Seafood is always a treat, whether served at a family meal or when you are entertaining guests. Fish and seafood always seem fancy and attractive. The wonderful thing about seafood is that it cooks quickly, and yet appears like a work of labour and love.
Seafood platters are exceptionally novel. To let you in on a secret, they’re not that difficult to make, and several components can be prepared well in advance. Just ensure you have the best seafood ingredients at hand, and you’re ready to dive right in!
1. Salmon and Prawn Mash-Up
Ingredients:
- 1 head lettuce
- 2 ripe avocados
- Olive oil
- 5 slices bread
- 400 gm prawns, peeled
- 240 smoked salmon
- 200 ml tomato puree
- 2 large tablespoon mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 splashes tabasco sauce
- Salt
- 2 lemons
- 1 teaspoon grated horseradish
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon fresh cream
- 1 swig brandy/ whisky
- 1 bunch dill (fresh)
- 1 stick celery
Instructions:
- Peel the layers of the lettuce, trim them and place upward on the serving platter. Fresh, crisp lettuce works perfectly for this recipe
- Heat a pan. Scoop the flesh of the avocados and dice it. Toss the avocado with a drizzle of olive oil, salt, and pepper, and empty into the pan. Keep turning the avocado, and cook for about 4 – 5 minutes
- Remove the crumbs of the bread and cut the slices into small cubes. Add the bread cubes to the avocados when half-done, and toss them in the pan till they become crisp croutons
- Take another pan and cook the prawns until they are just done. Cool them, and place them in and around the lettuce cups. Place the salmon in the cups with the prawns. You can use the shape and structure of the prawns to wrap them around the salmon
- To make a horseradish cream, combine the grated horseradish with the sour cream and fresh cream and whisk them together. You will need about 2 tablespoons of this mixture for the recipe
- Blend together tomato puree, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, juice of 1 lemon, tabasco, and horseradish cream with a generous splash of brandy or whisky. Once blitzed, adjust the taste and season with salt and pepper, add a little olive oil and blend once more
- It’s time for the final plating. Drizzle the blended dressing in and around the filled lettuce cups, use some sprigs of dill and celery leaves generously around the plate
- Finally, drizzle a small amount of olive oil and place some lemon wedges as a garnish and for some extra zing! You could leave a small bowl of the dressing on the side for any takers
- When plating and presenting your dish, try and keep it as rustic as possible. Let the colours and textures of the dish speak for themselves. Do not try and achieve a perfectly finished look; it will detract from the heartiness of the meal.
2. Barbecued Seafood Platter
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ tablespoon smoked paprika
- 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoons chilli flakes
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon lemon rind, finely grated
- ¾ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 6 jumbo prawns
- 4 fileted sardines
- 6 tubes squid
- Sea salt
- Black pepper, crushed
- Lemon wedges – for garnish
Instructions:
- Preheat your barbecue or a grilling pan
- Combine the sweet and smoked paprika, garlic, lemon rind, chilli, vinegar, and oil. Mix it well. This is the dressing you will use through your platter
- Take your prawns, sardines, and squids, and coat them with the dressing. Leave them aside for 2 minutes
- Now put the sardines, squid, and prawns onto the pan and grill them carefully for 1-2 minutes, checking constantly. They should be tenderly cooked and may appear mildly charred
- Now place the cooked seafood onto a serving platter. Sprinkle salt, lemon juice, and pepper, and drizzle a little dressing over it. Decorate with lemon wedges and serve warm. You may place the remaining dressing in a small dipping bowl on the side. The dish is ideally eaten warm.
The secret to a perfect result is to buy seafood that’s sourced right and packaged well. If you love seafood served in different ways, you might want to experiment with Chermoula prawns, an amazing appetizer that can get your taste buds tingling for more!
To find the best, freshest ingredients, go straight to your nearest Nature’s Basket, or simply have your list delivered to your home.
