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Sara Millbank
To celebrate Seafood Fortnight in September, I thought I would look at recipes with a difference. I am sure we have all used fish and prawns in our cooking, but have you tried clams, scallops or lobster? Why not try the mussel soup? Is a great way to have mussels for the first time, although you can use clams if you prefer. Remember, mussels are sold alive and the shells should be tightly closed. Perhaps you have never cooked lobster before and always wanted to. Seafood is very healthy food, full of flavour and texture and most recipes are simple and quick. Remember, all fresh seafood should be eaten on the day of purchase and will only survive 24 hours in a fridge.
Buen Appetito
Cream of Mussel Soup
900g mussels
25g butter
1 small onion
Bunch parsley
Bunch dill
1 clove garlic
2 bay leaves
Black pepper
150ml white wine
1 small carrot
1 stick celery
600ml fish stock
½ tsp curry powder
142ml double cream
Clean the mussels under cold running water, scraping off any mud and barnacles and remove the beards. Discard any mussels that remain open and rinse again. Melt butter in large pan and cook chopped onions for 3 minutes. Crush garlic and chop parsley and dill and add to the pan. Add the mussels, pepper, bay leaves and wine to the pan and bring to the boil. Cook for a further 3 to 5 minutes until the mussels open. Remove any that remain closed. Lift the mussels out and pull them away from the shells. Keep warm. Strain the liquid into a large pan. Peel the carrots and cut them and the celery into thin match sticks. Put into the pan of liquid, boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the mussels, curry powder, cayenne pepper and cream and heat through until hot but do not boil. Serve immediately.
Scallops in Saffron Sauce
12 large scallops
25g butter
90ml dry white wine
Bunch tarragon
200ml double cream
½ tsp saffron thread
Rinse scallops under running cold water and pat dry with kitchen roll. Melt butter in a frying pan and add scallops and wine. Cook for 4 minutes or until scallops turn opaque. Remove from pan and keep warm. Chop tarragon and add this and cream and saffron to the pan and heat through. Arrange warm scallops on a warm plate and add any juices to the sauce. Pour the sauce over the scallops and serve immediately.
Luxury Lobster
1 whole lobster
1 clove garlic
A small onion
25g butter
1 tsp mustard
3 tbsp whiskey
1 tsp lemon juice
5 tbsp double cream
Salt and pepper
Drop lobster into a pan of boiling water and cover with a lid. Bring back to the boil and then simmer for 20 minutes. Remove lobster and set aside to cool. Place the lobster on a board and twist off the legs and claws. Crack the claws open with a mallet or lobster hammer and remove the meat. Put the lobster on its back and using a sharp knife, halve it length ways. Discard the stomach and the black vein which runs along its back and remove the tail meat. Rinse all the flesh meat under cold water and the pat dry. Cut into 2cm pieces. Wash and dry the lobster shells and discard the head. Melt butter in a pan and add chopped onion and garlic, cook over a low heat and stir constantly. Stir in mustard and lemon juice and finally lobster flesh. Heat through but do not boil and finally add cream. Spoon the mixture into the lobster shells and serve.
Clams with Garlic
2kg clams in shells
2 tomatoes
1 courgette
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
3 tbsp olive oil
¼ paprika
300ml fish stock
150ml white wine
Salt and pepper
Scrub the clams and discard any cracked or open. Roughly chop the tomatoes and cut the courgettes into thin strips. Heat oil in a large pan and fry onions, garlic and paprika and cook for 2 minutes. Add the stock and wine and bring to the boil. Add the clams, tomatoes and courgettes and cook for a further 5-6 minutes or until the clams have opened. Discard any clams that remain closed. Serve with crusty bread to soak up the sauce.
Angels on Horseback
24 oysters
12 rashers of smoked streaky bacon
Cayenne pepper
Sauce
1 small onion
150ml dry white wine
300ml fish stock
Pinch saffron thread
284ml cream
Chop onion and put in a pan with the wine, stock and saffron. Bring to the boil for 12-15 minutes until reduced. Mix in cream and set to one side. Scrub the oysters under running cold water. Open the oysters by holding them firmly in a clean tea towel with the flatter shell up and the hinged end towards you. Insert the point of a knife into the gap in the hinge. Prise the shell open by twisting the blade. Free the oyster from the shell by cutting the muscle. Bring a pan of water to the boil and add the oysters to the water and leave for one minute or until they turn opaque. Remove and drain on kitchen paper. Sprinkle the oysters with cayenne pepper and wrap in the bacon. Thread on a skewer and grill for 4-5 minutes. Serve with the sauce as a dip.