Seafood Dinner Party (Easy)
Fail-safe easy recipes for a wonderful seafood dinner party along with some tips and tricks to make the party one to remember.
Apéritif
Anchoïade
Serves 4
Preferred Seafood: Anchovies
Alternative Saltwater Option: Sardines, Herring, Mackerel, or Smelt
Alternative Freshwater Option: Shad
Sustainable Option: Sardines, Herring, Mackerel
Garnish
Chopped Parsley
Ingredients
8 Anchovies
Pinch of cayenne pepper
2 teaspoon tomato purée
Black pepper from the peppermill to your taste
4 small tins of anchovies
6 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoon (30 ml) olive oil
2 teaspoon (10 ml) red wine vinegar
Method
First, put the anchovies and garlic in a mortar and pound them. Then add the other ingredients and mix it all up. If you’re feeling lazy, use a food processor instead. Lastly, spread the mixture on toasted French bread.
Soup
Fish Bread & Tomato Soup
Serves 4
Preferred Seafood: Cod
Alternative Saltwater Option: Sea Bass, Halibut, Haddock
Alternative Freshwater Option: Perch, Pike
Sustainable Option: Perch, Pike
Garnish
Chopped Basil
Ingredients
1.2 kg white filleted fish
500 g cherry tomatoes
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
A large bunch of fresh basil, leaves picked, stalks finely chopped
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 × 400 g tins of good-quality plum tomatoes
500 g or 2 large handfuls of stale good-quality bread
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C prick the cherry tomatoes with a fork, toss with sliced garlic, basil leaves, olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roast for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, in a pot, heat olive oil, fry garlic and basil stalks briefly, then add tinned tomatoes with a can of water, breaking them up and simmering for 15 minutes. Tear bread into pieces, stir into the soup, and add torn basil leaves, letting it simmer on low for 10 minutes. Add the roasted tomatoes and all their tray juices to the soup, stirring until thick and porridge-like. Pan-fry the fish in olive oil for 5 minutes, then stir 6-7 tablespoons of olive oil into the soup off the heat. Serve in bowls, topped with the fish and extra basil.
Salad
Herring and Potato Salad
Serves 4
Preferred Seafood: Herring
Alternative Saltwater Option: Sardines, Mackerel, Anchovies
Alternative Freshwater Option: Trout, Shad
Sustainable Option: Sardines, Mackerel, Anchovies
Garnish
Chopped Parsley, Chilli
Ingredients
450 g cold boiled potatoes, cut into 6 mm thick slices
275 g canned herrings, cut into 2.5 cm long pieces
1 large sweet onion, cut into very thin rings
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
Salt and pepper
Method
Toss all the ingredients in a salad bowl, turn once or twice and serve.
Fish First Course
Perch with Mixed Mushrooms and Tomatoes
Serves 4
Preferred Seafood: Perch
Alternative Saltwater Option: Sea Bass, Sole, Cod, Haddock, Halibut
Alternative Freshwater Option: Trout, Pike, Whitefish
Sustainable Option: Pike, Walleye
Garnish
Sprig of fresh rosemary
Ingredients
300 g Perch Fillets
Olive oil
2 finely chopped onion.
2 bay leaves
Sprig of fresh rosemary
750 g mixed wild mushrooms
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Heat up a large frying pan with 5 tablespoons of olive oil and add a finely chopped onion. Cook it for 3-4 minutes until it's transparent, then add a large tomato thats peeled, deseeded, and chopped, along with 2 bay leaves and a sprig of fresh rosemary. After cooking for a couple of minutes, add 750 g of mixed wild mushrooms thats wiped and roughly chopped. Continue to cookeverything over low heat for around 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once it's done, season.
