2012 Ingredient of the Week 3: Shellfish

The Hill Billy

Good day folks.

This week, let's have your shellfish recipes - prawns, shrimp, oysters, scallops, cockles, mussels, periwinkles, razors, etc...

However, hold on to your recipes for lobster & crab as we will have a dedicated week for these in the near future...

tHB

livinsane

I'd be very interested in some razor fish recipes, if anyone can oblige. We do a big harvest a few times a year [unbeliveable fun], but all are frozen for fishing bait. Would love to try one, even though they slightly gross me out!

foodaholic

This is a Rachel Allen recipe, its yum

1 large onion, chopped
5-10 cloves garlic, crushed
2 red or green chillies, deseeded and chopped
1 x 400g can coconut milk
1-2 tbsp fish sauce
1 lime, juice only
1 tbsp chopped coriander
80 mussels, scrubbed


1. Put the onion, garlic, chillies, coconut milk, fish sauce, lime juice and coriander into a large saucepan. Bring to the boil and cook for about 8 minutes or until the onions are cooked.

2. Check that all the mussels are tightly closed. If one is open, tap it - if it closes it's good, but if any stay open, throw those ones out.

3. When the onions are cooked in the saucepan, throw in all the good mussels, put the lid on and cook until the mussels are widely open.

4. Serve the mussels in their shells with the broth

livinsane

I can suggest a simple prawn stir fry, just something I've thrown together a few times.

Ingredients:
Prawns (usually use shop bought pre-cooked ones)
Ginger (best if its pulverised to a paste first)
Chili flakes
Carrot sticks
Pak choi leaves (usually put these in towards the end to keep the crunch)
Onion
Brocolli

Method
Fry it all in garlic butter

Simple but delicious. It's the kick of the ginger and the freshness of the pak choi that makes it.

Mr Simpson

I love Moulles Marinier (sic?), absolutely delicious and so easy.

• Clean and de-beard your Mussels, discarding any open ones (tap open ones gently, if they close, they're fine).
  
• Chop some onions and garlic finely, then sautee gently in a large pot.
  
• When the onions are soft and translucent, add the mussels and a generous splash of white wine. Cover and cook until the mussels open. (Only a few minutes)
  
• Finish by stirring in a little cream and some finely chopped parsley and serve with some french baguette. And if you've got the time, some crispy thin cut chips also go excellently with this.

the beer revolu

my favourite scallop starter.

Make a really fine julienne of, ginger, spring onion, garlic and chili.
Stirfry this for about a minute with a little sesame oil and a dash of soy and dry sherry.
Place a little pile of this stirfry in the middle of the plate and arrange the scallops around which have been sliced in half, seasoned with salt and pepper and fried in butter and oil until just done (about 1 1/2 min). I usually discard the roe at the point of purchase (preferably before the scallops are weighed). For me they look pretty but I really dislike both the taste and texture of them so I don't serve them.
A little squeeze of lime juice over each scallop finishes this very simple but really flavoursome dish.

Darkginger

Two recipes from me, neither exactly original, but both 'created' to reproduce food I've eaten in restaurants. Firstly - garlic crusted mussels (also works with oysters, but I prefer my oysters au naturel).

1 quantity of mussels (we pick our own, and always overestimate amounts needed - this recipe, because it's fiddly, makes gathering too many a bit less tempting!)
UNSALTED (this is important, salted butter makes it all too salty) butter
Extra virgin olive oil
Chopped fresh parsley
Garlic
Fresh breadcrumbs

Start by cleaning the mussels - I don't bother getting every last little barnacle off them, just removing any obvious dirt. Tug off the beards, but don't worry too much about them, cos it's easier to do at a later stage.

Take a large flat frying pan, and cover with a layer of mussels. Put on the heat until they open, discarding any that don't. Strain the liquid into a jug for later use*. Now comes the fiddly bit. Take each open, cooked mussel (remove them from the pan as soon as they open to prevent overcooking), take off the top shell, and loosen the meat from the 'foot' that attaches it to the shell. This is the time to remove any remaining beards, too. Lay out each mussel on a tray as you do this.

