I repeatedly hear from the media about the deliciousness and healthfulness of seafood, including shellfish, which supposedly rejuvenates the body, helps improve immunity and is simply an easily digestible product. Undoubtedly this is so, who would doubt it? However, based on statistics from the website www.fao.org, from the numerous list of mollusks caught and grown by aquaculture, rapana (Rapana venosa) ranks last. To be more precise, the rapana gastrointestinal mollusk cannot currently be considered an object of mariculture, since this species of the Gastropoda family is harvested in the World Ocean solely for the purpose of combating farm-grown oysters and scallops (aquaculture method).

The greatest commercial interest in the extraction of rapana exists only in the Black Sea, where it lives in unlimited quantities and is subject to industrial processing for human consumption. It is noteworthy that in the Chesapeake Bay (the largest estuary in the United States, the Susquehanna River, flows into the city of Havre de Grace in Harford County).

One of the most famous natural landscapes of the United States. It is de facto part of the Atlantic Ocean jutting into the mainland and located between the states of Virginia and Maryland. The rapana mollusk has also multiplied greatly over the past 15 years, but local commercial fishing companies do not have any commercial interest in this representative of the gastropod. The same can be noted in relation to the huge La Plata Bay, separating Uruguay and Argentina, where since the mid-90s, rapana has become, if not a threat to local aquatic organisms, then not a pleasant neighbor at all. Uruguay and Argentina, however, do not consider rapana (Rapana venosa) as a commercial species of shellfish and consider its production unprofitable for supply to the countries of Southeast Asia. I think that inveterate skeptics, grinning maliciously at me, will say that in Japan, South and North Korea, Vietnam and China, rapana cracks so much that it makes your ears crack. Nothing like this! Yes, in restaurants in these countries, rapana is known as a shellfish suitable for human consumption, but it is not a priority in local cuisines and it is incorrect to say that this shellfish is common on the table of different strata of society in Southeast Asia.

Why is it that in Russia and Ukraine the rapana clam is mythologized and recognized as “tasty and healthy”? I think it’s difficult to answer this question; it’s easier to figure out whether it’s worth eating it at all and how easily you can get food poisoning if the shelf life of this product is violated. First, let's look at the chemical composition of the muscular part of the rapana mollusk.

Chemical composition of the muscular part of the rapana mollusk

Nutrients, vitamins, microelements per 100 g: Calories: 76.7 kcal Proteins: 16.7 g Fats: 1.1 g Iron: 11.0 mg Calcium: 84.0 mg Magnesium: 72.0 mg Sodium: 82.0 mg

As we can see, the clam of rapana is a high-calorie product containing a lot of substances beneficial to the body, including easily digestible proteins. However, as scientists from the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) have found, heavy metals and human waste products, in particular cadmium, can accumulate in shellfish such as rapana (R.venosa). Among heavy metals, cadmium is one of the most dangerous toxicants and is close in toxicity to mercury and arsenic. Cadmium is typically present with zinc in carbonate and sulfide ores and is also obtained as a by-product from the refining of other metals. Therefore, human society, receiving metals such as copper, lead and zinc, for several centuries involuntarily polluted the environment with cadmium, including the World Ocean. Gastropods living in the World Ocean are most susceptible to bioaccumulation of heavy metals and cadmium in particular. In the Black Sea, rapana, being a bottom hydrobiont, is considered one of the most susceptible to intoxication of mollusks with heavy metal salts and accumulation of cadmium in its muscular part. For this reason, I want to immediately warn dear readers not to get too carried away on vacation on the Caucasian coast of the Black Sea with dishes made from rapana obtained in the area of ​​city beaches, where, as a rule, the mouths of mountain rivers are located, into which drains of the city sewerage are embedded. Looking ahead a little, I will note that all types of mullet, which are detritivores and live in the Black Sea (scallop, singil, bighead, sharpnose, pelengas) tend to search for food in coastal areas abounding in sewage waste. On the seabed, “fertilized” by urban runoff, many species of polychaetes (polychaete worms), which are the main food source for mullet, multiply en masse. These worms, in addition to many other harmful elements, are also capable of actively accumulating cadmium, which undoubtedly affects the mullet, which becomes potentially dangerous for consumption.

