Fish and Shellfish
Cioppino
2 partly cooked crabs or lobsters, cleaned, cracked, and sectioned
36 scrubbed clams
1 pound peeled raw prawns
1 1/2 pounds fish in 2 - 3 inch sections
10 - 12 large scallops or 1 1/2 pounds scrubbed mussels
Prepare all fish and shellfish and set aside.
1/4 to 1 cup olive oil
2 large chopped onions
6 - 10 diced garlic cloves
1 bunch of parsley minced
1 can tomato paste
2 - 3 cans stewed, diced tomatoes
2 bay leaves
1 Tablespoons oregano
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups chicken or fish broth
1 1/4 cups red wine
12 Kalamata olives
Cook the onions, garlic, and parsley in the olive oil until onions are translucent
Add the tomato paste and cook a couple of minutes.
Add stewed tomatoes, spices, wine and olives and cook five minutes.
Add the live shellfish and stir.
Add the fish and other cooked shellfish. Don't stir, but ladle sauce over it.
Simmer for about five minutes.
This is a messy dish. Provide your guests with plenty of napkins and don't serve on a white tablecloth.
Shell crackers and picks are necessary.
Good served with a crunchy bread or with rice.
36 scrubbed clams
1 pound peeled raw prawns
1 1/2 pounds fish in 2 - 3 inch sections
10 - 12 large scallops or 1 1/2 pounds scrubbed mussels
Prepare all fish and shellfish and set aside.
1/4 to 1 cup olive oil
2 large chopped onions
6 - 10 diced garlic cloves
1 bunch of parsley minced
1 can tomato paste
2 - 3 cans stewed, diced tomatoes
2 bay leaves
1 Tablespoons oregano
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups chicken or fish broth
1 1/4 cups red wine
12 Kalamata olives
Cook the onions, garlic, and parsley in the olive oil until onions are translucent
Add the tomato paste and cook a couple of minutes.
Add stewed tomatoes, spices, wine and olives and cook five minutes.
Add the live shellfish and stir.
Add the fish and other cooked shellfish. Don't stir, but ladle sauce over it.
Simmer for about five minutes.
This is a messy dish. Provide your guests with plenty of napkins and don't serve on a white tablecloth.
Shell crackers and picks are necessary.
Good served with a crunchy bread or with rice.
Octopus Tapas
One 1 1/2 pound octopus
water to cover
3 TBSP. balsamic vinegar
2 crushed garlic cloves
1/2 TBSP. whole black peppercorns
a few springs of fresh thyme
Boil the above for around 1 1/2 hours or until tender. Drain, discard all but the octopus. Clean the suckers, loose skin, and any remaining seasonings from the octopus. Slice into bite sized pieces. Toss with the items below: Serve while still warm.
1 1/2 tsp. sweet paprika
1 thinly sliced garlic clove
2 tsp. chopped parsley
salt to taste
juice of 1/2 lime
1/4 cup hazelnut oil (or any other tasty nut oil)
water to cover
3 TBSP. balsamic vinegar
2 crushed garlic cloves
1/2 TBSP. whole black peppercorns
a few springs of fresh thyme
Boil the above for around 1 1/2 hours or until tender. Drain, discard all but the octopus. Clean the suckers, loose skin, and any remaining seasonings from the octopus. Slice into bite sized pieces. Toss with the items below: Serve while still warm.
1 1/2 tsp. sweet paprika
1 thinly sliced garlic clove
2 tsp. chopped parsley
salt to taste
juice of 1/2 lime
1/4 cup hazelnut oil (or any other tasty nut oil)
Stargazy Pie
Forgive me for this, but I'm fascinated by this dish. It originated in Mousehole, Cornwall, UK. (Pronounced more like muscle.) Once I've cooked it, I'll correct to what works best. I'll also select the right sort of fish as available on the eastern US seaboard.
Heat the butter in a medium pan and gently cook the onion and bacon until soft. Add the flour and stir well, then slowly add the wine and fish stock, stirring well to prevent lumps forming. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add the cream, bring back to the boil and simmer until reduced by half and thickened. Remove from the heat; add the parsley and chopped egg, season with salt and pepper and leave to cool.
Preheat the oven to 380 degrees.
Cut the fillets of fish in half and lay them in a shallow pie or flan dish, then lightly season with salt and pepper.
Put the bottom crust in the pie pan. Arrange the fillets on top of the pastry. Pour the sauce over the fish. Lay the top crust over the pan and trim and crimp the edges. Make 6 small slits in the pastry and push the reserved fish heads through them. Brush the top with the beaten egg. Bake for 40-45 minutes until the pastry is golden.
Serve with greens in autumn and winter, or with a selection of spring vegetables.
- Dough for two crusts on a 8" pie
- 6 - 10 fresh sardines or herring, scaled, cleaned, filleted, cut in half with the heads set aside.
- 1 finely chopped onion
- 3 thick slices of bacon, chopped to 1/4 inch pieces
- 1 Tablespoon flour, plus more for dusting
- 3 Tablespoons dry white wine
- 1 cup fish stock or canned clam juice
- 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
- 2 Tablespoons chopped parsley
- 2 Hard boiled eggs, shelled and chopped
- 1 beaten egg
Heat the butter in a medium pan and gently cook the onion and bacon until soft. Add the flour and stir well, then slowly add the wine and fish stock, stirring well to prevent lumps forming. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add the cream, bring back to the boil and simmer until reduced by half and thickened. Remove from the heat; add the parsley and chopped egg, season with salt and pepper and leave to cool.
Preheat the oven to 380 degrees.
Cut the fillets of fish in half and lay them in a shallow pie or flan dish, then lightly season with salt and pepper.
Put the bottom crust in the pie pan. Arrange the fillets on top of the pastry. Pour the sauce over the fish. Lay the top crust over the pan and trim and crimp the edges. Make 6 small slits in the pastry and push the reserved fish heads through them. Brush the top with the beaten egg. Bake for 40-45 minutes until the pastry is golden.
Serve with greens in autumn and winter, or with a selection of spring vegetables.