There are lots of videos online about how to dress a lobster, but I sometimes think they go really quickly and its hard to see what is what, so we have gone old school with pictures to show you step by step how to dress your lobster.
We hope you find this easy to follow.
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Octopus flesh is tough and requires tenderising. There are lots of old wives tales on how to tenderise an octopus from the gentle massaging it with wine corks to the ridiculous bagging and putting in the the washing machine on a spin cycle. It's actually really simple, just gently simmer it for one to two hours.
The octopus we sell is whole, raw and cleaned so once defrosted you are ready to go. Freezing the octopus helps to tenderise the meat so you are already ahead of the game. The first stage of preparing your octopus is to simmer it, we simmer the octopus whole but you can section the octopus up at this stage if you prefer or if your recipe suggests doing so. If you do want to section the octopus it's pretty easy, just cut the tentacles from the head, you can throw away the head at this point if you aren't going to eat it and just cook the tentacles.
The most basic way of cooking octopus is to simmer it in liquid. Fill a saucepan with salted water and bring to the boil. Some recipes cook the octopus is a stock or in wine to impart more flavour. Add the octopus, reduce the heat immediately and simmer gently for 60 to 90 minutes. It's important that the water is turned down to a gentle simmer as soon as the octopus is in the pan. Boiling or cooking it too quickly will make the octopus rubbery. You will be able to tell if it's ready if you push a knife into the thickest part of the tentacle and it goes in easily.
Once the octopus is cooked and tender you can finish it in any number of ways, you can marinate it and serve it sliced without any further cooking or finishing it on the BBQ to give it a nice charr and smoky flavour is one of our favourite ways and it's pretty easy too. You can store the cooked octopus tentacles in the fridge and use them in a number of recipes over a few days, trying out different ways to cook and discovering your favourite. We would always recommend keeping it simple to start with, try not to add to many flavours so you can taste the octopus, the decide how you want to try it next time.
]]>Squid is one of those things that you might be tempted to try in a restaurant but would never think to cook at home and I get it, squid can be scary, but it doesn't need to be that way.
]]>The first time I had squid at home we had the squid tubes that are already cleaned so most of the work has been done for you. I cut them in half and gently scored the flesh then cut each half into strips about an inch think. In a big frying pan went oil then once hot in went the first of the squid strips. I over cooked it, the squid was tough and rubbery and not nice, but I now knew how long it took to overcook squid. The next strip of squid went in and it was better but still not great, so I went again and by the fourth time I think I understood how little you have to cook squid. I learnt that as soon as the squid went from a translucent milky white to an opaque, brilliant white that it is cooked and time to get it out of the pan. It was trial and error but we got there and only ruined one squid tube.
The second time I cooked squid at home was in a curry. We had tried a squid curry when out one night and I thought I'd give it a go at home and this time tried the baby squid. I made my curry, cooked it all down until it was just about ready then added in the baby squid which I had chopped up and cooked it for all of two minutes in the sauce then served. It was delicious and squid curry is now our go to curry at home. I wouldn't have had the confidence to cook the squid like this for so little time if I hadn't had tried and failed the first time.
The third recipe I tried was slow cooking the squid that I'd stuffed with a chorizo, tomato rice, the squid was in the oven for about half an hour, 28 minutes longer than I had cooked it before. It was delicious, it had taken all the flavours from the stuffing mix and was still soft and not at all chewy and rubbery as it was when I overcooked it the first time despite being in the oven for so long.
Squid really is an amazing ingredient, it can be cooked really fast and hot or long and slow and it's delicious both times. There really is nothing to be scared about, give it a go and be prepared to get it wrong a few times but once you get it right and learn to spot the signs it's cooked, well, you won't look back. You will be like me, trying to find the next way to try cooking squid, it might be this braised squid in red wine.
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The reason why seafood platters are great for a get together is that you can choose the variety of items and alter portion sizes according to your guests. If you love smoked salmon, have a more of it, and are not a fan of lobster, you can have less or none at all.
Prawns
Who doesn’t love prawns and they are great on a platter. Small sweet peeled prawns are easy to eat with little mess. Shell on crevettes are messier to eat, but thats all a part of the fun, just remember finger bowls and empty bowls for all the shells. They come a range of sizes, from the small and sweet to the big and juicy, don't think that you just have to have one type of prawn, they all have something different to bring to your platter, nostalgia being one!
