Seafood is full of surprises. Did you know a scallop can swim, a lobster's teeth are in its stomach, or that lobster was once considered poor man's food? Here is our favourite collection of fun, fascinating seafood facts — perfect for sharing over a plate of something delicious.
Food & family
Why this belongs at the table. A few calm notes before you settle into the full read.
It makes seafood feel inviting and human, not just practical: part of celebration, family and coastal identity.
Food stories carry memory: festive tables, fish suppers, local ingredients and the comfort of cooking something from the sea.
Read straight through, or use the story notes above to settle into the place, memory and detail.
Some interesting and fun facts to throw into the conversation ....
The underside of the male crab has a V shaped marking while the female does not. See the photos below which show the difference between the male and female underside.
Shop the range
Hand-picked Down The Cove ranges that pair with this read.
This story is for coastal cooks, curious families and readers who like the link between food, place and tradition.
The recipes may change, but the pleasure of sharing fish and seafood still connects home, harbour and holiday.
A warm read for families who like food stories, seafood traditions and simple ways to bring the coast to the table.
Lobster History
Up until the mid 19th Century lobster was originally only used for bait and for fertiliser for fields.
It was classed as a poor mans food.
The threads that attach mussels to rocks, ropes etc have got a very strong adhesive quality which will even cling to Teflon. Scientists are attempting to develop a mussel based adhesive for use in eye surgery and other applications.
Lobsters with no claws are called pistols, bullets or dummies
Lobsters with one claw are called culls
They can grow back claws, legs and antennae
HOW DO SCALLOPS MOVE
A scallop can swim along by opening and closing its shell
The size of the mussel varies with the season. They are largest and fleshiest in October and smallest in March.
The longevity of mussels varies widely based on the particular species. Some have an average lifespan of only 2 years while others frequently live to the ripe old age of 50.
Lobsters, crabs and prawns have a carotenoid pigment called astaxanthin in their shells. They also have other pigments which combined give these shellfish their bluey, greeny and brown colourings - all perfect for disguise.
When lobsters, crabs and prawns are cooked and the shells get hot the astaxanthin remains stable while the other pigments break down resulting in the vibrant red colouring.
Astaxanthin is the same pigment that makes a salmon pink.
CLAW SIZE The male crab has much larger claws than the female crab (the picture on the left shows the male at the bottom - he has one of his claws tucked in.)
Clams and oysters are simple to open, if first washed with cold water, then placed into a plastic bag and kept in the freezer for one-half hour.
It is said that oysters and other shellfish should be eaten only in months with an “r” in them. This is actually a myth as in fact, due to commercial farming and harvesting, oysters are safe year round. In fact, any commercially available shellfish is safe to eat throughout the year.
You can tell the approximate age of a salmon by counting the number of rings on its scales.
The Starfish is not actually a fish at all and is a member of the Echinoderm family
When a flatfish egg hatches, its larvae look very much like other fish larvae. Their eyes are on opposite sides of their head and they swim vertically. As they develop one of their eyes moves upwards and over the top of the head until it sits next to the other eye.
Lobsters and crabs shed their shells in order to grow.
A lobster will have shed its shell up to 25 times by the time it is 6 years old.
After 6 or 7 the males shed their shells every year and the females shed their shells every two years.
The exposed new shell is soft and they are known as 'soft shells'
It takes up to 2 months for the new shell to harden
Mussels are either male or female - on some species it is very difficult to tell the difference without a microscope. However males tend to have paler meat while the females are more orange.
When a mussel attaches to a rope or rock it then stays in the same place for the rest of its life.
A lobsters teeth are in its stomach!
Lobsters are cannibals which is why the pincers are tied with a band. If this wasn't done they would happily eat each other!The bands help to prevent the lobster doing us humans any damage too.
Scallops have up to 60 eyes!
In past times these fish were either thrown back or used as bait by fishermen!
