Do you love seafood? I'm sure you will: it's hard to find a person who doesn't like grilled shrimp, golden scallops or mussels in a fragrant sauce. I would eat them every day, if not for one thing: in most regions of our country, seafood is a luxury, and moreover, it is available mainly in frozen form. In large cities there are companies that sell fresh seafood, but this does not change the overall picture. What adds piquancy is the fact that it is useless for most of us to learn how to cook seafood from our mothers and grandmothers due to their lack of such experience. Well, we'll figure it out on our own.
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General rules
Fresh seafood is better than frozen, but frozen is not necessarily worse than fresh. Paradox? Not at all. Indeed, nothing compares to freshly caught sea creatures, especially if you cook and eat them right in the sea, on a boat rocking on the waves. But this luxury, alas, is not available to everyone (or rather, almost no one). Chilled ones, no matter how quickly they are transported and how carefully the temperature is controlled, begin to lose quality - and those seafood that were frozen immediately after catching are seen as not only a more affordable, but sometimes also a higher quality alternative. Therefore, rule number one: there is no need to be afraid of frozen seafood.
Another general rule is that frozen seafood should either be defrosted as delicately as possible, or started cooking without defrosting at all. In the first case, it is worth transferring seafood from the freezer to the refrigerator a day before cooking so that it can thaw quietly without losing its juiciness and texture. Some juices will inevitably leak out, but there is no need to pour them out - the flavor of seafood is concentrated in them, so you can use these juices when preparing soup or sauce. In the second case, you are required to heat up the container in which you are going to fry the seafood as much as possible, and fry it in small portions so as not to cool the pan, as a result of which the worst thing - the seafood losing its juices and immediately turning into rubber - is inevitable.
How to cook…
Having said the necessary but general words, let’s move on to specific cases and consider how to cook frozen mussels, shrimp, scallops and other sea life.
...frozen shrimp
Shrimp is a good example of how often exceptions to the rule occur. Firstly, unlike other seafood, shrimp can be quickly defrosted by pouring cold water - they won’t lose much juice. Second, shrimp heads contain enzymes that trigger an autolysis process that breaks down their meat, so frozen shrimp is often better than refrigerated shrimp.
So what do you need to know about frozen shrimp? They come in boiled frozen (red) and raw frozen (gray, but not always), large and small, with and without heads. Most often, shrimp are fried or boiled. For frying, it is better to take large raw-frozen shrimp and delicately defrost them; for cooking, both boiled-frozen and raw-frozen ones are suitable. In the first case, there is no need to boil the shrimp again; you just need to throw it in boiling water for a couple of minutes to heat it up. You can do this without defrosting, but if you have time, I recommend defrosting the shrimp so that they do not cool the water in which they will be boiled so much.
Frozen Shrimp Recipes
...frozen mussels
Like shrimp, frozen mussels come in a variety of configurations—cooked and raw, with or without shells. The most common are boiled frozen mussels without shells, which are codenamed “mussel meat.” They can be delicately defrosted and then eaten straight away, eaten in a salad or quickly simmered in some sauce. Mussels with a shell are already much more interesting: large mussels on one shell are ideal for baking with a golden brown crust, while mussels in a full shell can be added without defrosting (or half-thawed) to a large pan where the hot sauce is already prepared. You should do the same with freshly frozen mussels, except that you give them a little more time so that they not only heat up, but also cook.
Frozen mussels recipes
...frozen squid
Squid is perhaps the cheapest sea protein, and with minimal effort it is also tasty and healthy. To properly defrost squid, place it in the refrigerator a day before cooking, then peel off the skin (if any) and remove the transparent plates from inside the squid that replace its skeleton. After this, the defrosted squid can be grilled (for these purposes it is best to take smaller squid; squid tentacles will also work), quickly fried in oil, boiled or baked. When cooking squid, the main thing is to cook it either very quickly (up to 5 minutes) or long enough (more than 40 minutes), otherwise it will turn out tough.
Frozen squid recipes
...frozen scallops
Scallops - it doesn’t matter whether they are just meat or along with the shell - need to be defrosted as delicately as possible. For scallops, there is one trick that is said to retain maximum juices inside: pour cold milk over the scallops and leave them in it until completely defrosted. I do not recommend cooking scallops directly from the freezer: although this is also an option, the surface of thawed scallops, it seems to me, is more susceptible to the formation of a golden brown crust, which means that it will be easier and more familiar for you to assess their readiness and find the right moment to remove the scallops from the heat .