Oysters
Either you love them or hate them, but they are easy to prepare, delicious and a conversation starter. You can just open them and serve them on ice with a couple of sauces and slices of lemon.
Crab
I would say a dressed crab is a must have on a seafood platter, to encourage people to share the crab meat I would make sure a spoon is next to the shell or close so they can help themselves to some crabmeat, not the whole crab. Crab claws are another option, they are quite delicious and good fun to crack open and eat.
Clams And Mussels
Clams and mussels are ideal for dinner parties. You can serve them raw or steam for a few minutes and require little preparation. If you care having hot elements to your platter, you could try stuffed and baked clams or try adding garlic butter, breadcrumbs and grated cheese to your half shell mussels and pop them under the grill for a real treat.
Lobster
A little lobster can go a long way if you know this tip, take out the tail meat, slice the meat into chunks and place it back into the shell. People are less likely to take the whole lobster when they can see that the meat is in chunks to share.
Get as much as seafood you want depending on the number of guests and what kind of seafood you choose. It is best that you order a bit more rather than falling short while serving. You can always cook a fish pie with the leftovers.
A subtly sweet tomato risotto with chilli kick alongside decadent chunks of lobster makes a perfect special occasion meal.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
Bring the stock to a simmer over low heat in a medium pan. Using kitchen scissors, cut through the soft shell on the belly of the lobster and gently remove the tail meat, crack open the claws and remove the meat. Put the left over lobster shell into the stock and cut the cooked lobster meat into bite-sized chunks. Set the meat aside.
Let the stock simmer for 10 minutes then strain through a sieve to remove all the shell. Put the stock back on the heat on a low simmer.
In a large pan over medium heat, add the olive oil and onion. Sweat the onion, stirring until soft, about 5 minutes. Add rice and stir to coat the rice. Cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes.
Add the wine to the rice and stir, scraping any bits from the bottom of the pan. When the wine cooks off, add a large ladle of stock and continue to cook and stir. When the stock cooks off, add another ladle of stock. Continue this process of adding broth and cooking it off, stirring continuously.
When you are about 15 minutes into cooking and have added most of the stock, add the tomatoes, chilli flakes and cinnamon. After 2 minutes, add the rest of the stock and continue to cook another 5 minutes or until the rice is tender and cooked through and risotto has thickened.
Add the lobster chunks and cook another minute until the lobster is just cooked through. Season to taste with sea salt and pepper, top with fresh basil leaves and if you like some chopped fresh chilli and enjoy.
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Not everyone has a platter dish large enough for a seafood platter, but there are other things you can use instead; a cake stand placed on a plate so you can lay out the seafood on both the cake stand and the plate. If you have a large paella pan or chopping board you can use those to display your seafood. Adding a layer of salad leaves to the dish helps to balance out the pink of the platter and adds another texture to your platter.
If you don't have a large board, or a plate big enough you could create small dishes out of the items in your platter and serve them on smaller dishes. If you have cockle meat on your platter, a good idea is to put them into a small dish with some vinegar to quickly pickle them and serve with some cocktail sticks. You could make up a quick and simple pate with your smoked mackerel and serve to mix up the textures on your platter. You could pot your shrimps with a flavoured butter and serve that with some crusty bread. Place items like peeled prawns in leaves of little gem with a dollop of seafood sauce and a small lemon wedge to eat as a whole.
Most of our seafood platters include lobster, a good tip when having lobster on a platter to feed a crowd is to take out the tail meat, slice the meat into chunks and place it back into the shell. People are less likely to take the whole lobster when they can see that the meat is in chunks to share.
Don't forget your sides, they make the seafood go further, add extra texture and flavours. Crusty bread and potatoes are always a winner but you could add a refreshing lemon and herby couscous or a tabbouleh and some flat breads. Adding wedges of lemon to the platter not only for taste but for colour too. Different dips and sauces for the different elements of your seafood platter will really help to bring it all alive.
]]>Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
For the risotto, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan on a medium heat. Add the chopped shallots and cook for a few minutes until translucent.
Add the risotto rice and toast for a minute or two, continuously moving around the pan, before adding the white wine.
