1. Our geography lessons say that 70% of the earth’s surface is covered by water. From
the deepest oceans, to rivers, lakes, streams, these water sources are teeming with
marine life that has been used by humans for their consumption.
Seafood, particularly those gathered from the deep sea, like meat are significantly
high in protein as such provide much nutrition especially for coastal populations .
Most are high in omega fatty acids and low in saturated fat. Health advocates
encourage consumption due to this food group’s high nutrient and mineral content
that have been linked to improvements in brain function and heart health.
There are thousands of species of sea life that are consumed by humans as food.
Aside from fish, shellfish is the widely accepted culinary classification which can be
further distinguished by the water source they come from (salt of freshwater) or their
zoological group. Delectable recipes are featured using molluscs (clams, mussels
and oysters), crustaceans (shrimp, crabs and lobster). More unusual seafood include
sea urchins, sea cucumber, sting ray and octopus which some consider as exotic.
Chefs and restaurateurs create e a dedicated menu selection which can get pricey
at times the further away from the marine source the restaurant is. It isn’t rare to find
seafood dishes which are “market price” which means the cost varies according to
how much it was bought that day. When in a coastal town, it is recommended to
try out the local seafood dishes which you’ll be surprised to find very simple but
deliciously fresh.
When preparing seafood, care must be taken not to overcook them because a lot
tend to become tough – like squid and shrimps. A good test for some shellfish is the
color change – a bright orange or pink indicated doneness. Go easy on the salt as
some are already naturally on the salty side.
The amount of food gathered of harvested from the sea has drastically increased
due to world population and with issues like overfishing, global warming, water
pollution and rising mercury levels, it is probably time that mankind takes a more

2. conscious effort in conserving marine life for future generations. Socially responsible
establishments have taken steps to not use endangered species like turtles and
sharks, prized in Chinese cuisine.
Some food for thought… Is seaweed and marine algae considered seafood?
Culinary experts classify the former as any form of edible sea life so the answer is a
delicious positive! Seaweed can be used for a variety of dishes as a main ingredient
or as an accompaniment while micro-algae like spirulina is widely regarded as a
highly nutritious super food.
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