Shellfish

🇳🇨New Caledonia

Mangrove Oysters

Huîtres de Mangrove

Mangrove oysters are lagoon oysters gathered from New Caledonian mangroves and served raw, grilled, or with a light citrus dressing.

🇮🇲Isle of Man

Manx Queenies

Medium-sized queen scallops sustainably caught in Manx waters, with a sweet, delicate flavor and cream-colored meat and roe; often served raw, seared, in garlic butter, or battered. They hold a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status.

🇰🇷South Korea

Marinated Raw Crab

게장

Raw crabs marinated in either soy sauce (ganjang gejang) or a spicy gochujang sauce (yangnyeom gejang), prized for the rich crab roe.

🇦🇺Western Australia, Australia

Marron

Largest freshwater crayfish in Western Australia, third largest in world, sweet, succulent meat, large size with intact and lively if live, a prized Western Australian specialty.

🇲🇿Mozambique

Matata

Clams cooked with ground peanuts, tomato, onion, chilli and young pumpkin or spinach leaves into a thick shellfish stew.

🇯🇵Chugoku, Japan

Matsuba Crab

松葉蟹

Tottori's prized winter snow crab, caught November to March in the Sea of Japan.

🇹🇷Istanbul, Turkey

Midye Dolma

Mussels stuffed with spiced rice, pine nuts, and currants, served cold with a squeeze of lemon. Street vendors carry the shells in large trays and hand them to customers one by one, squeezing lemon on each. Popular in Istanbul's coastal neighborhoods and high-pedestrian areas.

🇹🇷Istanbul, Turkey

Midye Tava

Mussels on wooden skewers, dipped in batter and deep-fried until golden. Sold from street carts in coastal cities, especially Istanbul, midye tava is eaten hot with tarator (garlic walnut sauce) or lemon. A beloved seaside snack and meze.

🇧🇸Bahamas

Minced Lobster

Bahamian lobster tail meat chopped and simmered in a rich tomato-pepper sauce with onions, celery, and herbs, served over rice or grits. Bahamian minced lobster folds chopped lobster with onion, pepper, and seasonings into a named island preparation.

🇨🇰Cook Islands

Mitiore

Taioro

A traditional Cook Islands dish of fermented coconut mixed with crushed crustacean juice, onions, and shellfish such as paua or mussels; has a cottage cheese-like consistency and a pungent, umami flavor

🇲🇸Montserrat

Montserrat Lobster Cakes

Lobster Cakes

Fried patties made with Caribbean spiny lobster meat; a popular seafood dish at local Montserrat restaurants; a premium preparation of the island's prized lobster catch.

🇧🇪Brussels, Belgium

Moules parquées

Moules parquées are raw half-shell mussels served cold with lemon in Brussels.

🇧🇪Belgium

Moules-Frites

Moules-frites / Mosselen-friet

Belgium's national dish: mussels steamed in white wine, celery, onion, and herbs, served with Belgian fries and mayonnaise.

🇵🇬Papua New Guinea

Mud Clam

Mud clams from mangrove swamps, cooked with fern leaves and coconut cream — a Milne Bay delicacy, foraged from the mangroves and steamed in the traditional way.

🇩🇪Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany

Muscheln Rheinische Art

Muscheln Rheinische Art steams mussels with onion, leek, carrot and white wine into a fragrant Rhineland broth.

🇫🇷France

Mussels and Fries

Moules-frites

Mussels served with crispy french fries, a Belgian-French brasserie classic.

🇪🇸Galicia, Spain

Mussels in Vinaigrette

Mejillones a la vinagreta

Galician mussels steamed, cooled, and dressed with red wine vinegar, olive oil, diced bell peppers, and onion, a popular cold tapa.

🇫🇷Normandy, France

Mussels Mariniere

Moules marinières

Mussels steamed in white wine with shallots, parsley, and garlic.

🇬🇧England, United Kingdom

Native Oyster

The flat native oyster, round and metallic-tasting, in season only in months containing an R, fished from Kent and Essex beds.

🇫🇯Fiji

Octopus in Coconut Cream

Kuita vakalolo

Octopus tenderised and cooked in coconut cream with onion and chilli until the tentacles soften.

🇼🇸Samoa

Octopus in Coconut Cream

Faiai Fe'e

Faiai feke is octopus baked or simmered in coconut cream with onion and chilli; the seafood becomes tender inside a rich Samoan sauce.

🇳🇨New Caledonia

Octopus Salad

Salade de Poulpe

New Caledonian octopus salad uses tenderized octopus with fresh greens, citrus, and local herbs; the pieces stay springy while the dressing remains bright.

🇯🇵Japan

Odori ebi

踊り海老

Odori ebi, live shrimp peeled and eaten while still moving, is a named Japanese dish and a genuine test-of-nerve collectible.

🇹🇭Phuket, Thailand

Oh tao

โอวต้าว

A Thai dish of stir-fried cockles with egg and bean sprouts in a glossy sauce.

🇬🇬Guernsey

Ormer

Ormer (Haliotis tuberculata) is a Channel Islands abalone traditionally gathered in autumn and winter and slow-cooked in casseroles or stews. Closed dates, tides, size limits, bag limits, and permitted methods differ between Jersey and Guernsey; check the island's current rules.

🇲🇽Veracruz, Mexico

Ostiones a la veracruzana (Veracruz-Style Oysters)

Oysters baked with a Veracruz-style tomato, olive, and caper sauce.

🇧🇷Santa Catarina, Brazil

Ostra ao Bafo

Steamed oysters from Santa Catarina opened just enough to keep their briny liquor in the shell.

🇺🇸United States

Oyster Roast

A Southern and Mid-Atlantic gathering where oysters are roasted over fire until they pop open.

🇺🇸United States

Oysters Bienville

New Orleans oysters baked on the half shell under a creamy shrimp-mushroom sauce and breadcrumbs.

🇺🇸United States

Oysters en brochette

Oysters and bacon skewered, grilled, and served with a pan sauce — a New Orleans classic.

🇺🇸United States

Oysters Kirkpatrick

Oysters on the half shell topped with bacon, tomato, and Worcestershire, then broiled.

🇺🇸Louisiana, United States

Oysters Mosca

A Louisiana roadside-restaurant dish of oysters baked with garlic, olive oil, and herbs.

🇺🇸United States

Oysters Rockefeller

Oysters on the half shell baked under a green herb-butter topping — created at Antoine's in New Orleans.

🇵🇼Babeldaob (Main Island Traditional Palau), Palau

Palauan Mangrove Crab

Chemang

Palauan mangrove crab is mud crab from the lagoon, steamed or cooked with coconut until the white claw meat is sweet and firm.

🇼🇸Samoa

Palolo Marine Worms

Palolo

Palolo is the seasonal edible marine polychaete worm gathered from coral reefs and eaten fresh or lightly prepared in Samoa; it is a marine worm, not shellfish.

🇪🇸Galicia, Spain

Pan-Fried Clams

Almejas a la sartén

Almejas a la sartén are Galician clams cooked quickly with garlic, olive oil, and white wine in a hot pan.