Stir well and the add the stock, one ladleful at a time, stirring until the risotto is a nice creamy consistency and the rice still has a good bite.
Mix in the frozen peas and parmesan and gently heat until the peas are cooked through and the cheese has melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper and keep covered in a low heat until ready to serve.
Just before serving, stir the lemon zest through the risotto (you can add a splash of stock to loosen the rice off if needed).
To cook the scallops, heat the butter and 1 tbsp olive oil in a large pan on a high heat. Add the scallops to the pan, season with salt and pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes (depending on size) on each side, or until golden brown.
Serve seared scallops on a bed of the risotto, top with the fresh mint and pea shoots and dress with a squeeze of lemon juice.
]]>You don’t have to use them at one go. I have a zip loc bag in my freezer that I add prawn heads and shells into as I have them. When I have enough and have the time to make the stock, they are ready to defrost and use.
INGREDIENTS
Rinse any shells which may be hiding grit or sand (this is particularly important with crabs) and break down larger shells into smaller pieces. This gives them a larger surface area, which touches the bottom of the pan and caramelises, creating more flavour. The easiest way of doing this is by bashing the shells with a rolling pin in a deep pan or wrapped in a clean cloth.
Heat a tablespoon of the oil and the butter in a large stock pot. Add the shells and cook over a medium heat for 10–15 minutes, stirring to avoid sticking. The shells should be in one layer on the bottom of the pan to enable proper caramelisation, so work in batches if you need to. If you are using langoustines or prawns, use a rolling pin to crush the heads open. Once nicely coloured, transfer the shells to a bowl.
Deglaze the pan to collect up all the delicious bits stuck to the bottom. Do this by turning the heat up high, then add about 50ml of the brandy. Turn the heat back down and use a spatula to scrape the pan clean. Tip these juices into the bowl of shells.
Add the remaining oil and, once hot, add the chopped vegetables and smashed garlic. Cook for about 10 minutes until caramelised, stirring to avoid any burning.
Add in the tomato puree and cook out for 2 minutes.
Add the shells back into the pot along with the delicious juices. Pour in the remaining brandy and reduce by half.
Top up with water to about 3cm above the shells. Bring to the boil and then skim off the scum which rises to the top using a ladle.
Add the coriander seeds, bay leaves, thyme and any other herbs you choose to use and simmer the stock uncovered for 2–3 hours. Make sure the stock stays at a gentle simmer rather than a rolling boil, and periodically skim off impurities floating on the surface.
Once ready, place a colander over a large bowl and line with muslin or a thin, clean tea towel. Carefully pour the pan's contents into the colander. Use the back of a ladle to crush the shells, making sure you extract every last bit of stock.
You can now either return the stock to the pan and reduce further, or chill. The stock will keep for 2–3 days in the fridge or freeze for up to 3 months.
Hard shell clams are different to the more popular palourde clam, they tend to be a lot bigger, the shell is heavier, thicker and more triangular in shape. In terms of taste, there's not that much difference, they have a stronger taste which is why they work well in a chowder.
Here are some suggestion on how you can enjoy our hard shell clams:
Eat them Raw
The clams come from our river where they grow wild, we bring them to the Fishery where they are depurated so you can be confident eating them raw. The only drawback to this is getting them open, they are well known to be difficult to open, so if you are going to have them raw order the small ones. Open them like an oyster, tip away the water inside the shell and squeeze a wedge of lemon on to the meat at enjoy, remembering to chew the sweet meat, don't just swallow it.
Make a Chowder
Hard shell clams are really popular in New England, USA, where they make them into a chowder with potato, bacon, onions and cream, it's delicious and really comforting on a cold winters day. Rick Stein has a really good clam chowder recipe that he suggests serving in a hollowed out sourdough loaf, it's worth a look.
Stuffed Baked Clams
This is another New England favourite, the clams are steamed then the meat removed chopped and mixed with breadcrumbs, bacon, herbs and cheese then the mix is stuffed back into the shells and they are baked until golden.
Steamed Clams
If you want to use the clam meat in a recipe like a linguine, risotto or to add to a fish pie then it's best to steam them. Just place them in a steamer for 4-5 minutes and the meat will steam inside the shell. This will make the clam easier to open and you can then remove the meat to use as you wish.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
Spread the crabmeat out onto a plate and loosen with a fork - this will help take off the chill of the fridge (if the crabmeat is too cold, the cheese could clump).