In this article I am not trying to instill horror in the gullible reader, but I can quite authoritatively state that rapana clam, subjected to improper raw material processing and further heat treatment, can become a real time bomb for humans. For example, poorly cooked rapana, constantly consumed as food, can destroy the internal secretion organs within a short time. Endocrine organs are glands that do not have external ducts and secrete their secretions into the blood. The secretions they produce are called hormones. Hormones are biologically active substances that have a strong effect on the functions of the body. They regulate processes such as metabolism, growth, puberty, etc. The internal secretion organs include: thyroid gland, parathyroid glands, thymus gland, pituitary gland, pineal gland, adrenal glands, pancreas, gonads. According to statistics from the World Health Organization, the pancreas is most affected by shellfish poisoning. Currently, toxicologists distinguish three types of shellfish poisoning. 1. Gastrointestinal type Characteristic symptoms of poisoning: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, acute pain in the stomach. Poisoning usually develops approximately 10-12 hours after eating shellfish. The poisoning is believed to be caused by bacteria. 2. Allergic type Characteristic symptoms of poisoning: redness of the skin, swelling, the appearance of a small rash on the skin, itching, headache, redness of the nasal mucosa, stomach pain, dry throat, swollen tongue, difficulty breathing. Apparently, such poisoning occurs in people with allergies and hypersensitivity to shellfish meat. 3. Paralytic type This poisoning is caused by dinoflagellate poison found in shellfish. Initial symptoms: itching or burning sensation of the lips, gums, tongue and face. This sensation gradually spreads to other parts of the body. The itchy areas then go numb, and muscle activity becomes very difficult. Other symptoms are often observed: weakness, dizziness, joint pain, increased salivation, extreme thirst, difficulty swallowing. Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and stomach pain are relatively rare. Muscle paralysis may become progressively worse until death occurs.

There are currently no effective medications against poisoning by all types of mollusks, including gastropods, and the only method often used in practice is regular gastric lavage, as well as subsequent treatment with antibacterial agents such as chloramphenicol (a broad-spectrum antibiotic of the chloramphenicol group action. It is effective against many gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, causative agents of purulent infections, typhoid fever, dysentery, meningococcal infection, is active against hemophilic bacteria, acts on brucella, rickettsia, chlamydia, spirochetes. The drug is weakly active against acid-fast bacteria, Pseudomonas aeruginosa coli, clostridia and protozoa. Levomycetin inhibits protein synthesis in the cells of microorganisms sensitive to the drug, without interfering with the synthesis of nucleic acids. In therapeutic concentrations, it has a bacteriostatic effect. Penetrates the cells of microorganisms and acts on microbes located intracellularly (rickettsia, chlamydia). Drug resistance to the drug develops relatively slowly and, as a rule, there is no cross-resistance to other chemotherapeutic agents). In the USSR and Russia, the most common cases of poisoning with rapana were and are in the public catering system, when visitors are forced to eat a product that has passed its shelf life, which is a real biological weapon, and not a seafood delicacy. In order to leave in the reader’s mind the necessary information regarding the shelf life of different types of semi-finished products from rapana, I below provide information based on GOSTs of the 90s.

Shelf life of boiled frozen seafood: shrimp, mussels, squid, cuttlefish, crabs, scallops, lobsters, lobsters, octopus, krill meat, Ocean paste, as well as raw semi-finished products from the muscular part of rapana, scallops, sea cucumbers, whelks in accordance with GOST 20414-93, GOST 30314-95. Relative humidity 90-95%

I also provide below Table No. 2, which shows the shelf life of both already thawed rapana (subjected to freezing at -18 degrees after heat treatment) and those prepared from raw semi-finished products, for example, the state of emergency "UTEG".

Shelf life of the muscular part of the rapana clam that has been subjected to heat treatment (boiling)
Table No. 2

As can be seen from Table No. 2, rapana, after boiling, it is necessary to store only one (!!!) day, and not 3-5, as often happens in catering establishments on the Caucasian coast of the Black Sea. And in general, my good advice to everyone on vacation in Russia and the Republic of Abkhazia, where they offer a variety of dishes from rapan - if you want to live until retirement, never eat this shellfish in cafes, restaurants and any other eateries. Particularly dangerous in public catering chains are a variety of rapana salads seasoned with mayonnaise, sour cream, etc. It is quite possible that the reader will ask me, is it worth preparing the rapana shellfish yourself, without the participation of valiant heroes from catering and all kinds of emergency situations “UTEG”? Yes, it’s worth it, and there won’t be any special time or financial costs. However, I immediately hasten to disappoint gourmets and connoisseurs of exquisite seafood dishes; everything that will be prepared from rapana will not evoke any positive emotions in the average resident of Russia, unless, of course, he has previously “bitten” to the point of complete amazement of strong alcoholic drinks . You can find out exactly how to get rapana in the Black Sea on this website in the article Rapana shellfish. But preparing this mollusk is much more difficult than pulling it out of the depths of the sea. The most important thing in this matter is to trust as little as possible the advice and stories of “experienced” people on the Internet, who in their spiritual simplicity can ruin half of planet Earth with the help of rapans.

