Instructions: Seafood is so delicate it requires a minimum amount of handling and the simplest preparation. The most common techniques used are Stir frying steaming deepfrying and braising. Recipes for seafood are usually interchangeable; what works for prawns will work just as well for crab lobster or scallops.

When fresh seafood is not available Chinese cooks make imaginative use of dried seafood as the main ingredient or as a flavouring in soups stirfried dishes braised dishes and stuffings. Drying concentrates the flavours of the seafood as well as preserving it.

The Chinese try to complement the delicate flavour texture and colour of fish and seafood with contrasting flavourings and textures. For example in the dish Sweet and Sour Prawns the subtle taste and crisp texture of the prawns contrast nicely with the tasty spiciness of the sauce. Most Chinese recipes call for fresh uncooked prawns. This will prove difficult for British cooks since most prawns are sold cooked and are often frozen as well. If you are forced to use cooked prawns look for the best and largest variety you can find and just heat them through instead of cooking them for the full length of time called for in the recipe. Crabs can sometimes still be bought live or at least freshly cooked.

Instructions for dealing with live crab and crab cooked in the shell qv. Fortunately the fish situation is much brighter. Cod and haddock are available everywhere and are perfect for deepfrying Stir frying or braising. Plaice Dover sole lemon sole and flounder are perfect for steaming. Oily fish such as red mullet carp and eel are best braised and trout should be shallowfried. Get to know your fishmonger and be assertive in asking for the freshest fish and seafood. Fresh fish should be firm have clear eyes bright gills and a shiny sheen to the skin. Seafood should be firm and not smell fishy. Learn to be as finicky about selecting fish and seafood as the Chinese are. It will open up a whole new world of flavour for you.

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