Put the percorino in a bowl and gradually whisk in 4 tbsp of room temperature water.
Cook the spaghetti in lots of boiling salted water until just tender, then drain, saving a cup of the cooking water.
Put the olive oil in a wide shallow pan and gently heat the pepper for a couple of minutes. Tip in the drained spaghetti and 2 tbsp of the cooking water. Stir a few times, then add the cheese and toss. It should come together to make a creamy sauce that coats the pasta.
Add the crab and toss briefly to warm through. Serve on warm plates with an extra sprinkle of pepper.
Recipe and image Olive Magazine
]]>Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
For the pesto butter, add the butter, lemon juice, parmesan, basil, garlic and pine nuts to a food processor. Blitz until a smooth consistency. Set aside until ready to use.
Open your oysters and place them on the half shell on a grill pan or large baking tray. You can use some crunched up foil or salt to steady the oysters on the tray. Tip out any water from the oysters after you have opened them as this is just seawater.
Place 1/2 tsp of the pesto butter on top of each oyster.
Cook the oysters under a preheated grill for 3-4 minutes each.
Serve immediately with a sprinkling of grated parmesan.
]]>This langoustines recipe is perfect for dinner parties – quick, a bit showy and totally delicious.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
For the lemon and pepper butter, simply mix the butter, black pepper and the lemon zest with a pinch of sea salt and set aside.
Heat a grill to high. Combine the langoustines and wine or water in a pan. Bring to the boil, cover, then lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove and cool slightly.
Place your langoustines, belly-side down, on a chopping board and cut in half lengthways, discarding the black vein in the tail.
Place, flesh-side up, on a baking tray, top with the lemon butter, sprinkle over the breadcrumbs and drizzle with oil.
Finely grate the zest from 1 lemon into a bowl and set aside, then halve both lemons. Place the lemon halves on the tray. Grill for 5 to 10 minutes, or until golden – keep an eye on it.
Serve the langoustines sprinkled with zest and with the grilled lemon.
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Serves 2
INGREDIENTS
Remove the skin from the fish and check the fillets for bones, removing them as you go.
Break the fish into pieces and put into a bowl.
Add the horseradish, mustard, black pepper, crème fraîche and lemon juice and mix into a paste.
You can put everything into a blender if you want a really smooth pate, but we like it a bit lumpy.
Serve on toasted sourdough bread with a green salad.
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Scallops and cauliflower are a match made in a sweet, creamy heaven. Just be sure to blitz the cauliflower for long enough so to get a really smooth creamy puree.
Serves 2
INGREDIENTS
Melt 50g of butter in a deep saucepan and add the cauliflower, sweating the mixture until the cauliflower starts to soften. Once it starts to soften, add the milk and bring to the boil, then simmering for a further 10 mins.
Strain off the milk, leaving to one side, and using a blender or a hand-blender, blend the cauliflower with the remaining butter, salt and lemon juice to a puree.
Heat a frying pan without oil/butter and sear the cauliflower slices. Once seared, leave to one side and add the oil and butter ready to pan fry the scallops. Add the scallops to the pan and sear for approximately 2 minutes on each side, making sure the scallops do not touch each other. Remove from the heat.
To plate the dish you can do a chef style smear of puree across the plate or just dollop the puree onto the plates, top with the scallops and serve with a wedge of lemon and a side salad.
]]>Crispy golden squid with coriander, peanuts and chilli, great as a snack, a starter or serve with rice for to make it a main.
]]>Crispy golden squid with coriander, peanuts and chilli, great as a snack, a starter or serve with rice for to make it a main.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
Put the milk into a shallow bowl and the flours together into another with lots of seasoning. Fill a pan no more than 1/3 full with vegetable oil and heat to 180C or until a cube of bread browns in 30 seconds.
In batches, tip the squid into the milk, shaking off excess liquid before tipping into the seasoned flour and tossing well until fully coated. Again in batches, carefully lower the squid into the oil and cook for 1-2 minutes or until really crisp and pale golden. Drain onto kitchen paper and season with sea salt flakes.
