Prawns and Shellfish
Cooking Skills: Fish and Shellfish 1
Chapter 6 · Prawns and Shellfish
Skill goal
Cook prawns, mussels, scallops and squid quickly so they are tender, and handle them safely.
Shopping list for this chapter
The basics
Shellfish cooks in minutes, and a minute too long turns it from tender to rubbery. The rule is: hot and fast, then stop. Prawns turn from grey to pink and curl into a loose C when done (a tight O means overcooked). Mussels open as they steam. Scallops need a hot, dry pan and about 90 seconds per side. Squid is the one exception: cook it for under a minute, or for 30 minutes or more, but nothing in between.
Freshness and safety matter more than with any other food. Buy from a good fishmonger, keep shellfish cold, cook it the day you buy it and never eat shellfish that smells strongly. Raw or lightly cooked shellfish are not taught here. Garlic and lemon go with all of them; for sauces see Cooking Skills: Sauces 1, chapter 6.
The method
- Buy it fresh and cold, keep it on ice or in the coldest part of the fridge and cook it that day.
- Prepare with care: devein prawns, scrub and debeard mussels, remove scallop muscles, and pat everything dry.
- Cook hot and fast, watching the colour and shape change rather than the clock.
- Stop the moment it is done: prawns pink and curled, mussels open, scallops golden outside and just opaque in the centre.
- Serve at once; shellfish toughens as it sits.
| Shellfish | Prepare | Cook | Done when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prawns | Peel, devein | 2 to 3 minutes | Pink and curled into a C |
| Mussels | Scrub, debeard, discard open ones | 4 to 5 minutes, covered | Shells wide open |
| Scallops | Pat dry, remove side muscle | 1 to 2 minutes a side | Golden crust, just opaque |
| Squid | Clean, slice into rings | 1 minute fast | White and just firm |
Shellfish safety, allergens and hot oil
Shellfish safety: shellfish must be very fresh and cooked until the shells open and the flesh is firm and opaque. Buy from a good fishmonger, keep it cold (below 5°C), cook it the day you buy it, and never eat shellfish that smells strongly of ammonia. Mussels that stay open when tapped before cooking, or stay shut after cooking, must be thrown away.Shellfish allergens: crustaceans (prawns) and molluscs (mussels, scallops, squid) are major allergens and can cause severe reactions. Cook them with their own board, pan and tools, tell guests clearly, and don't serve them to anyone who is allergic or unsure.
Hot pan and hot oil: frying fish uses a hot pan and spitting oil. Dry the fish well, lay it down away from you, use a splash guard if you have one, keep the handle turned in and keep children well back.
Smoked and oily fish for some people: pregnant women, young children, the elderly and people with weak immune systems are advised to limit oily fish and shark, swordfish and marlin, and to avoid raw or lightly cooked shellfish and, for some, cold-smoked fish. This is general guidance, not medical advice: check current health guidance if it applies to you.
Try it
Level 1 · Start here
Garlic butter prawns
The simplest shellfish dish. Raw king prawns cook in 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic late so it doesn't burn and turn bitter. Serve with bread to mop up the butter.
Ingredients (2 portions)
- 300 g raw king prawns, peeled and deveined
- 40 g butter
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- ½ red chilli, finely chopped (optional)
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley
- 1 lemon, in wedges
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Pat the prawns dry. Heat the oil in a wide pan over a high heat and cook the prawns for 1 to 2 minutes a side until pink and curled.
- Reduce the heat, add the butter, garlic and chilli and cook for 30 seconds.
- Take off the heat, add the parsley, and serve at once with lemon wedges and bread.
Hot pan, shellfish and allergens
Hot pan and hot oil: frying fish uses a hot pan and spitting oil. Dry the fish well, lay it down away from you, use a splash guard if you have one, keep the handle turned in and keep children well back.Shellfish allergens: crustaceans (prawns) and molluscs (mussels, scallops, squid) are major allergens and can cause severe reactions. Cook them with their own board, pan and tools, tell guests clearly, and don't serve them to anyone who is allergic or unsure.
Shellfish safety: shellfish must be very fresh and cooked until the shells open and the flesh is firm and opaque. Buy from a good fishmonger, keep it cold (below 5°C), cook it the day you buy it, and never eat shellfish that smells strongly of ammonia. Mussels that stay open when tapped before cooking, or stay shut after cooking, must be thrown away.
