Food & Drink
3 Sensational Seafood Recipes That’ll Transport You To The Med
Nothing is so redolent of coastal holidays than a good seafood supper. We love these recipes for a tasty summer at home or away.
People tend to fall into two distinct camps when it comes to seafood. They love or they loathe. But whilst we, as a nation, may be better known for our meatier dishes – not for nothing are we known as ‘rosbif’ by the French – we do, of course, live on an island. It stands to reason, then, that, like other island nations, we should be fish and seafood aficionados. Fish and chips is, of course, one of our world-renowned dishes – but what of the lighter (dare we say, healthier) alternatives? Like all the best food, a seafood dish has the power to transport us to other places, nourishing all of our senses – all without leaving our own kitchens. These sensational feasts, fresh from the ocean, take us straight to the Med. Now all we need is some sunshine and a crisp, cold glass of white wine.
Great British Chefs/ Nargisse Benkabbou
‘This tagine is seafood paradise on a plate, or at least that’s how I like to think of it,’ says chef Nargisse Benkabbou. We concur as heartily, evidenced in the manner in which we hoover up this dish, which is a one-pot wonder that combines squid, mussels and prawns in a tomato sauce and whisks us straight off to Morocco in a bite. Benkabbou suggests topping the whole dish off with a crumbling of feta which, though not strictly traditional, is winningly tangy. Plus, it looks every bit as beautiful as it tastes. This recipe is taken from Cook it. Casablanca: My Moroccan Food by Nargisse Benkabbou (Mitchell Beazley, £20). Image by Matt Russell. Cook it.
Olive Magazine
We love a seafood recipe that features slightly less popularly used fish (which is to say, it’s not salmon, cod, mackerel or tuna). Monkfish and gurnard also happen to be a little more sustainable which, in a landscape – or seascape – of over-fished waters that cause eco-systems to collapse, has got to be celebrated. Sabor chef director Nieves Barragán grew up in Spain eating this beautiful dish, most particularly at family gatherings. You can see why: it’s celebratory, it looks glorious, and it feeds a crowd. We are dreaming of restaurants teetering on Spanish shores already. Cook it.
Delicious
You can’t consider a seafood supper without first rifling through the compendium of recipes available both in books and online from the master of briny goodness: Rick Stein. We especially like this one, as featured in the Australian Delicious magazine, which brings together the flavours of the ocean into a rich and hearty stew cooked in tomatoes and chilli, cut through with vinegar and sprinkled with fresh leaves of flat-leaf parsley. It is, quite simply, heaven in a bowl – and the best bit by far comes at the end: mopping up the juices with a griddled slice of sourdough. Serve with a crisp and ice-cold light Albariño and be transported to the Med with immediate effect. Cook it.
By Nancy Alsop
June 2023
Seafood And Tomato Tagine
Great British Chefs/ Nargisse Benkabbou
‘This tagine is seafood paradise on a plate, or at least that’s how I like to think of it,’ says chef Nargisse Benkabbou. We concur as heartily, evidenced in the manner in which we hoover up this dish, which is a one-pot wonder that combines squid, mussels and prawns in a tomato sauce and whisks us straight off to Morocco in a bite. Benkabbou suggests topping the whole dish off with a crumbling of feta which, though not strictly traditional, is winningly tangy. Plus, it looks every bit as beautiful as it tastes. This recipe is taken from Cook it. Casablanca: My Moroccan Food by Nargisse Benkabbou (Mitchell Beazley, £20). Image by Matt Russell. Cook it.
Seafood Rice
Olive Magazine
We love a seafood recipe that features slightly less popularly used fish (which is to say, it’s not salmon, cod, mackerel or tuna). Monkfish and gurnard also happen to be a little more sustainable which, in a landscape – or seascape – of over-fished waters that cause eco-systems to collapse, has got to be celebrated. Sabor chef director Nieves Barragán grew up in Spain eating this beautiful dish, most particularly at family gatherings. You can see why: it’s celebratory, it looks glorious, and it feeds a crowd. We are dreaming of restaurants teetering on Spanish shores already. Cook it.
Pink Ling, Mussel And Prawn Stew With Sourdough
Delicious
You can’t consider a seafood supper without first rifling through the compendium of recipes available both in books and online from the master of briny goodness: Rick Stein. We especially like this one, as featured in the Australian Delicious magazine, which brings together the flavours of the ocean into a rich and hearty stew cooked in tomatoes and chilli, cut through with vinegar and sprinkled with fresh leaves of flat-leaf parsley. It is, quite simply, heaven in a bowl – and the best bit by far comes at the end: mopping up the juices with a griddled slice of sourdough. Serve with a crisp and ice-cold light Albariño and be transported to the Med with immediate effect. Cook it.
By Nancy Alsop
June 2023
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