To begin with, I will explain to dear readers that under no circumstances can't do, taking the rapana out of the sea and planning to eat it. For example:

1. You cannot break rapana shells with a stone, a hammer or other objects, just to remove the muscular part with the intestines. In this case, microparticles from the shell (sharp needle-shaped fragments) can become tightly stuck in the “leg” of rapana and, with subsequent heat treatment and consumption, enter the gastrointestinal tract (gastrointestinal tract), causing internal bleeding after some time;
2. You cannot heat treat (boil) rapana without first separating the muscular part of the mollusk from the intestines, since in this case the risk of poisoning it with the breakdown products of the digestive system (hydrolytic enzymes that have high activity in rapana) increases sharply. The muscular part of rapana, having absorbed most of the enzymes of the digestive system during cooking, becomes potentially dangerous for consumption and can cause poisoning;
3. You cannot use water from the container in which rapana was boiled, since this decoction may contain both heavy metal salts and pathogenic microflora, which are not always destroyed by boiling;
4. The muscular part of rapana cannot be subjected to other types of heat treatment, except boiling for 2-4 minutes in a large amount of water (depending on the weight and size of the “leg” of the mollusk), for example, frying in the main way, deep-frying, poaching, etc. When frying using the main method, rapana that is not sufficiently exposed to high temperature can become the main cause of food poisoning and serious problems with the gastrointestinal tract;
5. Rapana should not be cut on a board, which is intended for use in gastronomy and cutting vegetables, since the pathogenic microflora of the mollusk can become a real biological weapon at high temperatures and humidity of the environment and cause serious poisoning;
6. You categorically cannot bake rapana shells in the coals of a fire and on various improvised sheets of tin, as well as on grill grates. In this case, the breakdown products of the mollusk intestines can intoxicate the muscular part of the rapana, which will later be consumed as food and can cause poisoning. Among other things, gastropods such as whelk and rapana are very difficult to COMPLETELY bake in the coals of a fire due to the large thickness of the shell walls, and in this case the risk of eating raw muscle parts, the so-called. "legs".

As the attentive reader has already understood, when preparing rapana, minimal knowledge is required about the structure of this mollusk and how to safely consume it. However, every year more and more vacationers come to the Black Sea, who have only heard about “sea delicacies” - rapana, mussels and oysters from acquaintances who are not entirely competent in this matter, who give idiotic advice, after which both young and old run along the coast looking for a nearby toilet. In order to maintain your health and not become a victim of ridiculous advice from all-knowing “culinarians,” I advise you to read below my recommendations for processing the rapana gastrointestinal mollusk and how to cook it CORRECTLY. First, you need to learn two basic ways to remove the muscular part of a mollusk from its shell.

The first method is to use a root knife (for cleaning roots), of optimal thickness and without a guard, which will interfere with cutting the “leg” of the mollusk from the shell. To cut out the muscular part of rapana from a shell, it is necessary to take into account that the shell itself must be at least 70 mm in size, otherwise the attempts will be completely useless. So, tightly squeeze the rapana shell in your left palm in such a way that its front part (where the mollusk releases its “leg”) looks up, and your thumb clasps its cone-shaped bend (see photo). Insert a knife between the lid and the wall of the shell, and clockwise, carefully cutting through the flesh until it stops, trace the entire outer contour of the mollusk. After this, the muscular part of the mollusk must be stripped, during which the shell lid (it is attached to the “leg” of the rapana) and part of the intestine, if it still remains during cutting, will be removed.

The second method of removing a clam from the shell is based on using a container of boiling water. It's done like this. Place the rapana in the shells in any suitable metal container, such as a saucepan, kettle, basin, etc. Fill them to the top with boiling water and leave in this position for 5 minutes. Under the influence of hot water, the muscular part of the rapana sharply contracts; moreover, the mollusk dies and cannot resist your attempts to remove it from the shell. Then cool the shells using running cold water, and then, as in the first method, take the rapana in your left palm, insert a heavy metal fork (preferably stainless steel) between the lid and the wall of the shell and with a sharp jerk, remove the mollusk. In this method, the clam, removed with a fork, has a completely unsightly appearance with a large worm-like intestine remaining. You need to cut off the shell lid and intestines on a cutting board and put the muscular part of the rapana in a container for additional rinsing and freeing it from intestinal fragments.

Now you can proceed to the most important thing - heat treatment. Anticipating unnecessary discussions about the correct type of heat treatment of the muscular part of rapana, I note that boiling it in a large amount of water is the most acceptable method from a safety point of view. I often hear statements from culinary “masters” who claim the advisability of frying raw rapana or trumpet meat in a cast-iron wok-type frying pan over high heat, according to the methods of Southeast Asian cuisine. I agree with this statement, but with only one caveat: raw rapana or trumpeter meat must be fresh, just taken out of the depths of the sea, or at least chilled, but in no case defrosted. When frying defrosted raw rapana meat in a wok, the latter, at the ready stage, develops a sign of rancidity that is clearly visible by the taste buds of the tongue. This defect is associated with the destruction of the amino acid histidine (histidine) during storage of the raw muscular part of rapana in a low-temperature refrigerator L-α-amino-β-imidazolylpropionic acid- heterocyclic alpha amino acid, one of 20 proteinogenic amino acids). Therefore, it is up to the dear reader to decide which method of heat treatment to choose. Personally, I prefer to boil rapana in a large amount of water using the following method. Pour 2/3 of the volume of water into a 3-liter saucepan and bring it to a boil. Then add 3 grams of citric acid at the boiling stage, which is necessary for:
- softening of the muscle fibers of the muscular part of the rapana;
- lightening of muscle fibers of the muscular part of rapana;
- loss of most of the nutrients in shellfish meat during heat treatment.

