Fresh shellfish is a wonderful thing to eat all year round. It includes clams, scallops, mussels and more. Farm-raised cultured mussels are fresh and readily available. Wild varieties are equally delicious. Clams are a very popular addition to pasta dishes. Hard clams, also called quahogs, live in sandy coves and can be caught when the tide is low. A great dish to enjoy with butter and garlic is stuffed quahogs. And, of course, there is always clam chowder!

There is nothing like fresh shellfish to take your mind off the hot weather of the summer. A plate of raw or barbequed oysters can be good appetizer to a light yet delicious meal. You can buy them in most markets and also from reputed farms breeding them especially for sale. Buying them easily and at good prices is an advantage enjoyed by people lucky enough to live by a port or in coastal zones.

Scallops require little preparation and are much more meatier than clams. To ensure they don't lose moisture and die almost immediately after their capture, sea scallops must be shucked (removed from their shells). They are large. You will end up with a chewy, inedible morsel if you overcook scallops.

Mussels have blue-black shells and brown hairs called byssal threads attached to their shell. Their meat is usually an orange color and they are full of protein. As with clams, mussels taste best steamed and should remain encased in their shell until cooked.

Other fresh shellfish includes lobster and crab. Both are bigger and more substantial than their other, small shelled relatives. They are truly tasty and are a symbol of excellence in every type of cuisine. Lobster is a cuisine favorite in fancy, high-end restaurants and is the most expensive of all fresh shellfish.

Crab is one of the more popular varieties of shellfish, bought and eaten by a large number of people. This has made the crabbing a multi-million dollar industry. Tools have been specially designed to make cracking the shells of crabs easier and with these tools at hand; eating crab is no longer a messy and difficult affair. Once you have tasted the meaty goodness of crab legs, this fresh shellfish will be sure to become one of your favorites.

Clams are a popular addition to pasta dishes and quahogs, a type of hard clams, can be enjoyed with butter and garlic. Raw or barbequed oysters make a delicious appetizer. Scallops are larger and meatier than clams and need little preparation for cooking. The orange colored meat of cultured mussels is full of protein and taste best if steamed. Unlike scallops, they should remain in their shells till they are cooked. Bigger and more substantial than any other shellfish are the crabs and lobsters, used in many types of cuisine with the latter being most expensive of all fresh shellfish.