Seafood is a staple of diets all over the world. The variety of available seafood is also staggering: bony fish, shellfish, seaweed, and more. Plus, there’s plenty of seafood that can be eaten both cooked or raw, so even for those who think there’s just something “too fishy” about seafood for their palette, there’s more than likely some type of seafood that will be perfectly suited to their tastes.
While there are plenty of reasons to include more seafood in a diet, it’s an even better idea to prepare and cook your own seafood. Not only will you save money by dodging expensive restaurants, you’ll still get to enjoy all the mental and physical health benefits of eating seafood. Tackling seafood dishes in the kitchen is also a great exercise in creativity, especially when you feel comfortable enough to start improvising on recipes and substituting ingredients. So regardless of whether you’re a home cook trying to add new dishes to your weekly lineup or an aspiring chef aiming to work in a seafood restaurant, the skills you’ll pick up while learning seafood are certainly valuable.
What is Seafood?
In the simplest terms, anything edible that’s pulled from the sea is seafood. Naturally, this means that there are tons of things that fit the bill: bony fish like salmon and tuna, shellfish like shrimp and crabs, cephalopods like squid and octopus, and even sea vegetables like seaweed. But seafood is by no means a new part of the human diet; humans have been eating seafood for roughly 165,000 years, and it was a crucial staple for many early people.
Since then, all kinds of methods for preparing, preserving, and cooking seafood have emerged. These include drying, smoking, salting, pickling, fermenting, frying, grilling, and many more. For the seafood enthusiast, this ensures there’s no shortage of learning material when looking for new ways to prepare seafood and make it a more prominent part of their diet.
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All these methods of seafood preparation mean that the same fish can taste dramatically different and fit different dietary niches. For example, smoked salmon is a popular breakfast food or a great bagel topping, but grilled salmon makes for a fancy seafood dinner date. It’s this variety that many people find so appealing and perhaps a reason why seafood is such a prominent menu item even at restaurants that don’t explicitly specialize in seafood. Again, however, this wide availability at dining locations shouldn’t discourage people from trying to cook their own seafood. You can take it as a sign that there are plenty of great entry points for learning seafood already suited to your palette and kitchen setup.
Benefits of Learning Seafood?
There are hundreds, if not thousands of unique seafood dishes in the world, and learning to cook opens you up to the possibility of making any number of them. While there are plenty of restaurants with mouth-watering seafood dishes, a whole new kind of freedom opens up to you when you can not only recreate but meaningfully alter and improve upon these favorite dine-out recipes. For example, a basic shrimp scampi could be elevated into a delicious Cajun seafood pasta if you have the right ingredients on hand. Cooking with seafood is an excellent exercise in creativity. The plate really is your canvas.
On a more practical note, eating seafood has proven health benefits. The American Heart Association and other health organizations agree that those trying to maintain a healthy diet should eat fish at least twice a week. Many of the vitamins and minerals in fish can help prevent heart attacks and strokes, as well as lessen the risk of depression, dementia, Alzheimer’s, and arthritis. If you’ve ever heard somebody describe fish as “brain food” but never gave it much thought, now you know there’s real scientific backing for that label.
If you’ve always wanted to eat more seafood but balked at the expense of going out to eat it, then you’re likely to see real savings by learning to cook seafood at home. Findings from The Seattle Obesity Study found that people who shifted from frequently eating out to mostly cooking at home saved roughly $300 per month. People who love seafood know how expensive a seafood dinner can be, but gathering the necessary ingredients and making a comparable dinner at home will equate to real cash in your pocket by the end of the meal.
Improves Job Prospects
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job outlook for chefs is excellent, with a much faster-than-average job growth expected between now and 2031. This is excellent news for those interested in turning a cooking hobby into a career. While you may not be eligible for a head chef position right away, there’s plenty of opportunity for upward mobility in the culinary world. Most head or executive chefs start by getting experience as sous chefs or line cooks.
If you know how to cook seafood, it will certainly open many opportunities for culinary jobs that might otherwise be unavailable. For one, you’ll have a leg up when applying to work in a restaurant that specializes in seafood, and you’ll be much more marketable for jobs at restaurants where seafood dishes comprise at least part of the menu. If you have prior experience cooking seafood and therefore require less on-the-job training, you show that you’re ready to hit the ground running in a chef position and that you’ve already demonstrated a willingness to learn new cuisines and cooking techniques, which is a great sign for employers.