When the water boils, add shellfish meat, calculating no more than 500 grams per 3-liter pan, and simmer over low heat for no more than 3 minutes. Then, after heat treatment, immediately drain the broth, discard the rapana in a colander and rinse the clam with warm water (under the tap) at a temperature of 30-40 degrees. That's it, at the moment the rapana clam is prepared by you at the semi-finished stage and can later be used to create numerous first and second courses. I would like to note that the boiled rapana clam, unlike many other well-known seafood, has practically no pronounced taste, is absolutely unattractive in appearance and can puzzle many home cooks at the stage of constructing simple dishes not related to serving at the festive table. I think that the rapana clam, after all, can only become a very good addition to main courses in which the main ingredient is rice or pasta. I also want to warn many salad lovers that boiled rapana shellfish added to it as an ingredient can cause food poisoning. Often these poisonings occur when mayonnaise or sour cream is added to the salad and this explosive mixture sits on the table for 1-3 hours, gradually turning into a biological weapon.

As I have already mentioned several times above, the main disadvantage of rapana, boiled and ready to eat, is considered to be the lack of a pronounced taste. However, this “defect” can be easily eliminated, and below I will give you a couple of recipes that have not yet become “hits” on the Internet and from which no one on Planet Earth will ever go to the toxicology department of the local hospital. Anticipating the dissatisfied groans of readers, I will draw their attention to the fact that in Mediterranean cuisine (in particular, Italian, Greek and Albanian), dried mullet or tuna roe, the so-called, is often used to give a special, piquant taste to a seafood dish. "bottarga". I also recommend using dried mullet caviar, both imported and domestic, when preparing various dishes from rapana. However, what is “bottarga” and why should it be eaten? Bottarga is a traditional product of the Mediterranean countries, produced exclusively in August-September from two types of mullet - ramada (Lisa ramado Risso) and mullet (Mugil cephalus), using traditional technology that involves salting dry fish (salt content 11-15%) , pressing the yastik under pressure to give it a flat shape and subsequent drying (drying) to a minimum humidity (from 18 to 22%). The word bottarga itself comes from the Arabic “batarikh”, which loosely translated means “salted fish roe”. As a rule, bottarga is produced in Italy, on the island of Sardinia. The monopolist in this specific business in Italy is the company SAPOR MARIS (in the local dialect caviar is called “Butariga or bottariga,”). But in Greece there are many enterprises producing bottarga, but the most authoritative and largest company is TRIKALINOS Co., which has very firmly gained a position in the Russian market over the past 5 years. In Sardinia there are also many small fish processing enterprises that begin mass procurement of bottarga in August-September, during the mullet spawning season. For example, below I present a photo series from the workshop of a fish processing company, which is located in the town of Cabras. (Cabras is a commune in Italy, located in the Sardinia region, subordinate to the administrative center of Oristano). Product of TRIKALINOS CO – avgotaraho, dried mullet caviar

According to world-class experts who are commodity experts in the fishing industry, the best bottarga in terms of organoleptic and taste qualities has been produced since 1856 (!) to the present day by a company from Greece, TRIKALINOS CO., (located in the city of Daphnia, 11 km from Athens). Dried mullet caviar is called “avgotaraho” in Greece. However, in other countries where this product is considered common on the table, dried mullet caviar is called as follows: botarga (Spain) poutargue and boutargue (France), butarga (Portugal), batarekh and butarkhah (Mauritania, Senegal, Morocco, Algeria), tarama (Turkey). I think that now readers will be disappointed when they learn that in Russia there is simply an abundance of this “delicacy”, but, unfortunately, native, domestic products are not in demand - no matter how much you cry.

For example, I tried dried mullet caviar, sold wholesale and retail by AquaRybTorg LLC from the city of Reutov, Moscow region. By the way, great product!!! No worse than the vaunted Italian bottarga, cost However, this company also produces dried roe of roach, flounder, lemon, trout, macrorus and pollock. As I managed to find out, in the Moscow region “Russian bottarga” - caviar of the pelengas mullet (Mugil soiuy Basilewsky, 1855) is produced by IP A.G. Wart is a workshop for processing fish products “Rybny Dvor” and sells it under the trade name “Galagan”. In fact, the term of Turkic origin “Galagan” is more applicable and correct to refer to the punchy salted roe of pike perch, bersh and perch. In Turkey, dried caviar of almost all types of river and sea fish is called “tarama”. This term also existed in Russia; it was used to designate the breakout caviar of roach, ram, bream and blue bream.