Frozen Scallop Recipes
...frozen seafood cocktail
In general, a seafood cocktail is a mixture of various seafood, which usually includes squid, mussels and shrimp (in fact, the composition can be anything: sometimes I add octopus to this trinity, less often other seafood, since this increases the cost of the cocktail) - the idea is controversial. Different seafood requires different times and often different cooking methods. However, a frozen seafood cocktail can be prepared deliciously. To do this, you need to either defrost it and drain the liquid, or fry it directly from frozen in hot oil flavored with garlic. In the first case, fry the cocktail over high heat, stirring, for 2-3 minutes, in the second, focus on the liquid, which should completely evaporate. Of course, you cannot overload the pan, otherwise it will cool down, the seafood cocktail will begin to stew rather than fry, and as a result, the seafood will become rubbery.
Once unattainable for the common people and once the preserve of only self-sufficient people, seafood is now a frequent guest on our table. Frozen seafood cocktails can be seen in any store, and not necessarily only in the supermarket.
But buying is not enough. Does everyone know how to cook this healthy and delicious beauty correctly and deliciously? After all, this must be done according to all the rules, and not as necessary. Only then will you receive both benefit and pleasure from the prepared food. Let's look at a few recipes and learn more about assorted seafood.
What you need to know about sea cocktails (frozen)
- Composition of the semi-finished product: starting with crustaceans (shrimp), bivalves (mussels) and ending with cephalopods (squid, octopuses), echinoderms.
- Benefit: contains iodine and fats, amino acids, microelements, fat-soluble vitamins, of which there are a huge variety, environmentally friendly, low in calories (depending on what it is served with - mixtures with shellfish and crustaceans, prepared with vegetables and pasta, are less high in calories).
- Minus: seafood cocktail is a perishable product; if stored incorrectly, it may become unsafe for food (poisoning); You can’t cook often, because... Unsafe mercury, etc. can accumulate in fresh products (therefore it is better to take them frozen); For some, seafood is generally contraindicated due to intolerance or allergies to certain components.
- Where to buy and how to choose: only in specialized stores; the fresh set smells normal, not like ammonia; The entire original packaging must be marked with the manufacturer, supplier, composition, and expiration date.
- What's the best way to cook: making a cocktail that does not involve defrosting is preferable; but seafood fried under a lid will be very tasty and no less healthy.
What is the best way to prepare a seafood cocktail? On what? It could be a pot, a frying pan, a slow cooker, or a microwave. But, no matter how this healthy dish is prepared, you must follow a number of rules (more on them below). So, delicious recipes.
Sea cocktail with tiger shrimps and vegetables
The combination is simply fabulous! Gourmets don’t even need to introduce this dish. Lightly fried seafood with some kind of sauce in the company of vegetables that are bright in all respects - it’s hard to come up with something even more pleasant. Let's cook!
Ingredients:
- Sea cocktail (frozen) – 200 g
- Tiger shrimps – 3-4 pcs.
- Carrots – 100 g
- Bell pepper – 100 g
- Leek – 100 g
- Celery – 70 g
- Garlic – 4-5 cloves
- Spices
- Vegetable oil for frying
Step-by-step recipe for preparing a seafood cocktail with tiger prawns and vegetables
The seafood cocktail does not need to be defrosted. Firstly, it is possible, secondly, it is useful and thirdly, it will save time. But if they have already defrosted, you need to sprinkle them with vegetable (preferably olive) oil.
Step 1. Sea cocktail Another key character is tiger shrimp. They must be very carefully cleared of their shell. Then lightly add salt and marinate in spices, lightly sprinkling with vegetable oil.
Step 2. Tiger prawns in marinade While the seafood needs to marinate, let's start with the vegetables. Since the first process involves garlic, let's chop it finely, but not into a paste.
Step 3. Chop the garlic Carrots and seafood? Nonsense? No. Tasty, healthy and very beautiful if we cut ordinary products in a special way. Let's say carrots. It will look great, say, in the form of thin slices cut into strips.
Step 4. Carrots cut into strips We'll do the same with bell peppers. It would be nice if you came across specimens of different colors. There's so much positivity in this delicious plate! The format is the same.
Step 5. Bulgarian pepper strips Leek would be more appropriate here. After all, he is soft and gentle. Let's cut it into circles. Yes, and it will look impressive.
Step 6. Cut the leek into slices
Let's stop here. It's time to turn on the multicooker (or put the frying pan on the fire) to the frying mode. Pour some oil into the bowl and fry the garlic for a minute or two. Letting it lightly let us send the shrimp here to fry.
Step 7. Fry the shrimp Before this, it is advisable to bread the shrimp, but not in the usual breading. All this will look good if they are dipped in sesame seeds or other chopped nuts. But in this case it is necessary to finish frying in a large amount of oil. And literally after a few minutes they can be removed.