Put the squid into a bowl and stir through the chillies, spring onions, peanuts and coriander, and serve with lime wedges for squeezing over.
]]>This smokey chorizo and tomato rice stuffed baby squid recipe is surprisingly easy to to make and really delivers on taste. It's perfect when you want to try something different but still keep it healthy.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6.
Heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil in a deep frying pan over a medium heat and cook the chorizo for 2-3 minutes or until it’s starting to crisp.
Add the onion and a pinch of salt, and cook for 10 minutes until the onion is soft.
Tip in the garlic and cook for a minute, then add the rice and stir well. Pour in the wine and bubble until evaporated.
Add the tomatoes and stock, and simmer for 12 minutes until the rice is tender. Stir through the squid tentacles, parsley and a little seasoning.
Make a small hole in the pointed end of each squid body (this will stop them from bursting in the oven), then stuff with the rice mixture.
Put into a roasting tin, spooning around any left-over rice, drizzle with the remaining olive oil and bake for 20 minutes.
Serve with a green salad and crusty bread, if you like.
]]>This is a wonderful dish to try at home, it looks stunning but is surprisingly simple to make. The crispy salty oysters served with the sweet apricot puree is just delicious.
Cooking rock oysters is a great way to convert people who are nervous about oysters into oyster lovers. My mum swore she would never eat an oyster, nope, not for her. I then cooked some for her and she ate them as quickly as I could cook them! For oyster lovers, cooking oysters seems to intensify the flavour and firms up the texture to that of a cooked mussel, they are delicious. Just be sure to only cook a rock oyster as native oysters are far too delicate to be cooked.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
Oysters
Tempura Batter
Apricot Puree
To serve
For the apricot purée, chop the apricots and mix with the salt and sugar. Put in a pan and cook to a thick chunky purée. Blitz in a blender adding some orange juice to thin it if required.
For the tempura batter, put the ingredients in a blender and blend for 10 seconds to make a light batter. If it’s too thin then add more flour. If it's too thick add a little more water.
Remove the oysters from their shells and put aside. Sterilise the oyster shells by scraping away the excess oyster from inside the shell and boiling them in water for 5 minutes, then plunge them into cold water.
Heat a deep fat fryer filled with the oil. Lightly dust the oysters in the remaining cornflour. Dip into the batter and deep fry for around 2 minutes or until crispy. Drain on kitchen paper.
To plate, spoon some rock salt onto a plate. Sit the sterilised shells on it, spoon some apricot purée into each and put the hot fried oysters on top. Serve immediately.
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A simple and elegant recipe that celebrates the freshness of our oysters accented primarily by butter and thyme.
Serves 4 to 6
INGREDIENTS
Position the grill tray as close as possible to the source of the heat and preheat the grill to medium.
Heat the wine, vinegar, sliced shallot, peppercorns, and bay leaf in a small saucepan over medium-high heat to a full simmer. Reduce the heat and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated and what is left is the consistency of maple syrup.
With the heat on low, whisk in the butter, a few pieces at a time, until all is incorporated. Do not add another piece of butter until the previous one is incorporated. keep the heat on low or the sauce could split if it gets too hot.
Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside, covered, to keep warm.
Spread the rock salt or uncooked rice in a single layer in a shallow baking pan that can fit under the grill, the salt will help the oysters stay level when you grill them. Arrange the oysters, still in their bottom shells, on the salt or rice, making sure they remain as level as possible.
Spoon the butter sauce over each oyster.
Grill the oysters for about 5 minutes, or until the sauce browns and breaks slightly. Remove the oysters from the grill. Sprinkle with the thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Serve warm.
Recipe and picture from www.finecooking.com
]]>Stuffed quahogs, or “stuffies,” are a delicious mixture of diced clams, breadcrumbs, and spices baked on the half-shell. The clams are our hard shell clams which are hugely popular in America, the larger clams are called Quahogs and it's these you will need for this recipe.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
Preheat the oven to 180C
In a medium pot, bring 1 litre of water to a boil over high heat. Add onion and clams, letting them steam until they open up, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the clams and save the broth.
Take the cooked clams out of their shells and chop finely. Separate the shells into halves and save.
Soak the toast in the broth and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the other ingredients and mix until stiff.
