TASTINGS How fresh is that shellfish?

Regulations in the U.S. require that the processor tags all live shellfish that is for

sale in retail markets. When they arrive, the fish market clerk takes the tag off,

and files it for 90 days in case of illness from the shellfish. These tags indicate

where and when they harvested them. Don’t be timid to ask the clerk to see these

tags when you buy shellfish, if you doubt their freshness.

Octopus is a delicacy in high regard in the Orient. It is less highly regarded in North

America, probably for the same reason eels and snakes aren't often on menus here. None of them

look very pretty when alive. (Neither do pigs, you could argue.) Octopus has a delicate, firm,

sweet white meat so high in quality that the Japanese even use it in sushi.

Octopus is particularly vulnerable to dry heat, which turns it into something resembling a

piece of bread dough you have forgotten on the counter for a day. It does better when simmered

for longer periods of time in stew-like preparations. In quick-cooking methods it is best if you

tenderize the meat before cooking, especially if it came from a large (over 2½ pounds or 1140 g),

older animal. You can buy octopus in cans, too, but don't bother sampling it. The flavor is very

poor compared to the real thing.

Eighty percent of the original dressed weight of octopus is edible meat. You’ll find it in

the market dressed, cleaned, eyes and other inedible parts removed, and each weighing about 3

or 4 pounds (1360 to 1820 g). The amount to buy is 4 to 5 ounces (110 to 140 g) of meat per

person.

Oysters are not for everyone, but the minority who likes them is unconditionally

passionate about them. Other folks consume oysters in large quantities simply because of their

reputation as an aphrodisiac. All this aside, oysters are a real delicacy, particularly when the host

or hostess serves them au naturel, or raw. Since uncooked meat of any kind has little or no

flavor, traditional condiments and sauces usually accompany raw oysters, in which the texture

and mouthfeel give the eating pleasure more than the flavor.

Oysters change flavor drastically during spawning season. They accumulate glycogen, a

starch which turns the meat milky and the taste starchy and bland. Their meat also contains a

higher amount of fat during spawning season. The old wives' tale about eating them only in

months with an "r" in their names works because those r-less months correspond with the

spawning season. If the weather is cooler than normal, though, oysters retain their spawn and the

flavor continues bland. It pays to look at both the calendar and the weather pattern before

choosing an oyster recipe for the next dinner party.

You can buy oysters fresh in the shell, freshly shucked, or individually quick frozen. If

you buy them shucked, make sure the liquid in the package or container is clear—this indicates

freshness. You buy oysters in the shell by size—small, medium and large. Very small and extra

large sizes are also available, but these are mostly sold to restaurants.

Of the six commercial species, three are common at retail or in restaurants. The highest

quality Olympia oysters, from the Northwest, are larger and not quite

as flavorful as Pacific (or Japanese) oysters, and finally the Eastern oysters, which you find most

readily. Serve oysters cold (raw or cooked) on the half shell on crushed ice with lemon or

dipping sauce in a small bowl on the side. If you are serving them hot, display them on a bed of

hot coarse salt (the salt keeps the tiny creatures hot).

Edible yields vary a great deal, depending on the size and thickness of the shells and the

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