In a bowl, cream butter (estimate how much you'll need - works out at about 1/2 tsp per mussel, or less) with a tablespoon or so of the olive oil, a handful of chopped parsley, and a crushed clove of garlic. You want to end up with a spreadable consistency. Take a knife, and spread some of the garlic butter over each mussel in its shell. They can be frozen at this point, if you'r not intending to eat them the same day (but DO eat them the same day, fresh mussels are so much better than 'older' ones). Take another bowl, and fill it with fresh breadcrumbs. Take each mussel, and turn it upside down, pressing it into the breadcrumbs to get a nice coating on top. Line up the covered mussels on a foil covered grill rack, until you've done them all.

Now simply put them under a hot grill until the breadcrumbs turn golden, and serve with freshly made bread on the side for the mopping up of the juices.

Secondly - my favourite scallop salad (quite similar to The Beer Revolu's recipe above, but subtly different!):

6 scallops, coral removed, sliced horizontally into 2 medallions each.
1 pack 'continental' bacon (that's what they call it in Supervalu, anyway - it's like streaky bacon that crisps up in a pan without the addition of any cooking oil)
Lime juice
Kikkoman (it has to be Kikkoman, best flavour!) soy sauce
2 green chilies
1 clove of garlic, crushed
Salad leaves
Cherry tomatoes, halved

Start by cutting the bacon into thin strips, then put it in a frying pan with no added oil, and cook until the fat runs and the bacon bits go crispy. Remove bacon bits and keep to one side. Fry the scallop medallions in the bacon fat until slightly golden on each side, then throw in the crushed garlic, the chopped chili, a generous squeeze of lime juice, and a good splash of soy sauce.

Arrange (well, pile!) the lettuce leaves on a plate, add the halved cherry tomatoes in a decorative way (or not!), arrange the scallop medallions attractively on top, sprinkle over the crispy bacon, then drizzle the pan juices over everything.

So there you have my 2 copycat recipes I'm hungry now!

*later use: you can use a bit of this liquid to further loosen the butter mix, or reserve it, strained, for use in fish/seafood stock, chowder, whatever.

Minder

Hong Kong Salt & Pepper Prawns (Shrimp).

For this you will need at least 4 bottles of ice cold lager or beer of choice
Uncooked, shell on tiger prawns
Sichuan peppercorns
Chinese five spice
White peppercorns
Sea salt
A deep fat fryer and a wok

Make the spice mixture - dry fry the sichuan and white peppercorns and grind to a fine powder.
Add equal quantities of mixed pepper to salt and chinese 5 spice.
Remove the heads from the prawns but leave the shell on.
Deep fry the prawns for a few minutes until cooked through.
Drain the prawns and add to a dry wok on a high heat to scorch and crisp the shells.
Allow to cool slightly in the wok off the heat then add the spice mixture to coat the shellfish.
Serve to friends in a big bowl with the beers and plenty of napkins to clean fingers.

Darkginger

Just thought I'd add something about razor clams, because there don't seem to be that many recipes out there for them - but there are, really - just disguised as 'clam' recipes. Basically, anything that calls for clams, you can replace them with razor clam flesh. I think the meat should be treated the same way as squid - either cooked at high heat and for a short time, or at low heat for a long time - anything in between leaves you with tough clam! Razor clams have a nice sweet flavour - they go well in creamy or tomato-based pasta sauces, are a great addition to seafood pies (cut into 1/2" bits), and are pretty good dredged in seasoned flour and quick-fried.

Must get a tide timetable and find out when our next super-low tide is - it's the only time I can find them!

Mrs Fox

My all-time favourite prawn dish -- Garlic Prawns (Gambas Al Ajillo)


*photo credit to pbase.com


1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 lbs prawns, peeled and deveined, but leave the tail on
4 -6 garlic cloves, minced (more if you are a garlic lover)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon paprika
2 dried chillies
4 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, chopped
salt & fresh cracked black pepper

• In a wide, shallow sauté pan over high heat, warm the Olive Oil and the Butter; add the Prawns and Garlic and sauté quickly for about 2-3 minutes.

• Add the lemon juice, paprika, dried chillies, and salt and pepper to taste. Adjust seasonings to your liking.

• Serve straight from the pan, or alternatively transfer to a warmed serving dish, sprinkle with the parsley. Best mopped with crusty bread.

