Shellfish

For much of American culinary history, shrimps or prawns, crayfish, scallops, mussels, and clams have had a minor role. Not mentioned nearly as consistently in cookbooks as oysters, lobster, and crab, and with smaller fisheries attached to them, some of these shellfish did not become important or widely popular until the twentieth century. Like oysters, lobster, and crab, the other shellfish were used in stews, soups, and sauces and later in salads. Once harvested in New England to be used as bait, some species of clams are eaten raw; others, however, are good only after being chopped for soup or chowder. Some shellfish are popular for outdoor recreational cookery, such as crab, shrimp, and crayfish boils and clambakes. Many shellfish are farm raised and hold a more important place in cuisine, especially in ethnic cookery, than they once did. Abalone and sea urchins go almost unmentioned in early cookery sources.