Have BBC Food and the myriad of recipe books at your local bookstore inspired you to try out a few gourmet seafood dishes at home? Then make sure you know what to look for when buying shellfish.

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Oysters in the shell should be alive and closed when handling – don't buy gaping shells as this means that the shellfish is dead; freshly sucked oysters should be plump and a creamy white to grey colour – there should be no odour; fresh shrimp should have a fresh, mild odour and firm texture; when cooked, fresh shrimp should have a red colour in the shells and the meat should have a reddish tinge; live crawfish and crabs should be active and free of mud; cooked crawfish tails should be curled – this indicates that the shellfish was alive at the time of cooking.

Read more: Is raw seafood safe?

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