Scoop the mixture into empty half-shells. Place stuffed clams on a sheet pan and bake for 30 minutes, or until toasty brown on top. Serve with a pat of butter.
]]>One large, cooked brown crab will supply the right amount of crab meat for these small tarts. If you don't want to pick your own crab, you could buy two dressed Cromer crabs and use the meat from those. An ideal canapé or starter, they’re also a creamy, comforting treat which can be made and then reheated before serving warm.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
For the shortcrust pastry
For the filling
To make the pastry, sift the flour and salt into a food processor or a mixing bowl. Add the pieces of chilled butter and lard and work together until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the water with a round-bladed knife until it comes together into a ball, turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead briefly until smooth.
Preheat the oven to 220C/gas mark 7. Roll out the pastry and use to line 4 shallow 12cm loose-based tartlet tins. Chill for 20 minutes. Line the pastry cases with baking paper and beans and bake blind for 15 minutes. Remove the paper and beans, brush the inside of each case with egg white and return to the oven for 2 minutes. Remove from the oven and lower the temperature to 200C/gas mark 6.
Mix the crab meat with the egg yolks, cream, cayenne and some salt and pepper. Spoon the mixture into the tartlet cases and sprinkle with the gruyère cheese. Bake at the top of the oven for 15-20 minutes, until lightly golden. Serve warm.
This is a Rick Stein recipe from the Guardian. Photo by James Murphy
]]>A rich and luxurious lobster risotto recipe makes an elegant dish for a special occasion. You could make your own stock from the lobster shells or use our fish stock which makes for a much quicker and simpler dish that doesn't affect the flavour. If you do want to make the lobster stock from scratch the full recipe can be found here.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
If using a cooked lobster, remove the meat and chop into pieces, if using lobster meat, defrost and chop into pieces, refrigerate until needed.
Gently heat the olive oil and 25g of the butter in a heavy-based pan. Once hot, add the shallots and sweat until soft but not coloured.
Add the rice and fry lightly, stirring continuously until translucent. Season lightly with salt and cayenne pepper.
Add a ladleful of stock to the pan, stirring continuously until it has been completely absorbed by the rice. Repeat this process, one ladleful at a time, until all of the stock has been absorbed. Cook gently so the rice doesn't cook too quickly on the outside - this process should take 10-15 minutes
Taste the risotto to check the seasoning and the texture of the rice - it should be soft with a slight bite. If you have used all of your stock and the rice is still too hard, add a splash of boiling water to finish.
Once cooked to your liking, add the remaining butter, diced lobster meat and diced tomatoes. Stir well, place a lid on the pan and leave to stand for 2 minutes.
Divide the risotto into bowls and garnish with tarragon and chives.
]]>This octopus stew recipe is popular throughout all of Catalonia, thanks to its simplicity and comforting, satisfying flavour, perfect for a cold winters day. It's important to break the potatoes apart rather than simply chopping them up, as this releases more starch into the sauce for a rich, thick finish.
Serves 4 - 6
INGREDIENTS
Begin by cooking the octopus. Bring a large pan of water to the boil, then carefully add the octopus with the onion and bay leaves. Simmer for 45–60 minutes, or until the octopus is tender.
Drain the octopus, reserving 1 litre of the cooking liquid.
To make the stew, heat up the oil in a large pan and gently sweat the onions and garlic with a pinch of salt until soft. Add the paprika and tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to avoid sticking.
Add the white wine and bay leaves and reduce the liquid in the pan by two-thirds. Pour in the reserved 1 litre of octopus stock and simmer for 1 hour.
Peel the potatoes and cut into them using a knife, then twist the knife to break them apart. Break into rough 3–4cm chunks and set aside (cutting and breaking them apart like this releases more starch, which helps thicken the stew).
Use scissors to cut the octopus into neat 3cm pieces.
When the stew has been cooking for an hour, add the potato and octopus pieces and cook for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked through. The stew should have thickened up by this point, but you can simmer for a little longer if needed to reduce the liquid.
Taste and season the stew with salt and a few drops of Tabasco, if desired. Serve warm with chopped parsley.
Recipe and picture from Great British Chefs.
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This recipe for scallops with butternut purée and sage butter makes for an easy but impressive starter for four or lunch for 2.