To add an original taste to a rapana dish, I advise you to use domestic dried mullet caviar, and if your wallet allows, you can buy bottarga in Moscow at a price of 9-11 thousand rubles per 1 kg. However, strange as it may seem, the taste of bottarga, ordinary caviar made from dried bream, ram, blue bream, rudd, roach and asp, is practically indistinguishable from the taste of bottarga. I give the simplest recipes for using bottarga when preparing a dish from rapan, as well as its “substitutes” - pelengas mullet caviar, ram, roach and bream:

I would like to draw the attention of readers to the fact that during the times of the USSR, in the Crimea, fishing cooperatives carried out a massive catch of mullet, pelengas, singil and mullet for the subsequent removal of eggs with caviar and their subsequent drying. It is very noteworthy that at the final stage of preparation of this “Crimean bottarga”, this product was subjected to additional preservation using beeswax for stable hydrophobicity during storage in the warehouse. It is curious that in the textbook N.D. Kudentsov “Commodity Research of Food Products” for 1968 (Economika Publishing House), on page 119 there is a direct link to dried mullet caviar. Below I present a photo series of preparing bottarga using an artisanal method from a mullet-singil caught in the Crimea. It is noteworthy that, according to the author of this recipe, the taste of dried mullet caviar produced in an artisanal way turned out to be quite suitable for preparing any dishes of Italian cuisine. I would like to draw the attention of dear readers that bottarga can not only be grated for culinary purposes, but also cut into slices of any shape. To do this, as a rule, a piece of pressed bottarga is cut crosswise with a knife, and then these pieces are placed in the required quantity in the prepared dish.

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Rapana belongs to the genus of predatory mollusks, type – gastropods. The shell is with spiral ribs, wide, and can reach 19 centimeters in size. Previously, the habitat was narrow - only three seas in the Far East. In the middle of the 20th century, rapana was brought by ships into the Black Sea, which marked the beginning of a significant spread of the mollusk along the Adriatic coast.

Rapana feeds on bivalve mollusks (mussels and oysters); the secretions of its glands are poisonous to these creatures. At the moment, the value is in the white meat of the mollusk (leg), but not so long ago the extraction was carried out exclusively for shells, popular as a souvenir.

Industrial-scale mining was officially permitted in 1998.

The muscular part (white meat) of the mollusk contains a lot of useful substances, including:
magnesium;
sodium;
calcium;
iron;
iodine;
vitamins, vitamin E and PP.

Beneficial features

The value of shellfish meat is determined by its high level of nutritional value - it contains twice as much protein as the meat of farm animals, while the fat content is minimal. Meat is digested and absorbed quickly, since when it enters the stomach it provokes the active production of gastric juice.

The content of a large amount of vitamins and microelements increases the body’s overall resistance to external influences (including infections). Eating the meat of this mollusk has a beneficial effect on the processes of blood formation and metabolism, helps improve body tone, improves the functioning of the urinary and nervous systems, and has a beneficial effect on vision and the cardiovascular system.

Rapana is contraindicated for consumption by people with individual intolerances and allergies.

Application

To use as food, the mollusk is removed from its shell and separated from the intestines. Most often, meat is boiled in water, but other types of heat treatment are also allowed - frying, stewing, baking. Rapana can be an ingredient in soups, salads or serve as an independent dish. The shellfish is often consumed pickled.

Popular combinations: rapana and mushrooms, rapana marinated in pomegranate or lemon juice.

Improper heat treatment and preparation of the product can cause food poisoning.

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Rapans are predatory mollusks with a decorative shell, which have become the hallmark of holidays on the Black Sea coast, destroying valuable commercial oysters and mussels

Description

Rapana (from Latin Rapana) is a genus of predatory gastropods with a shell length of about 12-15 cm. Currently, the mollusk lives everywhere in the Russian Black Sea shelf. This genus includes five species, the most common of which is veined rapana - those beautiful shells that we bring as souvenirs from the Black Sea coast. Rapana is common in the western Pacific Ocean and was unintentionally introduced into Europe (from the North Sea to the Black Sea), as well as into the western Atlantic. Initially, this species lived in the Far East in the Peter the Great Gulf and off the coast of Japan, and at the beginning of the 20th century, according to some information, it was brought into the Black Sea after Soviet torpedo boats were transferred from the Sea of ​​Japan in 1947 (rapans attach their masonry to the bottoms of ships). Since rapans had no natural enemies in the Black Sea waters, for example, starfish, their populations grew greatly and began to cause damage to the fauna of the Black Sea (rapanas massively eat valuable commercial mussels and oysters). Currently, thanks to intensive maritime transportation, the habitat of rapans has expanded to the Mediterranean and North Seas. Rapana have spherical short shells with a whorl, colored from gray to brownish-red with dark brown stripes on the spiral ribs. Some have multi-colored or black veins on the outside of the shell. The inside of the sink is usually painted bright orange or beige. Far Eastern rapanas reach up to 180 mm in diameter, while those from the Black Sea are slightly smaller, up to 120 mm.

