Abstract: This invention relates to a process for detoxifying shellfish contaminated with paralytic toxin. Actually no industrial method has been described that is 100% effective for detoxification of shellfish containing this type of toxins. Decontamination is achieved through a process involving the chemical treatment of shellfish. This chemical treatment consists of preincubating and then cooking the shellfish in an alkaline pH solution. This treatment can be combined with one or more other procedures for the reduction of the products' final toxicity, these other procedures including, for example, partial shellfish detoxification by depuration, removal of the most toxic parts, and commercial cooking/canning of the shellfish. The process reduces total toxicity levels in shellfish to values below 80 &mgr;g of eq. STX/100 g shellfish, independently of the toxin profile, or the initial toxicity present in the shellfish.