Mrs Fox

OK, might not be appealing to most of you, but it's quite superb really. Best served with sticky rice.



Cockles Rendang
Adapted from asianrecipesnet.com


Ingredients A

• 4 tbsp cooking oil
• 2 tbsp desiccated coconut
• 1 litre coconut milk
• 3 slices tamarind
  
• 1 turmeric leaf, tied in a knot
  
• 2 kaffir lime leaves, finely sliced
• a bowl of cockle meat
• salt & sugar
  

Ingredients B (paste)

• 10 dried chillies, seeded, soaked to soften and drained
• 5 bird's eye chillies
• 5 shallots, peeled
• 2 stalks lemon grass; tough outer leaves removed, end trimmed and finely sliced
• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• 1 cm knob ginger, peeled
• 1 cm knob galangal, peeled
• 1 cm knob turmeric, peeled, or a tbsp of turmeric powder
  

Method

1. Blend ingredients B into a paste. Heat oil in wok and sauté the paste until almost dry.
2. Add coconut milk, then add tamarind, turmeric leaf knot and kaffir lime leaves. Simmer over low gentle heat until gravy is thick.
3. Add cockle meat and season with salt and sugar. Continue to simmer over low heat until cockle meat is cooked.
4. Add desiccated coconut and turn the heat up to medium. Simmer for another last 5 minutes. Serve.
   

Mrs Fox

Darkginger wrote: »

Just thought I'd add something about razor clams, because there don't seem to be that many recipes out there for them - but there are, really - just disguised as 'clam' recipes. Basically, anything that calls for clams, you can replace them with razor clam flesh.

Agreed.
They can also be called Bamboo Clams.
This is how they're normally cooked in Malaysia, a bit similar to Chilli Crab:

Spicy Razor Clams

3 tbsp of sunflower oil
500g razor clams
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 egg, beaten
1 stalk lemongrass, bruised
1 tbsp oyster sauce
salt & sugar to taste

Chilli paste:
a handful of dried chillies, soaked to soften, and drained
2 shallots
1 clove of garlic,
a sprinkle of salt & sugar

1. First make the chilli paste: Blend all the ingredients into a paste.
2. Heat the oil in a wok on medium. Add garlic and chilli paste, saute until fragrant (about 3-4 mins).
3. Add lemongrass; stir. Add the egg and scramble it around.
4. Add the oyster sauce and stir again. Season to taste.
5. Throw in the razor clams and stir vigorously until they're cooked and well coated in the chilli mixture. Serve at once.

sdp

not really a recipe picked periwinkles yesterday afternoon,
but here what we done,
bucket of periwinkles,
rinse with cold running water
large pot of boiling water,
add 6oz salt to every 4 pints of water, or if you can manage to carry sea water all the better
add periwinkles, bring back to boil.
have pins ready, and homemade mayonnaise with fresh chives,
glass of white wine,
drain and serve in large bowl,
tuck in and enjoy, great fun and whole family enjoyed

kenco

Scallops (I go for 2 per person as a starter)
Good black pudding (Clonakilty, etc) cut in 2-3cm rounds
Rocket
Red apple sliced in segments
Lime (or lemon juice)
Extra Vig Olive Oil

Heat a pan to well hot
On one side fry the pudding in its own oils (i.e. add nothing to the pan)
On the other side add a little butter and brown the apple segments
When the pudding and apple are done (i.e. pudding crispy and apple a little soft and brown) take them off the pan and cover in tin foil
Quick clean of the pan with kitchen roll (mind the fingers)
Season the scallops with ground salt and pepper, drizzle with oil and add to the reheated pan. Give a min to two mins each side, then turn down the heat (or take the pan off the heat) and let them rest turning a couple of times
In the mean time, plate your pudding and apple with the rocket
Place the scallops on the pudding and drizzle with olive oil and the lime (or lemon juice)

Serve and enjoy (and if partaking) a nicely chilled glass of Pinot Gris matches well (or Chablis does the job too but more pricy)

Mrs Fox

Got this Kung Pao King Prawns recipe from some magazine about 5-6 years ago. It's from a top Chinese restaurant in London. I've never had Kung Pao prior to that and have always wondered what the whole fuss was about (Kung Pao to Americans is like Sweet and Sour to the Irish).
I cook this at least once a month, alternating between prawns and chicken. Chinkiang vinegar or black vinegar gives that interesting flavour to this dish, so try not to substitute it for other vinegars.

