bowl and a glass of crisp white wine, I prefer to tackle them whole myself, whether they be crab, lobster or langoustines. If you prefer the ‘no bones and mess’ approach, you can buy ready-picked white and brown crab meat, and pre-shelled shellfish, although it generally doesn’t have the same taste, unless your fishmonger does it for you.