Archaeological finds have shown that humans have been making use of shellfish as a food item for hundreds of thousands of years. In the present, shellfish dishes are a feature of almost all the cuisines of the world, providing an important source of protein in many cuisines around the world, especially in the countries with coastal areas.

Molluscs used as a food source by humans include many species of clams, mussels, oysters, winkles, and scallops. In terms of gastropods, conch is particularly important in the Caribbean diet, winkles are enjoyed in the UK and periwinkles are an important flavouring (used dried) in many West African Soups and stews. Whelks are eaten in the Caribbean and Europe. Molluscs are a large phylum of invertebrate animals, many of which have shells. Edible molluscs are harvested from saltwater, freshwater, and the land, and include numerous members of the classes Gastropoda (snails), Bivalvia (clams, scallops, oysters etc.), Cephalopoda (octopus and squid) [though I am excluding cephalopods here], and Polyplacophora (chitons).

Many species of molluscs are eaten worldwide, either cooked or raw. Some mollusc species are commercially exploited and shipped as part of the international trade in shellfish; other species are harvested, sold and consumed locally. Some species are collected and eaten locally but are rarely bought and sold. A few species of molluscs are not commonly eaten now, but were eaten in historical or prehistoric times.

Some of the most commonly consumed molluscs and marine gastropod snails include: abalone (several species), true limpets, winkles (including periwinkles), conchs, several species of Calliostoma top snails, whelks, sea snails, bivalves (these have two shells and include: ark clams, true mussels, pen shells, true oysters, true cockles, scallops, venus clams, Mectridae clams, razor clams, bean clams, chitons). Note that abalone, limpets, winkles, conchs Callliostoma top snails, whelks and sea snails are all gastropods ie true snails. Some also include edible land snails such as escargot and giant African snails in this list.

The alphabetical list of all the shellfish-based recipes on this site follows, (limited to 100 recipes per page). There are 266 recipes in total:

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Rhiwbob Rhost â Iogwrt (Limpets)      Origin: Welsh	Seafood Curry      Origin: Scotland	Teisennau Cocos (Cockle Cakes)      Origin: Welsh
Riz Wolof (Wolof Rice)      Origin: Guinea	Shellfish Forcemeats      Origin: Roman	Thai Crab and Sea-blite Curry      Origin: Thailand
Roast Cod with Sea Beans and Oyster      Origin: Canada	Shellfish Seaweed Pudding      Origin: Ancient	Thai-style Nettle and Oyster Mushroom Curry      Origin: Britain
Rou Zao Fan (Taiwanese Braised Minced Pork)      Origin: Taiwan	Sint Maarten Whelk Soup      Origin: Sint Maarten	Thiebou Kéthiakh (Rice with Dried Fish, Seafood and Vegetables)      Origin: Senegal
Saban Curry Conch (Saban Curry Conchs)      Origin: Saba	Sizzling Scallops      Origin: British	Tobago Curry Conch with Dumplings      Origin: Trinidad
Sach Ko Nung Slirk S'krey Chomkak (Lemongrass Beef Kebab)      Origin: Cambodia	Smoked, Preserved, Mussels      Origin: British	Tom Yum Hed (Mushroom Tom Yum)      Origin: Thailand
Saffron Mussel Sauce      Origin: Britain	Smoked, Preserved, Oysters      Origin: British	Tom Yum Het Mangsawirat (Mushroom and Lemongrass Soup)      Origin: Thailand
Saffron Prawn Both      Origin: Britain	Smoked, Preserved, Scallops      Origin: British	Torta di patate e Funghi selvatici (Wild Mushroom and Potato Cake)      Origin: Italy
Saint Lucia Lambi Soup with Dumplings      Origin: Saint Lucia	Sopa de Caracol (Honduran Conch Soup)      Origin: Honduras	Trout Kedgeree      Origin: Britain
Saint Vincent Curry Conch with Dumplings      Origin: Saint Vincent	Soupe Kandja      Origin: Mali	Vermicelli with Chicken and Wood Ear Mushrooms      Origin: China
Saint-jacques au vin blanc et échalotes (Scallops with white wine and shallots)      Origin: France	Spicy Beef and Longevity Noodles      Origin: China	White Curry      Origin: Fusion
Saint-Martin Whelk Soup      Origin: Saint-Martin	Stewed Scallops in Milk      Origin: Britain	White Matelotte Sauce      Origin: British
Salade de la mer (Seafood Salad)      Origin: France	Sticky Asian-style Pork Neck Chops      Origin: Britain	White Oyster Sauce      Origin: British
Sauci Yohss (Gambian Mussel Meats in Tomato Sauce with Potatoes)      Origin: Gambia	Stir-fried Clams in Black Bean Sauce      Origin: Hong Kong	Wild Mushroom Compote      Origin: Britain
Scallop and Mushroom Pie      Origin: Ireland	Stir-fried Scallops      Origin: Fusion	Wild Mushroom Omelette      Origin: Britain
Scallop Angels on Horseback      Origin: Britain	Stir-fried Scallops with Asparagus      Origin: Fusion	Wild Mushroom Stew      Origin: Britain
Scallop Broth with Cornish Earlies      Origin: England	Stiw Pysgotwr (Fisherman's Stew)      Origin: Welsh	Wild Mushroom Stuffed Potato Cakes      Origin: Britain
Scallop Devils on Horseback with Prunes      Origin: Britain	Stufato del Pescatore (Italian Fisherman's Stew)      Origin: Italy	Wontons      Origin: China
Scottish Chinese Takeaway Chicken Curry      Origin: Scotland	Surf and Turf Kebabs      Origin: Britain	Xarém      Origin: Portugal
Seafood Amok      Origin: Cambodia	Tanrogans and Cheese Sauce      Origin: Manx	Yi Mein (Longevity Noodles)      Origin: China
Seafood and Bacon Kebabs      Origin: Britain	Taro aux Fruits de Mer (Taro with Seafood)      Origin: Cote dIvoire	Zarzuela de Mariscos (Seafood Zarzuela)      Origin: Spain
Seafood Chili      Origin: American	Teisen Frau Noswaith Lawen (Pan-fried Parsnips and Mushrooms with a Garlic and Parsley Crust)      Origin: Welsh	Zupa di Pesce (Seafood Soup)      Origin: Cayman Islands

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