Seafood
Seafood refers to any type of aquatic life that humans consume as food. Seafood commonly includes varieties of fish, such as salmon, tuna, and cod, along with different kinds of shellfish.
Shellfish can further be classified into diverse species, including molluscs like oysters, clams, and squid; crustaceans such as shrimp, lobsters, and crabs; and echinoderms like sea urchins and sea cucumbers.
Historically, consumption of marine mammals, including whales and dolphins, was common practice in many coastal societies, but in contemporary times this happens significantly less because of changing cultural attitudes, conservation efforts, and international regulations protecting marine mammals.
Additionally, edible marine plants, primarily certain types of seaweed and microalgae, have become important sources of nutrition and are extensively consumed around the globe, particularly throughout Asia.
These aquatic plants, classified under the broad category of sea vegetables, include popular items such as nori, kelp, wakame, and spirulina, frequently featured in traditional dishes and used as nutritious ingredients in various cuisines.
In North America, unlike commonly observed practices in the United Kingdom, the term “seafood” frequently extends to freshwater species that people eat, encompassing freshwater fish like trout and catfish and other aquatic organisms from rivers and lakes.
Because of this broader scope, all edible aquatic life generally falls within the seafood category in many places. To exhaustively cover this topic, this article includes recipes and information related to any edible aquatic organism, whether saltwater or freshwater.
On this category page, you will discover numerous recipes centred around various types of seafood dishes, from simple preparations to elaborate meals highlighting different seafood ingredients.