Level 2 · Steamed
Mussels steamed in a tomato broth (no wine)
Mussels are cheap, fast and delicious. Scrub them under cold running water, pull off the stringy beard, and throw away any that are cracked or won't close when tapped. Steam in a covered pot, shaking now and then. Stock and tomato replace the usual wine.
Ingredients (2 portions)
- 1 kg live mussels
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 200 g tinned chopped tomatoes
- 150 ml low-salt fish or vegetable stock
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
- Scrub the mussels, remove the beards, and discard any that are open and don't close when tapped, or have broken shells.
- Soften the onion in the oil for 5 minutes, add the garlic for 1 minute, then the tomatoes and stock and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the mussels, cover and steam over a high heat for 4 to 5 minutes, shaking the pan, until they open. Discard any that stay closed. Add the parsley and serve with bread.
Shellfish, steam and allergens
Shellfish safety: shellfish must be very fresh and cooked until the shells open and the flesh is firm and opaque. Buy from a good fishmonger, keep it cold (below 5°C), cook it the day you buy it, and never eat shellfish that smells strongly of ammonia. Mussels that stay open when tapped before cooking, or stay shut after cooking, must be thrown away.Hot pot and hot steam: a heavy casserole dish or pan of hot liquid is heavy and scalding. Use oven gloves, lift the lid away from your face so the steam doesn't burn you, keep the handles turned in and never carry a full pot across a busy kitchen.
Shellfish allergens: crustaceans (prawns) and molluscs (mussels, scallops, squid) are major allergens and can cause severe reactions. Cook them with their own board, pan and tools, tell guests clearly, and don't serve them to anyone who is allergic or unsure.
Smoked and oily fish for some people: pregnant women, young children, the elderly and people with weak immune systems are advised to limit oily fish and shark, swordfish and marlin, and to avoid raw or lightly cooked shellfish and, for some, cold-smoked fish. This is general guidance, not medical advice: check current health guidance if it applies to you.
Level 2 · Seared
Seared scallops with pea purée
Scallops are sweet and tender when seared properly: patted very dry, in a very hot pan, for no longer than 90 seconds a side. Don't crowd the pan or they steam. The pea purée, sweet and green, is quick to make.
Ingredients (2 portions)
- 6 large scallops, roe off
- 200 g frozen peas
- 100 ml hot low-salt vegetable stock
- 15 g butter
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh mint
- 1 tbsp rapeseed or sunflower oil
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- Simmer the peas in the stock for 3 minutes, blend with the butter and mint until smooth, and add the lemon juice. Keep warm.
- Pat the scallops very dry and season. Heat the oil in a heavy pan until almost smoking.
- Sear for 1 to 2 minutes a side until golden brown, with the centre just opaque. Serve on the purée.
Very hot pan, blending and allergens
Hot pan and hot oil: frying fish uses a hot pan and spitting oil. Dry the fish well, lay it down away from you, use a splash guard if you have one, keep the handle turned in and keep children well back.Blending hot liquids: hot liquid expands in a sealed blender and can blow the lid off and scald you. Let it cool for a few minutes, fill the jug no more than half, hold a folded cloth over the lid, and start on low. A stick blender in a deep pan avoids the problem.
Shellfish allergens: crustaceans (prawns) and molluscs (mussels, scallops, squid) are major allergens and can cause severe reactions. Cook them with their own board, pan and tools, tell guests clearly, and don't serve them to anyone who is allergic or unsure.
Shellfish safety: shellfish must be very fresh and cooked until the shells open and the flesh is firm and opaque. Buy from a good fishmonger, keep it cold (below 5°C), cook it the day you buy it, and never eat shellfish that smells strongly of ammonia. Mussels that stay open when tapped before cooking, or stay shut after cooking, must be thrown away.
Level 3 · Fried
Crispy squid
Squid rings dusted with seasoned flour, shallow-fried in batches for about a minute. They should be golden and tender; over a minute and they turn to rubber. Eat at once with lemon and mayonnaise (see Cooking Skills: Eggs 2, chapter 7).
Ingredients (2 portions)
- 300 g cleaned squid, in rings
- 4 tbsp plain flour
- 2 tbsp cornflour
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp flaked sea salt
- 150 ml rapeseed or sunflower oil, for frying
- 1 lemon, in wedges
- Pat the squid very dry. Mix the flour, cornflour, paprika and salt and toss the rings in it, shaking off the extra.