If you’re serious about pursuing a job in the restaurant business, there are some classes on CourseHorse catered to those with similar goals in mind. Classes are offered in-person and online and are taught by expert instructors, sometimes with real experience working as chefs. Learning with an instructor like this gives you direct access to insider knowledge, meaning when the time comes to start applying to different restaurants, you’ll benefit from working closely with someone who has already been through that process.
One great class that prepares people to work as chefs is the 12-Week Master Chef Program from Chef Eric’s Culinary Classroom. Each week, the course will focus on specific kitchen skills or types of ingredients and will build to students preparing a small menu of their own without the use of recipes. Cooks of all levels are welcome, and the good news is that all ingredients and materials are included with enrollment. The class is particularly catered to teaching what it takes to succeed in today’s restaurant kitchens, but every technique you learn is something that will benefit you in your home kitchen as well. Any student in the class is also welcome to personalized career advice, so if you’re looking for that right first step into a cooking career, this course is a great option.
Experience Other Cultures
Food often serves as a key cultural marker, one that offers insight into the culture or nation with which a dish is most closely associated. For one reason or another, however, we can’t always scrounge together the necessary funds for a globe-trotting adventure. Maybe there just aren’t very many restaurants that offer food from other countries or cultures in your area. Or you’re simply nervous to try new foods, not sure when or how to step out of your comfort zone and therefore sticking to the same five or ten dishes you’ve grown familiar with.
Any such difficulties can often be alleviated with the help of a cooking class. Seafood makes for a particularly great choice if you want to experience another culture, as many seafood dishes are so closely associated with the countries they hail from: Japan and sushi, Spain and paella, the UK and fish and chips, etc. There are plenty of classes on CourseHorse that focus on specific cultural dishes.
If you’re close to Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood, you can “escape to Valencia” with a Spanish Paella Party from CocuSocial Cooking Classes. By learning to make this iconic Spanish dish, participants will also understand how to create a flavor profile and properly blend Spanish flavors, meaning this class will offer a genuine insight into Spanish food culture and not just a singular Spanish dish. Time will also be dedicated to ensuring participants feel comfortable sourcing their own fresh, seasonal ingredients so they can make paella at home.
Perhaps the cuisines of Spain’s neighbors are more alluring to you, in which case you’ll want Home Cooking New York’s How to Cook Shellfish: Clams, Mussels, Shrimp, Scallops class. Those able to make the commute to SoHo will learn how to make four delicious dishes, both from Italian and French traditions: spaghetti alla vongole with white clam sauce, braised shrimp puttanesca, steamed mussels provencal with garlic croutons, and seared scallops with roasted red pepper coulis. This class is hands-on but also includes demonstration-style teaching, so you’ll always have someone available to help out if you’re feeling lost and need a hand.
People in the Chicago area can experience proper New England seafood with the Hands-On: New England Seafood Party class from The Chopping Block Lincoln Square. The highlight of the class will of course be learning to make New England Clam Chowder, but other dishes on the menu include citrus herb-crusted sea scallops, classic lobster rolls with lemon-tarragon butter, and a cabbage and fennel slaw. This hands-on class will ensure that in addition to exposure to New England’s seafood culture, participants will walk away with crucial seafood skills such as determining shellfish doneness, poaching and baking shellfish, and balancing flavors when cooking seafood.
If you’re living in or near Boston and have never had genuine Southern cooking, head over to Somerville for ArtEpicure Cooking’s Southern Seafood Class. This class promises “true Southern cooking” to New Englanders, focusing on the basics of cooking a few regional staples. These include crab and corn fritters with sweet pepper relish, pan-fried catfish with pecan butter and cajun slaw, and apple crisp. All supplies will be provided, though you’re encouraged to bring a pen and paper to take notes on anything not supplied on class menu sheets.