Serves 2 - 4
INGREDIENTS
Cut the butternut squash into chunks, rub with a little olive oil and seasoning and roast for 30-40 mins at 180C/fan 160C/gas 6 until really tender.
Whizz in a food processor or blender with a splash of stock/wine until smooth, then sieve, season and keep warm.
Sizzle a few sage leaves in some butter until crisp.
Dry the scallops on some kitchen paper, season them on both sides, then heat a little oil in a heavy-based pan and, when it’s sizzling hot, add the scallops for 1-2 minutes at the most on each side.
Serve the scallops on a pile of purée, drizzle with sage butter and scatter over some toasted pine nuts.
]]>Briny, minerally oysters just barely cooked, surrounded by smoky bacon and lightened with the zing of fresh lime juice.
Serves 6-4
INGREDIENTS
Pre-cook the bacon slices: Working in batches if necessary, cook the bacon slices on medium heat in a large frying pan, until only about halfway cooked, but not crispy.
You need to pre-cook the bacon a bit or else when you cook them with the oysters, the oysters will be overcooked by the time the bacon is crispy. Set the bacon aside to cool.
Get a grill or BBQ good and hot while you wrap the oysters.
To make an angel on horseback, you wrap 1/2 a piece of bacon around the small oyster and secure it with the toothpick. Overlap the edges of the bacon by about an inch if you can.
Grill or BBQ over high heat to cook the oyster and crisp the bacon, about 5-6 minutes on the first side, another 2-4 once you turn them over. You will need to turn them once or twice to get a good crispiness on all sides.
As soon as they come off the heat, squirt with the lime juice and serve hot.
Recipe and picture simplyrecipes.com
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A lobster cocktail for a special festive starter made with refreshing melon and cucumber and a rich sauce with a spicy kick. You can make the sauce in advance then assemble everything just before serving.
Serves 8
INGREDIENTS
Cut the tail and claw meat into small similar-size pieces.
Scoop out the seeds from the melon and discard. Slice the flesh from the skin and cut into chunks about the same size as the lobster pieces. Peel the cucumber, halve lengthways, then scoop out the seeds with a melon-baller or teaspoon. Cut into chunks the same size as the melon pieces.
For the cocktail dressing, put the mayonnaise into a bowl, then stir in the soured cream or crème fraîche, ketchup, creamed horseradish, Tabasco and lemon juice.
Discard the outer leaves from the lettuce(s) and finely shred the remainder. Divide evenly among 4 or 6 prawn cocktail dishes, large wine coupes or small glass bowls.
Gently stir the lobster meat, melon and cucumber into the cocktail dressing, then divide equally among the glasses or bowls, piling it on top of the lettuce. Sprinkle with a little paprika and serve with thinly sliced brown bread and butter.
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How pretty is this smoked salmon wreath? A beautiful way to present your smoked salmon this Christmas and it's quick and simple to put together.
]]>How pretty is this smoked salmon wreath? A beautiful way to present your smoked salmon this Christmas and it's quick and simple to put together, perfect for Christmas Day or when you are feeding a crowd.
Serves Eight
INGREDIENTS
Use a mandoline to very thinly slice the fennel lengthways. Place in a large bowl with the juice of 1 lime. Add a large pinch of salt, toss to combine and set aside to pickle.
Cut spring onions into 8cm lengths and thinly slice lengthways. Place in a bowl of iced water for 2-3 minutes or until lightly curled. Drain well. Roughly mash the avocados in a bowl. Add the juice from the remaining limes, season and stir to combine.
Drain fennel. Arrange avocado in a heaped circle around the edge of a large plate. Arrange pickled fennel, cucumber, radish, shallot and salmon over the top. Drizzle with oil and season with pepper. Dollop on crème fraîche and scatter with the dill and micro herbs.
Serve immediately with crackers or bread, if you like.
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This Lobster Linguine is luxurious and packed with amazing flavours including garlic, chilli, shallots, parsley and coriander. It's a great dish to make when you want to impress but are short on time!
Serves Four
INGREDIENTS
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, add the linguine and cook for 2 minutes. Drain and reserve some of the water.
Melt the butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic, fry for two minutes then add the wine, cream, lobster meat and lemon juice followed by the herbs and chilli.