- Heat the oil in a deep frying pan to about 180°C (a crumb sizzles at once). Fry in 3 batches for 1 minute each until pale golden.
- Drain on kitchen paper, season with salt, and serve at once with lemon.
Hot oil, spitting and allergens
Hot pan and hot oil: frying fish uses a hot pan and spitting oil. Dry the fish well, lay it down away from you, use a splash guard if you have one, keep the handle turned in and keep children well back.Shellfish allergens: crustaceans (prawns) and molluscs (mussels, scallops, squid) are major allergens and can cause severe reactions. Cook them with their own board, pan and tools, tell guests clearly, and don't serve them to anyone who is allergic or unsure.
Shellfish safety: shellfish must be very fresh and cooked until the shells open and the flesh is firm and opaque. Buy from a good fishmonger, keep it cold (below 5°C), cook it the day you buy it, and never eat shellfish that smells strongly of ammonia. Mussels that stay open when tapped before cooking, or stay shut after cooking, must be thrown away.
Allergens: contains molluscs (squid) and gluten.
Experiments
Experiment
Prawns raw or cooked
Texture.
- Cook raw prawns and add pre-cooked prawns to the pan for 2 minutes.
Look for: Raw prawns cooked fresh are juicy; pre-cooked ones go rubbery if heated for long. Add cooked prawns at the very end.
Experiment
Overcooking by 2 minutes
Rubber.
- Cook two prawns for 2 minutes and two for 4.
Look for: At 4 minutes the prawns are tight, dry and rubbery. Shellfish tolerates very little extra time.
Experiment
Mussels scrubbed or not
Grit.
- Cook a handful of unscrubbed mussels and a handful of scrubbed ones.
Look for: The unscrubbed ones leave grit in the broth. Always scrub and debeard.
Experiment
Hot or medium-hot pan for scallops
Sear.
- Sear one scallop in a very hot pan and another in a medium one.
Look for: The hot pan gives a deep golden crust and a tender centre; the medium one stews and goes pale and tough.
Tasting notes
| What I tried | Method or amount | What I saw | What I thought | Will I do it again? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garlic butter prawns | ||||
| Mussels in tomato broth | ||||
| Scallops with pea purée | ||||
| Crispy squid | ||||
| Prawns raw or cooked | ||||
| Overcooking by 2 minutes | ||||
| Mussels scrubbed or not | ||||
| Hot or medium-hot pan for scallops |
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Rubbery prawns | Overcooked | Cook for 2 to 3 minutes only and stop |
| Mussels won't open | Dead or undercooked | Discard any that stay shut after cooking |
| Gritty broth | Mussels not scrubbed | Scrub and debeard; strain the broth through a fine sieve |
| Pale scallops | Pan not hot or scallops wet | Dry them well and get the pan very hot |
| Tough squid | Cooked for 2 to 20 minutes | Cook for 1 minute, or for 30 minutes or more |
| Bitter garlic | Burned | Add garlic last and cook for 30 seconds |
Shellfish safety, hot oil and leftovers
Shellfish safety: shellfish must be very fresh and cooked until the shells open and the flesh is firm and opaque. Buy from a good fishmonger, keep it cold (below 5°C), cook it the day you buy it, and never eat shellfish that smells strongly of ammonia. Mussels that stay open when tapped before cooking, or stay shut after cooking, must be thrown away.Hot pan and hot oil: frying fish uses a hot pan and spitting oil. Dry the fish well, lay it down away from you, use a splash guard if you have one, keep the handle turned in and keep children well back.
Leftover fish: cool cooked fish quickly, refrigerate it within 1 to 2 hours, and eat it within about 1 day (2 at most). Reheat only once, until steaming hot all the way through. Do not refreeze fish that was frozen and thawed unless you cook it first.
Checkpoint: can you do this now?
- I can prepare prawns, mussels and scallops.
- I can tell prawns are done by colour and shape.
- I can discard bad mussels.
- I can sear a scallop without overcooking it.
- I know squid is cooked either fast or slow.
Next chapter
Cooking Skills: Fish and Shellfish 1, chapter 7 is Grilling, Tacos and Skewers: high heat, marinades and quick service.