New Community, New Connections
Many people enjoy cooking much more when it’s done with others. So whether it’s with friends, family, or for a date, learning a new seafood dish with someone else can make the experience even more fulfilling. A seafood class can also offer a great way to make new connections with people who have similar interests in seafood and cooking more generally. Many classes are even structured around cooking in small groups rather than individually to heighten this sense of community and connection.
One such class is Hands-On Shellfish on the Grill from The Chopping Block Lincoln Square. If you can make the trip to Chicago’s Northside for this course, you’ll get the experience of learning to cook seafood on the grill in a small group of three to five students, with whom you’ll work together to make the perfect grilled meal. The seafood participants will grill includes lobster tail, shrimp, scallops, and mussels, but you’ll get to work with other ingredients like corn and sausage too. With your classmates, you’ll learn all about setting up the grill, selecting good shellfish for grilling, and determining shellfish doneness. If you’ve sometimes dreamt of hosting a great summer barbecue for friends or coworkers, this class promises to prepare you well.
If you want to strengthen an existing connection or make a great impression on a first date, you can take this Couples Date Night Southern Seafood Class just outside of Boston in Somerville. You and a partner will learn how to cook regional Southern dishes with three other couples. Dishes include citrus pickled shrimp with cajun slaw, crab stuffed catfish, and apple pecan crisp. If these sound like dishes you’d like to share with a partner and a small group of potential new friends, definitely check out this offering from ArtEpicure Cooking School.
How to Start Learning Seafood
There are lots of ways to get started learning seafood, including taking a class or two with expert instructors. Classes are taught in-person in homes, in restaurant kitchens, studio kitchens, and online. In-person seafood classes are a great way to get direct, hands-on experience with cooking. They also come with the perk of almost always providing all necessary materials for you; all you need to bring is yourself and a willingness to learn.
Plenty of seafood classes are framed with true beginners in mind. This includes Seafood 101, a course offered by The Chopping Block Lincoln Square in Chicago’s North Side. If you’ve been resistant to cooking seafood for any reason such as not being able to find affordable ingredients or lacking confidence in cooking, this class aims to alleviate all of these concerns. Students will learn several key skills for selecting and preparing seafood ingredients, and they’ll also create a delicious menu of whole roasted rainbow trout, miso-ginger poached halibut, and whole grilled lobster nicoise salad, each with accompanying sides.
A similar Seafood Class for beginners can be found in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. This course from The Brooklyn Kitchen covers shopping, butchering, food prep, seasoning, and cooking, so you’ll be well-equipped to make a variety of seafood dishes by the course’s end. The menu will vary based on which ingredients are available or in season, but participants are sure to walk away with a handful of great recipes regardless. If you’ve always been a bit nervous in the kitchen when it comes to safety, knife work, or even the time commitment of shopping and prep, this class is a great place to start.
Perhaps it feels a bit overwhelming to focus on too many aspects of cooking at once and you simply want a course that will help you feel comfortable with a single, home-run recipe. If that’s the case, something like BLVD. Kitchen’s Dinner in 30: Shrimp Tacos Class offers a good fit. As the name implies, this class will focus on teaching you a single shrimp taco recipe that can be completed within a 30-minute timeframe. The class is also online, meaning you can take it regardless of where you live and won’t have to worry about commuting. This does mean you’ll have to source all your own ingredients and kitchen supplies, however.
Key Takeaways
- There are hundreds, if not thousands of unique seafood dishes out there, so even if you think you dislike seafood, there’ll be something out there that suits your palette.
- Eating seafood at least twice a week has noticeable physical and mental health benefits.
- You can save quite a bit of money learning to cook seafood at home.
- Learning to cook seafood offers a glimpse into other cultures, both international and regional to the United States.
- You’re likely to make new connections or strengthen existing ones when you share seafood dishes or classes with others.
- There are in-person and online seafood classes you can take to strengthen your knowledge of seafood and how to prepare it. Many classes are beginner-focused while others can help you on the road to becoming a working chef.
- In-person classes will give you hands-on instruction and almost always provide most, if not all the materials you’ll need. Online classes offer flexibility to learn from anywhere, though you’ll need to find your own kitchen space, supplies, and ingredients.
- You can contact CourseHorse through the form on their website to find options for online and in-person seafood classes. You’ll also be able to find out about private group sessions that CourseHorse offers when it comes to seafood.