Cooking great seafood is all about understanding what makes it unique. Fish and shellfish are naturally delicate, which means small changes in technique can make a big difference in flavor, texture, and moisture. Whether you’re preparing a perfectly cooked salmon fillet, tender mussels, or a classic lobster roll, a little science goes a long way.
In this collection, we’ve gathered our favorite guides, techniques, and recipes from our website to help you get consistently delicious results. You’ll learn why gentle cooking methods like sous vide are so effective, how simple steps like brining can transform fish, and how to bring out the best in everything from shrimp and clams to lobster and crab. Whether you’re looking to master the basics or explore new techniques, these resources will help you cook seafood with confidence.
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Cooking Fish
In this guide, you’ll learn the science behind fish anatomy, why gentle cooking matters, what makes tuna unique, and how techniques like brining can dramatically improve texture and flavor. Whether you’re cooking salmon, tuna, or delicate white fish, these principles will help you achieve consistently better results.
Cooking Salmon
Perfectly cooked salmon is all about precision. This blog explores how to choose the best salmon, avoid the common mistake of overcooking, and use techniques like brining and sous vide to achieve tender, flavorful results. You’ll also find practical cooking tips, insights into different salmon varieties, and an easy low-temperature method you can try at home—even without sous vide equipment.
Sous Vide Salmon in the Kitchen Sink
This salmon recipe is a fun and simple way to begin enjoying the virtues of low-temperature cooking without investing in sous vide equipment. That being said, if you have sous vide equipment, still feel free to try this out! We love to serve our salmon with sautéed asparagus and peas, or with cabbage, shiitake mushrooms, and thyme.
Fish Brine
This is one of our most popular recipes on the Modernist Cuisine site. Learn why brining is one of the simplest ways to improve the flavor, texture, and moisture of fish. In this post, you’ll discover the science behind salt’s role in cooking, how modern brine works differently from traditional methods, and an easy technique for perfectly seasoned, tender fish.
Cooking Shellfish
Master the art of cooking shellfish by understanding the science behind their flavor and texture. This guide explores everything from scallops, oysters, and mussels to lobster, crab, and shrimp, with practical tips for selecting the freshest shellfish, avoiding common cooking mistakes, and using precise techniques to achieve tender, flavorful results every time.
Good Eating in an Exoskeleton
From festive holiday feasts to everyday seafood dinners, crustaceans bring exceptional flavor to the table—and choosing a high-quality shellfish is key. In this post, you’ll learn how lobsters, crabs, and other crustaceans grow, why molting affects their quality, and what signs to look for when selecting the freshest specimens. You’ll also discover the science behind their sweet flavor and distinctive aroma, and how to make the most of every shell.
Shrimp and Grits
Discover the rich history and comforting tradition behind shrimp and grits, from its Native American and Southern roots to a modern, flavor-packed interpretation. This post explores the story of this beloved dish, shares tips for making perfectly creamy grits with a pressure cooker, and shows how a few thoughtful techniques can elevate a classic comfort food into an unforgettable meal.
Savory Easter Eggs
It might sound unconventional, but instead of being filled with sweets, these eggs contain savory fillings of shiitake custard and shrimp foam, topped with a bit of crab dressed with chives, lemon, and chervils. The flavors and textures of this dish are quite delicate and refreshing, which contrast the sweet, rich fillings of other egg-shaped confections. This recipe is the perfect addition to any Easter celebration.
Discover More with Modernist Cuisine at Home
Looking for more ways to elevate your fish and shellfish dishes? Explore Modernist Cuisine at Home, our award-winning cookbook, for innovative techniques, inspiring recipes, and practical tips to take your cooking to the next level. Browse through additional recipes found in our cookbook below.
Clams in Chowder Sauce
Modernist Cuisine at Home, p. 292
In this lighter take on the classic soup, clams are dressed in a warm, foamy sauce. For a more substantial dish that is closer to a typical chowder, we include a variation where you can add extra chowder broth and stir in some caramelized onions and some microwave-steamed fingerling potatoes cut into bite-size pieces.
We also feature variations including:
- Oyster Stew variation: Diced leeks are substituted for the bacon, and oyster meats and juice for the clams.
- Pistachio Clam Chowder variation: Includes an addition of our pistachio pesto.
- South of France Chowder variation: Includes the addition of Rouille—a thick sauce with paprika and cayenne pepper.
Crustacean Butter
Modernist Cuisine at Home, p. 122
The shells of lobster, crab, and shrimp turn pink or red when cooked thanks to carotenes, the same family of molecules that give carrots and tomatoes their color. You can extract these fat-soluble pigments from crustacean shells (along with lots of flavor) by cooking the shells in butter, oil, or another fat—the same way you make carotene butter from carrots. Use this highly flavorful butter in place of ordinary butter to make an amazing hollandaise or beurre blanc sauce, or stir it into soups, sauces, and sautés.
Crustacean Stock
Modernist Cuisine at Home, p. 88
Anytime you find yourself with crustacean shells left over from a seafood feast, save them! Collect them in the freezer until you have enough to make stock. If you don’t have shells, use whole shrimp (with the heads on), which are relatively inexpensive and easy to find. We enjoy using this stock in our Forbidden Rice with Squid Ink and Sous Vide Clams recipe (found on page 330), our Shrimp and Grits recipe, and our Thai Soup recipe (found on page 267).
Mussels Marinière
Modernist Cuisine at Home, p. 290
Throughout France, you’ll see people sitting in bistros and brasseries feasting on bowls of sweet, tender mussels that have been cooked in wine, savory brine juices, and garlic. This classic dish is easy to overcook, however; all too often the mussels end up tough, dry, and disappointing. Cooking the mussels sous vide solves that problem.
Modernist Cuisine at Home
You can find all of these recipes and more in Modernist Cuisine at Home. Drawing on the same commitment to perfection that produced Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking, this award-winning, 456-page volume applies innovative techniques to classic home dishes. Filled with helpful scientific insights, mouthwatering recipes, gorgeous photography, and step-by-step guides, Modernist Cuisine at Home makes it easy to bring dining of the highest quality to your own dinner table.