Shellfish-free meal plan: a week without prawns, crab or mussels
This shellfish-free meal plan avoids crustaceans (prawns, shrimp, crab, lobster, crayfish) and molluscs (mussels, clams, oysters, scallops, squid) for a week, while still including fish, meat, eggs and plenty of plant protein.
Shellfish is easy to spot on a plate but easy to miss in sauces and stocks, so the plan lists where it hides and works out one full day with calories and macros from USDA data.
Updated October 22, 2026
Sample day
1,650 kcal
Protein
104 g · 24%
Carbs
186 g · 43%
Fat
61 g · 32%
How to plan a shellfish-free week
- Fish and shellfish are different allergies. Many people allergic to shellfish eat fish safely, but some react to both; ask your allergist before adding fish.
- Watch the sauces in Asian cooking. Oyster sauce, shrimp paste, XO sauce, dried shrimp and many curry pastes contain shellfish.
- Mixed seafood dishes such as paella, bouillabaisse and fried seafood platters are risky even if you pick out the shellfish.
- Restaurant fryers are often shared, so fried fish or chips may have touched breaded prawns.
Your 7-day shellfish-free meal plan
Day 1 is the sample day worked out below.
Day 1
- breakfast
- Porridge with milk, banana and walnuts
- lunch
- Tuna, white bean and tomato salad
- snack
- Orange and a few almonds
- dinner
- Chicken fajitas with peppers, corn tortillas and salsa
Day 2
- breakfast
- Eggs and toast
- lunch
- Chicken Caesar-style salad
- snack
- Yogurt
- dinner
- Baked salmon with rice and greens
Day 3
- breakfast
- Porridge with fruit
- lunch
- Leftover salmon and rice bowl
- snack
- Apple
- dinner
- Chicken paella with peppers and peas
Day 4
- breakfast
- Yogurt and granola
- lunch
- Lentil soup
- snack
- Banana
- dinner
- Beef stir-fry with rice (no oyster sauce)
Day 5
- breakfast
- Smoothie
- lunch
- Turkey sandwich and salad
- snack
- Hummus with vegetables
- dinner
- Cod with potatoes and peas
Day 6
- breakfast
- Shakshuka
- lunch
- Chickpea and quinoa salad
- snack
- Orange
- dinner
- Thai green curry with chicken (shrimp-free curry paste)
Day 7
- breakfast
- Pancakes
- lunch
- Leftover curry
- snack
- Grapes
- dinner
- Spaghetti with tomato and tuna
A sample day with calories and macros
Day 1, weighed ingredient by ingredient. Rice, pasta, beans, lentils and meat are cooked weights.
Breakfast: Porridge with milk, banana and walnuts
500 kcal| Ingredient | Amount | kcal | Protein | Carbs | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rolled oats, dry | 50 g | 190 | 6.6 | 33.9 | 3.3 |
| Milk (2%) | 250 g | 125 | 8.3 | 12.0 | 5.0 |
| Banana | 100 g | 89 | 1.1 | 22.8 | 0.3 |
| Walnuts | 15 g | 98 | 2.3 | 2.1 | 9.8 |
Lunch: Tuna, white bean and tomato salad
380 kcal| Ingredient | Amount | kcal | Protein | Carbs | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuna, canned in water | 100 g | 86 | 19.4 | 0.0 | 1.0 |
| White beans, cooked | 120 g | 167 | 11.7 | 30.1 | 0.4 |
| Tomatoes | 100 g | 18 | 0.9 | 3.9 | 0.2 |
| Cucumber | 60 g | 9 | 0.4 | 2.2 | 0.1 |
| Romaine lettuce | 60 g | 10 | 0.7 | 2.0 | 0.2 |
| Olive oil | 10 g | 88 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 10.0 |
| Lemon juice | 10 g | 2 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 0.0 |
Snack: Orange and a few almonds
160 kcal| Ingredient | Amount | kcal | Protein | Carbs | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orange | 150 g | 71 | 1.4 | 17.6 | 0.2 |
| Almonds | 15 g | 87 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 7.5 |
Dinner: Chicken fajitas with peppers, corn tortillas and salsa
610 kcal| Ingredient | Amount | kcal | Protein | Carbs | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken breast, cooked | 130 g | 215 | 40.3 | 0.0 | 4.6 |
| Red pepper | 100 g | 26 | 1.0 | 6.0 | 0.3 |
| Green pepper | 60 g | 12 | 0.5 | 2.8 | 0.1 |
| Onion | 60 g | 24 | 0.7 | 5.6 | 0.1 |
| Vegetable oil | 10 g | 88 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 10.0 |
| Corn tortillas | 75 g | 164 | 4.3 | 33.5 | 2.1 |
| Tomato salsa | 60 g | 17 | 0.9 | 4.0 | 0.1 |
| Avocado | 40 g | 67 | 0.8 | 3.5 | 6.2 |
Day total: about 1,650 kcal, with 104 g protein, 186 g carbs and 61 g fat. To fit your own target, multiply every amount by your daily calories divided by 1,650; the macro calculator gives you that target.
