Barbecue Seafood

Few foods have as much to gain from the grill as seafood. Shellfish in particular can come off the grill spectacular, provided you know what you're doing. When it comes to shellfish, timing is everything. Sea scallops for instance can go from perfect to rubber in a matter of seconds. But don't let the challenge scare you off. The smoky grill flavor can turn even relatively inexpensive shellfish into a five star gourmet meal.

Shellfish fall into two main categories, crustaceans like crabs, shrimp and lobster and mollusks like clams, oysters and squid. Squid along with octopus is a subcategory of mollusks called cephalopods.

As a general rule, shellfish like all fish, should be grilled over a medium high to high heat. You will want to cook it fast to keep in the juices and avoid drying out the meat. Small items, like medium shrimp or scallops should be placed on skewers. Clams, oysters and mussels in the shell need to be rinsed in cold water to remove any sand.

You will want to grill clams, mussels or oysters on a grill safe pan or even a piece of aluminum foil (punch a couple of holes in it). The direct flame can burn the shells and that tend to be unappealing. Squid, or in this case calamari while still being a mollusk is a different fish altogether. It is grilled much more like you would shrimp.

Oysters grill just like clams with one exception. Because of the shape of oysters you will want to grill them with the cup side down to hold in the juices.
Typically when grilling crustaceans you will want to remove or crack the shells. This not only allows for even cooking but will introduce the smoke flavor into the meat.

Crab comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. The most important difference is between hard and softshell. Softshell crabs can be cleaned and grilled directly. They will be done when the leg meat is opaque. It usually takes about 10 minutes on a medium hot grill flipping once. Hard shell or live crabs need to be similarly cleaned. The best way to prepare live crabs is to first throw them head first into boiling water. To clean a crab, flip it over and pull the triangular tab from the bell and lift off the shell. Clean out the entrails and gills. Wash and drain. Grill with the shell off. You can replace the cleaned shell after cooking.

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