Shellfish distributors and wholesalers education and training is important to maintaining your restaurant or seafood market effectively if you plan to offer seafood as an option on your menu or storefront. Shellfish wholesalers are a start to furthering your knowledge and education. If you plan to buy bulk shellfish, it's in your best interest to know all of the information you can about safe handling and maintaining.

Care and proper handling is important when dealing with shellfish. Be sure that you utilize all of the information possible so that your market or restaurant has healthy and safe seafood. Whether you plan to purchase from lobster distributors, crab distributors or shrimp wholesalers, there are a few important tips to help you learn more about the education and training you need.

1. Trust in a shellfish distributor that is an expert in their field.

2. Utilize training manuals and guides from certified wholesale shellfish dealers.

3. Acquire shellfish distributors and wholesalers’ education and training from health agencies.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Converse with a shellfish distributor who has experience in safe handling procedures

Talk with a shellfish distributor or read their information, which can help you with preparation, storage and handling of shellfish such as lobster, crab and shrimp. A vendor who is experienced in the shellfish industry can provide a wealth of data needed.

I recommend: J. J. Brenner Oyster Company has an expert in the field with a page up on oyster facts such as preparation and cold storage. Mitchell's Fish Market is a consumer based company but has excellent information on how to know if your purchases are fresh, how to keep purchases stored and even helpful hints on shucking, which is perfect if you buy shellfish in bulk in the shell.

Use various guides and manuals from shellfish wholesalers that have training aids

Training aids from shellfish wholesalers will help on the many aspects of keeping seafood safe and properly handled. Utilize their helpfulness by reading or printing out any helpful tips you find.

I recommend: The Fresh Lobster Company has a handy guide with tips on preparation and freshness. Alaska Seafood offers a consumer guide with articles on salmon facts, contaminants and counterfeit salmon.

Gain knowledge about shellfish distributors from agencies dealing in food handling safety

Government agencies and health care officials are an asset when dealing with shellfish distributors and wholesalers education and training. They can provide safety measures and helpful hints on purchasing from vendors and certified wholesale shellfish dealers.

I recommend: California Department of Public Health has a variety of information on shellfish safety and handling. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration provides a plethora of information on safely purchasing and utilizing shellfish.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Never purchase from roadside vendors you're not familiar with. If there is an issue with the shellfish you buy, you will not be able to amend the situation like you would with certified wholesale shellfish dealers.

Restaurants, hotels and the myriad other businesses that offer shellfish as part of their offerings rely on shellfish wholesalers to provide them with quality items to help their businesses run smoothly. Wholesale shellfish typically encompasses fresh and frozen lobster, crab and shrimp products. If this cog in the foodservice process breaks down, a restaurant will be hard-pressed to provide its customers with the quality shellfish items they’ve come to expect.

Some shellfish distributors and wholesalers provide just wholesale crabs or wholesale lobsters, while others can supply any type of shellfish you seek. Determine your needs before you start shopping around for crab distributors, shrimp wholesalers or other certified wholesale shellfish dealers. Here are a few options to consider:

1. Explore regional shellfish wholesalers that offer fresh local products and personalized customer service.

2. Research shellfish wholesalers and distributors that supply frozen shellfish products.

3. Consider a nationally recognized shellfish distributor with local distribution centers for cost savings.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Check out regional shellfish wholesalers for fresh products

A local or regional shellfish distributor can typically provide a nice selection of fresh shrimp, lobster and crab. What's more, because the companies are local, you can often get swift, more personalized service, which is a godsend in the hustle and bustle of the foodservice business.

I recommend: Gardner’s Wharf Seafood serves major East Coast markets by supplying wholesale crabs, clams, steamers and lobsters. American Mussel Harvesters is another New England–based distributor of fresh mussels, oysters and clams. They ship daily out of Boston to supply markets such as New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.

Consider shellfish wholesalers of frozen products

Fresh doesn't necessarily mean the best if you find a quality shellfish distributor that takes care in its freezing process. Try out several different wholesalers before giving your business solely to one to ensure you provide customers with the best product possible.

I recommend: City Seafoods is a supplier of frozen shellfish items such as frozen lobster, crab and scallops. LSM Seafoods is another great source for frozen oysters, clams and lobsters.

Opt for national shellfish wholesalers

If you can't find what you're looking for from regional lobster distributors or other shellfish wholesalers, consider one of the big shellfish suppliers. They have a reputation of getting quality items to customers across the country within a reasonable time and at reasonable prices. You may not get the personal care you would from a more local supplier, however.

I recommend: Quality Seafood Direct offers wholesale crabs, clams, scallops and more to restaurants and other foodservice companies nationwide. Great Alaska Seafood provides a bounty of wholesale shellfish to restaurants across the country, including prawns, shrimp, scallops and more.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Offering customers items from local shellfish distributors shows that you support local businesses, which may be a plus for customers.

Shellfish distributors and wholesalers can throw a wide variety of terms at you in regards to harvesting, shellfish farming, preservation and more, so knowing definition and context will help you bring your A game to the next conversation that you have at a conference. Learn about the different types of shellfish, how they are obtained to go to market and how they are preserved as they make their way to you. Find out about measurement standards, freezing of product, shellfish brought ashore to be sold and more before you have your next professional conversation with someone else in the industry.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Aquaculture

Aquaculture involves regulating and cultivating fish and shellfish for high-quality, maximum production and cost-competitive products for human consumption. Shrimp is a popular farmed commercial product in the United States.

I recommend: Learn about Alaska's shellfish aquaculture from Alaskan Shellfish Growers Association.

Bushel

A bushel is a unit of measure used to determine quantity of clams, oysters and crab. It equals 8 gallons, or 32 quarts.

I recommend: Learn about harvest limits in bushels from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

Brine freezing

King crab and snow crab are often brine frozen, a process in which they are soaked in liquid brine.

I recommend: Learn about brine freezing from Island Brand Seafood Imports.

Cryogenic

Cryogenic freezing of shellfish involves using liquid nitrogen or carbon dioxide to freeze high-value items such as soft-shell crabs or shrimp.

I recommend: The Center Of The Plate Protein Company takes advantage of cryogenic freezing of its shellfish products.

Landings

Landings are the quantity of fish or shellfish brought ashore and sold. Landings may be based on live weight, heads-on or heads-off weight, or meat only depending on the seafood you are measuring.

I recommend: Use the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Marine Fisheries Service to run a search by state and year of the pounds, dollar value and/or price per pound of commercial fishery landings for shellfish.

Quahog

Quahog are hard-shell clams native to the eastern shores of North America. The order of clams sizes starts with smallest called countnecks, then littlenecks, then topnecks, followed by cherrystones and lastly quahogs, or chowder clams.

I recommend: Learn about the quahog from Rhode Island Sea Grant.