Estimates from per-100 g values in USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy). Brands, recipes and cooking change the real numbers.
Shellfish swaps that work
- Prawns in a stir-fry or curry: chicken, firm white fish or tofu
- Seafood paella: chicken and vegetable paella
- Oyster sauce: mushroom 'oyster' sauce
- Shrimp paste in curry: a vegan curry paste plus a little extra salt or soy
- Fish sauce: usually shellfish-free, but check the label
Where shellfish hides
- Oyster sauce, XO sauce, shrimp paste (belacan, kapi) and many Thai curry pastes.
- Seafood stocks, bisques and some fish soups.
- Surimi and 'crab sticks', dim sum fillings and some fried rice.
- Glucosamine supplements are often made from shellfish shells.
How Meal Planner Pro handles it
- Choose Shellfish in the quiz's allergy question. The planner excludes prawns and shrimp, crab, lobster, crayfish, scallops, mussels, clams, oysters and squid.
- This option doesn't exclude fish. If you're pescatarian, your plan can still include fish.
- Allergies come before everything else in your plan, including your cuisines: a traditional dish is adapted rather than served with an ingredient you've excluded.
- Exclusion works from ingredient names, so it can't see what is inside a packaged product. Always read labels and 'may contain' warnings, especially for a severe allergy.
Get your own shellfish-free week
Meal Planner Pro builds a 7-day plan from a short quiz, sized to your calorie target, with recipes and a grocery list.
Create My Meal PlanPlans from $8.99/week. No free plan or trial. See pricing
Frequently Asked Questions
Often yes, as fish and shellfish allergies are separate. Some people have both, so confirm with your allergist before eating fish.
Yes. Squid, octopus, mussels, clams, oysters and scallops are molluscs and count as shellfish in most allergy advice, alongside crustaceans such as prawns and crab.
Traditional fish sauce is made from fish, usually anchovies, and salt, but some brands add shrimp. Read the label each time you buy it.
Sources: USDA FoodData Central records used
- Rolled oats, dry: Cereals, oats, regular and quick, not fortified, dry (FDC 173904)
- Milk (2%): Milk, reduced fat, fluid, 2% milkfat, with added vitamin A and vitamin D (FDC 171267)
- Banana: Bananas, raw (FDC 173944)
- Walnuts: Nuts, walnuts, english (FDC 170187)
- Tuna, canned in water: Fish, tuna, light, canned in water, drained solids (FDC 173709)
- White beans, cooked: Beans, white, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt (FDC 175203)
- Tomatoes: Tomatoes, red, ripe, raw, year round average (FDC 170457)
- Cucumber: Cucumber, with peel, raw (FDC 168409)
- Romaine lettuce: Lettuce, cos or romaine, raw (FDC 169247)
- Olive oil: Oil, olive, salad or cooking (FDC 171413)
- Lemon juice: Lemon juice, raw (FDC 167747)
- Orange: Oranges, raw, all commercial varieties (FDC 169097)
- Almonds: Nuts, almonds (FDC 170567)
- Chicken breast, cooked: Chicken, broilers or fryers, breast, meat only, cooked, roasted (FDC 171477)
- Red pepper: Peppers, sweet, red, raw (FDC 170108)
- Green pepper: Peppers, sweet, green, raw (FDC 170427)
- Onion: Onions, raw (FDC 170000)
- Vegetable oil: Oil, corn and canola (FDC 169867)
- Corn tortillas: Tortillas, ready-to-bake or -fry, corn (FDC 175036)
- Tomato salsa: Sauce, salsa, ready-to-serve (FDC 174524)
- Avocado: Avocados, raw, California (FDC 171706)