Rapans are predators that feed on small bivalves, such as mussels and oysters, the shells of which they open with the help of their muscular, strong legs. Young rapana, using their jagged tongue-drill, drill holes in the shells of their victims and open them. So the rapana destroyed almost all scallops and a significant number of oysters in the Black Sea, and now they are destroying mussels and some other bivalves. They live on any type of bottom, moving with the help of their muscular legs. They are very prolific and undemanding to living conditions; they easily tolerate fluctuations in salinity and a decrease in the amount of oxygen in the water. Black Sea rapana reach sexual maturity at 2 years, and Far Eastern rapana at 5 years. Spawning of mollusks occurs from the beginning of July to the end of August and lasts 15-20 days. One clutch contains from 100 to 500 white or light lilac cocoons, shaped like pods, and each cocoon contains from 250 to 1000 eggs. The embryo develops inside the cocoon for up to three weeks, and then the hatched larva settles to the bottom. In the first year of its life it grows quickly, the shell hardens, and then growth slows down. The age of the rapana can be determined by the annual rings on the cap.

Official fishing for this mollusk has been permitted since 1998, when demand for the meat of this sea creature arose. Eaten in Japan and China. In our country, until recently, rapana was popular only due to its shell, which, in fact, became the calling card of the Black Sea, and now the demand for the valuable meat of this mollusk is already growing.

Rapana is a delicious protein delicacy. Many culinary dishes are prepared from them, including salads, stewed with vegetables, marinated with spices, but the most delicious is considered to be rapan meat, simply boiled in salted water without spices or additives. The shells should be cleaned well and boiled for 3-4 minutes, and after that you can easily remove the boiled shellfish with a fork and use its meat further for its intended purpose.

Composition and beneficial properties of rapans

Rapa meat is highly valued due to its high protein content (up to 18%) and minimal fat content (about 0.25%). The composition of rapan proteins is represented by the most valuable amino acids for the human body: glycine, alanine, proline, phenylalanine, lysine, etc. These amino acids are responsible for the formation in the body of the necessary proteins that make up our organs, tissues, muscles, tendons. In addition, amino acids are necessary for brain function, for the complete absorption of minerals and vitamins by the body, as well as for supplying energy to muscle tissue.

Rapan meat is rich in vitamin A, necessary for maintaining vision and healthy skin; calcium, which is the basis of human bone tissue and is necessary for both children and adults, especially those who have crossed the fifty-year mark (prevention of osteoporosis); phosphorus, which ensures kidney function and healthy cell growth, normal functioning of the nervous system and proper metabolism in the body. Rapan meat also contains iron, which is involved in the functions of hematopoiesis, magnesium, which is necessary to maintain the health of the reproductive system, and sodium, an essential element of the intercellular fluid, which ensures the transmission of nerve impulses.

Contraindications

Individual intolerance to seafood.

Rapana shell is the most common souvenir that tourists bring from the Black Sea coast. You can put it to your ear and listen to the “sound of the sea.” The rapana shell, by the way, is the hallmark of a vacation on the Black Sea. It appeared half a century ago. Inside the shell lives a strange creature called rapan. What kind of creature is this? Now let's look at this issue. Let's take a closer look at this marine inhabitant. In addition, we will look at the dishes that can be prepared with it. So, let's begin…

This is a predatory gastropod. Appeared quite a long time ago in the Far East. After a while, the rapana, photos of which you see in our article, appeared in the Black Sea. There is one suggestion for this. It is believed that some rapanikha glued a clutch of caviar to the bottom of a ship that was sailing to the Black Sea. In the Far East, this mollusk does not exceed four centimeters in length. In the Black Sea, rapana can be seen the size of a cup. Do you know why this happens? Because in the Pacific Ocean, rapans are eaten by stars. This is why shellfish don't grow. In the Black Sea, besides people, no one eats rapan. Such a mollusk has become a disaster of the Black Sea. This is because this predator eats bivalves. Rapans drill holes in their shells with their tongue (radula), which is covered with teeth. Through these holes, poison is injected, which paralyzes the bivalve mollusk, and pours enzymes (digestive) into the shell. After which the predator itself eats and sucks it all out.

During their habitat in the Black Sea, rapana almost completely destroyed the number of scallops and oysters here.

How to get edible shellfish from a shell?

There are several ways. You can do this with a special knife or with your hands. First you need to take the rapana in your left hand, and with your right index finger (or a knife) you need to sharply pull out the mollusk, placing your finger between the shell and the “leg”. In this way, you immediately separate the inedible, digestive part of the rapana. This work is quite labor-intensive. Everything must be done quickly and boldly, since if you hesitate, the rapan can hide deep enough in the shell.

After this procedure, your fingers may turn purple. This method is suitable for cleaning only large rapanas (more than six centimeters in size).

Another way is “hot”

You can get rapana in another way. This method requires a lot of patience from the performer. First, the rapa must be boiled. After which it is very easy to get the mollusk. But during cooking, a very unpleasant smell will be released, since the digestive part of the rapana will be cooked along with the meat.