Step 8. Sesame shrimp In the same oil, cut the stalk celery crosswise into thin slices and place it and the rest of the vegetables in a bowl. Those. into the oil that remains after the shrimp. Let them simmer for a few minutes, take them out and place them on a napkin (let the excess oil drain off). After washing the bowl, pour literally a few drops of oil into it (or you can do without it) and add the vegetables here.
Step 9. Vegetables in a slow cooker There is no need to fry vegetables for a long time. It is only advisable to simmer them slightly - they will crunch so pleasantly, delighting with their taste and filling the seafood with aroma. Yes, and don’t forget to chop the greens. Sprinkle it over the finished dish.
Step 10. Chopped greens If the seafood has cooled slightly, you can hold it over steam or in the microwave. Serve hot only. How? You can do it separately, or all in one plate.
Step 11. Ready dish Recipe for delicious seafood pilaf without carrots
Ingredients:
- 1 package of cocktail
- 150 g rice
- 50 g sunflower oil
- 1 onion
- 100 g bell pepper
We prepare incredibly tasty pilaf with sea cocktail
Boil rice in salted water; fry finely chopped onion in oil, almost immediately add strips of bell pepper with finely chopped garlic; simmer the vegetables until half cooked and add seafood to them, simmer again for about three minutes; Put the rice here, mix everything, add salt and simmer until done.
Delicious pizza stuffed with seafood
Ingredients:
- Pizza base
- 1 package of sea cocktail
- Tomato paste
- Mayonnaise
- Several olives
- Tomato
Pizza with seafood - step-by-step recipe with photos
Having greased the base with tomato paste and mayonnaise (thinly!), put seafood with tomatoes and olives here (pre-cut). Keep in the oven for about twenty minutes. And everything is ready!
Salad with seafood and eggs - a recipe for healthy nutrition
Ingredients:
- 1 package of sea cocktail
- 50 g vegetable oil
- 200 g rice
- 2 eggs
Preparing a salad with sea cocktail and egg - a recipe for weight loss
Let's cook the eggs and rice separately; Cool the finished rice and eggs; After boiling the sea mixture for 5 minutes, fry it and the finely chopped eggs in oil; combine and serve the salad!
Delicious salad with sea cocktail and vegetables
Ingredients:
- 1 package of sea cocktail
- Lettuce leaves
- 3 cloves garlic
- 100 g bell pepper
- Olive oil
- Mayonnaise to taste
Quickly prepare a delicious vegetable salad with seafood
Boil the sea mixture lightly (about five minutes) and dry, draining the water; mix seafood with chopped pepper; add mayonnaise mixed with oil (equal parts) and add finely chopped garlic to the mixture; Place pepper and seafood on lettuce leaves, placed on a dish, and pour the resulting sauce on top.
The simplest seafood salad - diet food
Ingredients:
- 1 pack of sea cocktail
- Lettuce leaves
- Lemon juice
- Salt to taste
- Spices to taste
- Olive oil for frying
Preparing the most delicious seafood salad for those losing weight
Combine the boiled seafood mixture with torn lettuce leaves; pour in olive oil mixed with a few drops of lemon juice.
Some useful tips on how to choose a frozen seafood cocktail
- Choose a cocktail that doesn't have a lot of frost or ice inside.
- Look carefully at the contents of the package. For example, there should be no blackening on the shells of mussels. The color of the octopus should be a little dark and the consistency of the squid should be firm.
- Cook in salted water, but no more than 5 minutes.
- When frying, seafood is cooked for no more than 2-3 minutes.
- You can freeze the product before cooking.
- Seafood does not need to be cleaned and you can even do without heat treatment.
The seafood cocktail traditionally consists of shrimp, mussels, pieces of squid and small octopus. In stores you can buy a frozen mixture, which includes already cleaned and boiled seafood, which means you save a lot of time on preliminary preparation.
Only the relatively high price did not make it a favorite in our kitchens, but it is difficult to find a more original and less labor-intensive dish for the holiday table. The semi-finished product is quickly prepared and goes well with pasta, rice, vegetables, and cheese. They bake delicious pizzas or make salads.
But the calorie content of a frozen sea cocktail is 124 kcal per 100 g, and when cooked in oil it increases to 172 kcal.
How to cook a frozen seafood cocktail in a frying pan - step-by-step photo recipe
A dish made from sea cocktail, ripe tomatoes, onions, garlic and parsley in a frying pan is incredibly tasty and juicy. For spiciness, add red hot pepper powder and serve with boiled rice.
Fresh tomatoes can be replaced with canned ones in their own juice. The sauce will be a brighter color.
Your mark:
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Quantity: 2 servings
Ingredients
- Seafood Cocktail: 400 g
- Large tomato: half
- Onions: 1 pc.
- Garlic: 4 cloves
- Parsley: 4 sprigs
- Vegetable oil: 3 tbsp. l.