Gong Bao Sautéed King Prawns with Dried Chilli

· 250g raw tiger prawns, peeled & butterflied
· 200ml groundnut oil
· 6 dried chillies, halved & seeded
· 2g roasted & crushed Sichuan peppercorn
· 20g fresh root ginger, peeled & thinly sliced
· 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
· 4 salad onions, white parts only, thickly sliced
· 20ml chicken stock
For the marinade:
· 10ml water
· ½ egg white
· 1 tbsp corn flour
· ½ tsp salt
· ½ tsp sugar
For the sauce:
· 2 tbsp sugar
· ¾ tsp corn flour
· 2 tsp light soy sauce
· ½ dark soy sauce
· 1 ½ tbsp Chin Kiang vinegar
· 20g ginger, finely shredded
· 10g garlic, finely chopped
· 10g spring onion, finely shopped
· ½ tsp sesame oil

1. Mix the prawns well with the marinade ingredients. Stir all the ingredients for the sauce together in a small bowl until any lumps disappear. Heat the oil in a wok to about 80C. Add the prawns and fry for 1-2 minutes until pink but not fully cooked. Remove the prawns and set aside.

2. Pour off all but 3 tablespoons of oil. Return to the wok over a high heat, add the chillies and Sichuan pepper and cook briefly until you can smell their spiciness. Add the ginger, garlic and salad onion and continue to stir-fry for about 30-40 seconds. Tip in the prawns and mix together. Add the chicken stock and bring to boil.

3. Give the sauce a stir. Check the prawns are cooked through, and then add the sauce to the wok, stirring briskly as it thickens. Finally, mix together and tip onto a warm serving dish.


*Edit: Note -- Kung Pao normally has peanuts. For some reason this recipe doesn't, but I'd normally include cashews instead of peanuts to give that extra luxury taste; add them together with the chillies and Sichuan pepper.

syklops

Faith wrote: »

Ones I'd personally like to see, because I love the ingredients and would love more recipes for them: Quail, venison, prawns, lamb.

The last nights dinner/yesterdays lunch threads say no links to blogs, so I am assuming the same applies here.

Assuming no-one minds I will quote one of my favourite prawn dishes here, directly from my blog. I'm not interested in pimping my blog to people so won't mention the address.

Cajun Shrimp Recipe(What we call prawns Americans call shrimp)

This is really really easy. A great starter at a dinner party. It is quite spicy and hot, so wash it down with some cold beer or chilled white or rosé wine. Great during the winter months.
Spicy Cajun Shrimp (Prawns) Recipe

Ingredients
Prawns (as many as you can eat or get your hands on).
1 stick of salted butter – preferably Irish
Cayenne pepper
Chilli Peppers
2 garlic cloves(finely chopped)

I use Kerrygold, and I chop off just shy of an inch from the end. On low heat put it into a frying pan, although I tend to use a wok. Add the prawns. If you use fresh prawns, you can add all the other ingredients on medium heat, until the prawns are done. If using frozen, slowly cook them in the butter until thawed and then add the other ingredients. Meanwhile heat the garlic bread in the oven.

nice1franko

This is basically another Rachael Allen one. Make the salsa from this but with a finer dice. Recipe is:

1 mango (about 250g), peeled, stone removed and flesh cut into 1cm (½") dice
2 spring onions, trimmed and chopped
50 g salted peanuts, roughly chopped
1 tblsp chopped mint
1 tblsp chopped coriander
0.25 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1 tblsp lime juice
1 tblsp fish sauce (nam pla)
1 tblsp caster sugar

(The salsa is delicious, by the way. We had the rest of it the next day on sambos: griddled ciabatta, rocket, mayo and flattened chicken breasts pan fried quickly in butter)

Pan fry the scallops

Get a bit fancy with a few leaves of rocket and coriander, a thinly sliced radish and few drops of balsamic reduction:



It's very simple but a nice, quick, tasty little starter.