The third method is “cold”

If for some reason you didn’t like the first options, then we offer you the third. This time it is necessary to freeze live rapans. They should stay in the freezer for about three hours. After freezing, they need to be removed from the refrigerator and left to thaw. Next you will need a fork. Using it we will separate the mollusk from the shell. The body of the rapana must be cleaned, removing excess, leaving only the edible “leg” (the front part of the carcass). You can also eat shellfish liver, but if you do not have experience preparing this seafood, stop at the front part for now. Now it’s clear who rapan is. We described in detail what kind of seafood this is, and also looked at how to properly remove it from the shell. Now we will talk about how to cook.

Rapana: cooking recipes

You can make a lot of delicious dishes from this mollusk, from soups to salads and appetizers. What delicious things can you create using rapana? Recipes for preparing different dishes make the housewife think, as they are very diverse, and each of them is interesting in its own way.

Quick rapan chops

To prepare this dish you will need:

Cooking chops

1. Take rapana meat, cut it into strips.
2. Then you need cheese. It needs to be grated on a coarse grater.
3. Next, take lemon juice and eggs, beat the ingredients thoroughly. Add spices. Then stir the mixture thoroughly again.
4. Now mix all the ingredients together.
5. Quickly put it on the stove, pour in sunflower oil. Make a small fire.
6. Place the chops into the pan using a spoon.
7. You need to fry them on both sides.
8. Then take a plate, place lettuce leaves on it beautifully and chops on top. That's it, the dish is ready.

Spicy rapana for originals

This dish will appeal to those who love non-standard dishes. How to cook rapana in this way? Now we'll tell you. But first, let's list the ingredients. So, we need:

• rapan meat - 500 grams;
• onions - 200 grams;
• lingonberries - 100 grams;
• sour cream (15% fat) - 100 grams;
• spices - to taste.

Cooking spicy seafood

1. First we need onions. It must be peeled. Next you need to chop it finely.
2. Then place a frying pan on the stove, pour in vegetable oil (you can use sunflower oil), and add the chopped onion there.
3. After which we will need the seafood itself (rapana). They need to be cut into strips. After which they need to be poured into the pan with the onions.
4. Now take sour cream and spices and add it there.
5. Simmer over low heat for three minutes.
6. After that, take the lingonberries and add them to the pan. Simmer for another three minutes. That's all, the dish can be served. By the way, it should be consumed hot. To give the food a more attractive look, add greens.

Seafood with tomato sauce

How to cook delicious rapana? Cooking recipes are different. You can, for example, make seafood with tomato sauce. So, for preparation you will need:

• carrots - 1 piece;
• sunflower or olive oil - 30 grams;
• garlic cloves - three pieces;
• rapana - 250 grams;
• tomato paste - 5 grams;
• spices - to taste.

Cooking seafood in sauce

1. First you need to boil the rapana for a minute. Then you need to cut them into cubes.
2. Carrots and onions need to be peeled, then cut into small pieces or grated.
3. Next we need a frying pan. You need to pour oil into it. Add the onion there and fry until golden brown.
4. Then add carrots. Simmer for eight minutes.
5. Now take tomato paste. Add it to the frying pan and add the rapana there. Salt and pepper the dishes.
6. Simmer over low heat for six minutes.
7. Before turning off, add garlic (finely chopped). Then cover the pan with a lid and turn off the heat. That's all, the preparation of rapana with sauce is finished. Can be served.

Vegetable stew with rapana

How to cook rapana? You can make a stew with them. For this we need:

Cooking stew

Fried Potatoes with Clams

This is a very simple dish. Even a child can cook it (with the guidance of their parents, of course). It’s easy to make, and you won’t spend much time creating the dish. So, what do we need to prepare:

Cooking potatoes

1. Take the potatoes, wash and peel them. Cut into small pieces.
2. Peel the onion and chop finely.
3. Pour vegetable oil into the frying pan. Add potatoes and onions.
4. Five minutes before readiness, add chopped rapana.
5. Season with salt and pepper.

To make something else that would be delicious, so that rapana would come in handy. Salad recipes are what we will turn our attention to now.

Salad “New World” - exotic at home

This dish is usually eaten by people who come to the Black Sea on vacation. But it can also be prepared at home. To do this you will need:

• rapana - 300 grams;
• hard cheese - 200 grams;
• vegetable oil (for frying);
• onions - 2 pieces;
• mussels - 300 grams;
• red wine (sweet) - 100 ml.

Preparing the salad

1. First, take the onion, peel it, and chop it finely.
2. Place the frying pan on the stove, then pour in the oil (sunflower), and add the chopped onions.
3. Then we need rapana and mussels. Chop them and add to the onions. Simmer until done.
4. Cut the cheese into small pieces or grate it.
5. Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Sprinkle red wine on top of the dish.

Salad “Dream”

Continuing the theme of salads, let’s touch on a dish called “Dream”. This is quite a tasty dish. It is based on the same rapana. So, to prepare this dish, we need:

• rapana meat - 600 grams;
• corn - 200 grams;
• greens - to taste;
• eggs - 4 pieces;
• fresh cucumbers - two pieces;
• mayonnaise - 150 grams (or to your taste).