Add the pasta to the sauce with some of the water to create the desired consistency then season and serve.
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This easy crab risotto recipe is quick to make for a mid-week supper and impressive enough for a dinner party, just don't tell them how easy it was to make!
Serves Four
INGREDIENTS
Put the brown crab meat in a mini-processor with the Tabasco and lemon juice and blitz to combine. Check the seasoning.
Heat the oil and 50g of the butter in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the onion or shallots and cook, stirring for about 2 minutes, until soft and translucent. Stir in the rice and cook for a further 2 minutes.
Turn up the heat and add the wine. Bubble rapidly for about 2 minutes to cook off the alcohol, then reduce the heat to medium and begin adding the hot stock, a ladleful at a time, stirring continuously. Allow each addition to be absorbed before adding the next, until al dente – it should take about 18 minutes.
Add the blitzed brown crab meat and cook for another 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining butter, white crab meat and basil.
Serve immediately, garnished with basil leaves.
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Delicious ginger and coriander-tinged crab cakes that are quick to make and as our crab meat is freshly picked you can make up a large batch and freeze some for a rainy day.
Makes 12 crab cakes
INGREDIENTS
To serve
Place the ginger and chilli into a mini food processor and pulse until finely chopped.
In a bowl combine the chilli and ginger with the white crabmeat, coriander and spring onions. Crack in one egg and mix well, then stir in 4 tablespoons of the breadcrumbs.
Divide the crab cake mixture into 6 equal portions and mould into patties. Place on a tray and chill in the fridge for about 20 minutes before cooking.
Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4.
Beat the remaining egg in a small bowl with one tablespoon of water to make an egg wash. Place some plain flour and the remaining breadcrumbs in separate shallow dishes.
Dredge a crab cake in the flour, then dip into the egg and coat in the breadcrumbs. Shake gently to remove any excess breadcrumbs. Repeat with the remaining crab cakes.
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and fry the crab cakes for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until crisp and golden-brown all over. Transfer the crab cakes to a baking tray and bake for 5-10 minutes, or until piping hot all the way through.
Serve the crab cakes with sweet chilli jam and a mixed leaf salad, lightly dressed with olive oil, salt and freshly ground black pepper.
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INGREDIENTS
Place the flour on a board or in a bowl and make a well in the centre.
Crack the eggs into the well, add a pinch of salt then with a fork, mix the egg into the flour as much as possible so it’s not sticky. Don’t worry if there are lumps in the dough. Keep mixing and then when crumbs form put it on a flat surface and knead together. You can also speed this up by mixing your ingredients in a food processor until they bind.
Once it is all combined, knead until you have a silky, smooth, elastic dough. You are aiming to achieve a playdough texture. If your dough is crumbly (too dry) add a teaspoon of olive oil. If the dough sticks to your hands (too wet) add a little extra flour.
Cover with cling film and rest for 30 minutes.
TIP: The general rule for portions is 100g flour, 1 egg and a pinch of salt for a generous portion of pasta for 1 person
Lobster Ravioli
Tomato Cream Sauce
Chop up the lobster meat and set aside
Put the butter in a pan and gently melt it over a medium heat. Once the butter is golden and toasted add the garlic and chilli flakes and cook for another minute.
Remove from the heat and stir in the lobster, lemon zest and juice, salt and pepper and ricotta, combine well and set aside.
Roll your pasta dough into sheets and place 1 tablespoon of filling one inch apart in a line on one side of the pasta sheet. Brush around the filling with water to moisten and fold the sheet over the filling pressing firmly around the filling to seal. Cut into squares and using the prongs of a fork press around the edges of each parcel to seal. Be sure to cover the finished ravioli whilst you make the next batch and the pasta sauce.
To make the sauce, place the butter and oil in a pan to melt. Add the onion and cook until soft then add the garlic and cook for another minute.
Stir in the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper and cook for 15-20 minutes until thickened. Add the milk, parmesan, parsley and basil and cook for another 10 minutes.
Once you have added the milk, bring a large pan of salted water to a boil and add the ravioli in batches to the water and cook for 2-3 minutes and drain. They will rise to the top once cooked.
Divide the cooked ravioli between four bowls, spoon over the sauce, grate over some parmesan and serve.