Shellfish First Course
Scallops in Parma Ham
Serves 4
Preferred Seafood: Scallops
Alternative Saltwater Option: Cod, Monkfish
Alternative Freshwater Option: Prawns, Crayfish
Sustainable Option: Razor Clams, Crayfish, Whelks
Garnish
Chopped Parsley
Ingredients
2 eggs
60 g fresh breadcrumbs
Tartare sauce
8 scallops
60 g flour
120 g Parma Ham (or any other very thin-sliced ham)
Method
Cut each scallop in half and wrap them with Parma ham. To coat the scallops, set up three trays with flour, whisked eggs, and breadcrumbs. I find it easier to dip all the scallops in each tray, one by one, to avoid making a mess. Once coated, deep-fry the scallops until they are golden brown, which usually takes about 2 minutes. To add some extra flavour, serve the scallops with tartar sauce.
Fish Main Course
Salmon with Ginger and Spring Onions
Serves 4
Preferred Seafood: Salmon
Alternative Saltwater Option: Sea Bass, Halibut
Alternative Freshwater Option: Rainbow Trout
Sustainable Option: Rainbow Trout, Arctic Char
Garnish
Chopped Spring Onions
Ingredients
120 g skinned fillet of salmon, free from bones
2 spring onions
Zest and juice of half a lime
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh ginger
15 ml soya sauce
4 slices of bread
Method
Start by chopping the salmon into small pieces, about ¼ by ¼ inch. Then finely chop some spring onions and mix everything together with lime juice and zest, ginger, and soya sauce. Put the mixture in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes. Next, cut the slices of bread into 1-inch pieces with a pastry cutter. Finally, put a teaspoon of the salmon mixture on each piece of bread and serve them.
Shellfish Main Course
Spaghetti with Langoustines and rocket
Serves 4
Preferred Seafood: Langoustines
Alternative Saltwater Option: Scallops, Calamari (Squid), Mussels, Clams, Octopus
Alternative Freshwater Option: Trout, Pike, Perch, Catfish, Bass
Sustainable Option: Crawfish, Freshwater Shrimp, Whelks
Garnish
Grated lemon zest and the rest of the rocket leaves
Ingredients
400 g peeled raw Langoustines
455 g dried spaghetti
1 small wineglass of white wine
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 heaped tablespoons sun-dried tomato
Extra virgin olive oil
6 sun-dried tomatoes blitzed
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and in a blender
Finely chopped zest and juice of 1 lemon
1-2 dried red chillies, crumbled (Optional)
2 handfuls of rocket, roughly chopped
Method
Start by boiling the spaghetti in salted water. While that's cooking, heat up some olive oil in a pan and cook garlic and chilli. Then, add the Langoustines, white wine, and tomato puree, and let it simmer. Once the spaghetti is done, drain it and add it to the sauce with lemon juice and some rocket. If the sauce is too thick, add some pasta water to loosen it up. Taste it to make sure the seasoning is right. Finally, serve the spaghetti on plates and sprinkle some grated lemon zest and the rest of the rocket leaves on top.
Very Special Main Course (Optional)
Skate with Black Butter
Serves 4
Preferred Seafood: Skate
Alternative Saltwater Option: Flounder, Sole, Turbot, Halibut, Monkfish
Alternative Freshwater Option: Catfish, Sturgeon, Perch, Trout, Pike
Sustainable Option: Pollock, Whelks
Garnish
Chopped fresh parsley & capers
Ingredients
Good quantity Court Bouillon
900 g of skate wings
1 tablespoon capers
50 g salted butter
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
Method
First, bring all the court bouillon ingredients to a boil in a large pan. Once it starts boiling, take it off the heat and let it cool to allow the flavours to infuse. Then, add some parsley to the bouillon and let it boil for about a minute. Pour the bouillon over the fish and serve it right away with plain boiled potatoes. To prepare the skate, cut it into four portions and place them in a wide, shallow pan. Pour the court bouillon over the fish, bring it to a boil, and then gently simmer it for 15-20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the skate. Once the fish is cooked, drain it and keep it warm on a serving dish. Before serving, sprinkle it with capers. This dish goes perfectly with a bottle of young Sauvignon Blanc.