The process of preparing a salad of the same name “Dream”

1. First you need to boil the seafood. For about a minute. Then you need to cut them into strips.
2. Boil the eggs also for five to ten minutes. Finely chop.
3. Then mix the rapana and eggs. Then add canned corn. Mix the ingredients thoroughly.
4. Cucumbers must be washed and finely chopped. Then add them to the rest of the ingredients.
5. Pour in mayonnaise and mix everything well.
6. Salt and pepper the dish.
7. Before serving, the salad under the wonderful name “Dream” can be decorated with herbs.

Here we have listed interesting dishes with rapana. We hope you liked them. Now we will touch on one important topic.

How much does rapan cost? The price of seafood ranges from 200 to 400 rubles. This is per kilogram. Although it all depends on where exactly you will purchase. Note that it will, of course, be cheaper to buy rapana in bulk. You see photos of these mollusks in the article. Remember their appearance so that when you decide to purchase these seafood, you do not confuse them, for example, with mussels.

Conclusion

Now it’s clear who rapan is. What kind of creature this is, we have analyzed in detail. They also gave the housewives practical advice on preparing shellfish. We hope that you will pamper your family with such tasty and healthy dishes, because rapana is simply prepared, and the recipes for such dishes are very diverse. Every woman can find something she likes. Bon appetit!

CHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND NUTRITIONAL ANALYSIS

Nutritional value and chemical composition "Rapana clam".

The table shows the nutritional content (calories, proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals) per 100 grams of edible portion.

Nutrient	Quantity	Norm**	% of the norm in 100 g	% of the norm in 100 kcal	100% normal
Calorie content	77 kcal	1684 kcal	4.6%	6%	2187 g
Squirrels	16.7 g	76 g	22%	28.6%	455 g
Fats	1.1 g	56 g	2%	2.6%	5091 g
Water	80.5 g	2273 g	3.5%	4.5%	2824 g
Ash	1.7 g	~
Macronutrients
Calcium, Ca	84 mg	1000 mg	8.4%	10.9%	1190 g
Magnesium, Mg	72 mg	400 mg	18%	23.4%	556 g
Sodium, Na	82 mg	1300 mg	6.3%	8.2%	1585 g
Sera, S	167 mg	1000 mg	16.7%	21.7%	599 g
Microelements
Iron, Fe	11 mg	18 mg	61.1%	79.4%	164 g
Essential amino acids
Arginine*	0.87 g	~
Valin	0.92 g	~
Histidine*	0.31 g	~
Isoleucine	0.71 g	~
Leucine	1.69 g	~
Lysine	1.45 g	~
Methionine	0.51 g	~
Methionine + Cysteine	0.72 g	~
Threonine	0.69 g	~
Tryptophan	0.21 g	~
Phenylalanine	0.59 g	~
Phenylalanine+Tyrosine	1.07 g	~
Nonessential amino acids
Alanin	1.28 g	~
Aspartic acid	1.8 g	~
Glycine	0.83 g	~
Glutamic acid	3.25 g	~
Proline	0.54 g	~
Serin	0.66 g	~
Tyrosine	0.48 g	~
Cysteine	0.21 g	~

Energy value Rapana clam is 77 kcal.

Main source: Skurikhin I.M. and others. Chemical composition of food products. .

** This table shows the average levels of vitamins and minerals for an adult. If you want to know the norms taking into account your gender, age and other factors, then use the My Healthy Diet app.

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USEFUL PROPERTIES OF RAPANA COLLUSK

Rapana clam rich in vitamins and minerals such as: magnesium - 18%, iron - 61.1%

What are the benefits of Rapana Mollusk?

• Magnesium participates in energy metabolism, synthesis of proteins, nucleic acids, has a stabilizing effect on membranes, and is necessary to maintain homeostasis of calcium, potassium and sodium. A lack of magnesium leads to hypomagnesemia, an increased risk of developing hypertension and heart disease.
• Iron is part of proteins of various functions, including enzymes. Participates in the transport of electrons and oxygen, ensures the occurrence of redox reactions and activation of peroxidation. Insufficient consumption leads to hypochromic anemia, myoglobin deficiency atony of skeletal muscles, increased fatigue, myocardiopathy, and atrophic gastritis.
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The nutritional value- content of carbohydrates, fats and proteins in the product.

Nutritional value of food product- a set of properties of a food product, the presence of which satisfies the physiological needs of a person for the necessary substances and energy.

Vitamins, organic substances required in small quantities in the diet of both humans and most vertebrates. Vitamin synthesis is usually carried out by plants, not animals. A person's daily requirement for vitamins is only a few milligrams or micrograms. Unlike inorganic substances, vitamins are destroyed by strong heat. Many vitamins are unstable and are “lost” during cooking or food processing.