Best time of the year to eat Seafood
With autumn, the season to consume seafood begins, and the local markets are supplied with good quality products. Seafood is one of the most exquisite and healthy foods that we can find in Spanish cuisine.
Today I am going to show you the most common shellfish varieties in Spain, and when is the best time of year to consume them.
Crustaceans
The shell is the most remarkable characteristic of crustacean shellfish. Considering this aspect, it is easy to deduce who belongs to this subspecies:lobster, crab, shrimp, red shrimp, spider crab, prawn and barnacle.
Molluscs
They are one of the most curious families in the marine world. They live on the seabed or attached to rocks, and the most popular are bivalves, which have two pieces or valves. In many cases, they do not have more than the shell to help move in the water. The moving is based on the impulse generated by opening and closing the valves. However, others use a muscular foot, such as the cockle. The most common are mussels, clams, cockles, razor clams, "coquinas", "Concha fina", oyster and scallops. The cephalopods are a subfamily of mollusc, so octopus and squid are considered as seafood as well.
Concha Fina
Echinoderms
There are other living things, even stranger, that are part of the classification of seafood. They are probably the most unknown. Not all echinoderms are edible or used in gastronomy. In this sense, the sea urchin is the most popular of its kind.
Sea Urchin
Fishermen say that the best time to consume seafood is during the months when the "R" appears, so from September to April, it is the most optimal time to savour these delicacies. However, each species has an optimal time for its capture, and therefore for its consumption, such as:
- In autumn: squid, spider crab, razor clams, barnacle, lobster, cockles, clams.
- In winter: sea urchin, oysters, spider crab, spider crab, razor clams, octopus, barnacle, crabs.
- In spring: spider crab, spider crab, octopus.
- In summer: squid, razor clams," Concha fina", "coquinas", octopus, lobster, mussels and oysters.
Shellfish have numerous advantages, such as the high protein content and the many vitamins and minerals they contain. It is also a product rich in omega-3 fatty acids. It prevents cardiovascular diseases, and for those most concerned with maintaining their line, these products contain very few calories.
Here you have some of my recipes where I used seafood as the main ingredient. I think you will love them:
So you know, you no longer have an excuse to try this delicacy. It's time to cook a good seafood platter.
Have a tasty day!