- Fresh red pepper: 2 pinches
- Salt: to taste
Cooking instructions
30-40 minutes before the start of cooking, remove the assorted seafood from the freezer, open the packaging and pour everything onto a large plate.
Peel the onion, cut into 4 parts and chop into strips.
Onions can be replaced with leeks, which are more delicate in taste.
Cut half a large tomato into thin slices.
We tear off the leaves of the parsley sprigs, peel the garlic cloves and chop everything very finely.
Pour oil into the frying pan. We send the defrosted cocktail there, put it on the stove and cook, stirring, at high temperature until the liquid evaporates.
Seafood loses a lot of moisture and greatly decreases in volume, so 400 grams of cocktail is required for 2 servings.
Cook for no longer than 5-6 minutes. Remove the fried octopus, mussels and squid to a plate.
Add prepared onion straws to the oil after the seafood cocktail. Stir constantly and simmer for 3-4 minutes at medium temperature, it should become soft.
Place tomato slices on top, mix and cook at high temperature for 2-3 minutes. The tomatoes will become soft and you will have a thick sauce.
Sprinkle the contents of the pan with red hot pepper and salt. Add the prepared chopped garlic and parsley to the vegetables, mix, do not cover and keep on the fire for another 1-2 minutes.
Place the fried seafood in a frying pan with vegetable sauce, stir, heat for a couple of minutes and the delicious dish is ready.
Place boiled hot rice on plates, next to a seafood cocktail with sauce, and serve immediately. Greek salad is perfect for this dish.
Sea cocktail recipe with pasta
Thaw the seafood and rinse it in cold water, dry it a little. In a frying pan greased with olive oil, dissolve 2-3 tbsp. l. butter. Fry the chopped garlic until light creamy. Add a sea cocktail to it and hold for 1-2 minutes.
Place in a separate bowl. Sprinkle the remaining garlic in the pan with grated zest and pour in cream. Boil until the cream has reduced slightly and thicken with grated cheese
When the sauce is ready, add some of it to the pre-boiled pasta and stir. Place warm seafood on top and pour remaining sauce over them. Garnish with herbs and serve.
With rice
Rice + seafood is a favorite combination in many coastal countries. Dishes made from them received their own name and are the pride of national cuisines.
Paella- a Spanish dish, always adding saffron. The most delicious paella is made from rice, seafood and chicken.
Risotto– Italian dish of seafood and a special variety of rice. Rice groats are pre-fried until golden brown so that the rice grains do not stick together, because the consistency of the risotto should be somewhat creamy.
Kau pad goong– a Thai dish with rice, seafood, vegetables and omelette. Vegetables (corn, green beans, bell peppers) are fried with a sea cocktail. Separately, boil the rice and fry the omelette, which is torn into pieces with a fork. All ingredients are mixed and heated for a few more minutes, sprinkled with curry.
The most delicious dish of rice and sea cocktail can be prepared at home:
- Melt a large piece of butter (100-150 g) in a deep frying pan.
- Add slightly mashed garlic cloves to it, sprinkle with lemon zest and lay out the defrosted seafood mixture.
- Simmer everything for 5-7 minutes, stirring well.
- Place the seafood in a colander and simmer the contents of the frying pan over moderate heat until thickened. In this case, the sauce will receive a rich aroma from the sea cocktail stewed in it.
Place a “pillow” of pre-boiled rice in a deep bowl, place seafood stewed in oil on it, and pour the resulting sauce evenly on top. Having soaked the rice, it will give it an extraordinary taste.
Sea cocktail in cream
This is one of the fastest recipes. Place frozen seafood in a frying pan and heat over heat, covered, until the ice melts.
Drain the resulting liquid and pour cream into the cocktail - the thicker it is, the better. Add freshly ground pepper and salt to taste and simmer for 20 minutes over low heat.
Ground sweet paprika will add a beautiful color to the dish. It is enough to add 1 teaspoon.
Beer recipe
Seafood, like fish, becomes tastier from sour lemon juice. Especially if the seafood cocktail is lightly marinated.
First of all, sprinkle the defrosted mixture with lemon juice, olive oil and soy sauce. 1 tbsp is enough. l. each ingredient for 500 g of marine mixture. Mix everything well, close the lid and put in the refrigerator for 15-30 minutes.
Pour a little olive oil into a frying pan and melt a small piece of butter, add chopped garlic (1 large clove), and after 5-7 minutes add very finely chopped onions (half a head). Fry the aromatic mixture until the onion turns golden.
Place the seafood in a colander to drain the marinade, then fry it in a hot frying pan with garlic and onion, stirring constantly until the liquid has evaporated.
If desired, during the cooking process you can add freshly ground pepper and a drop of any tomato sauce.
The finished seafood cocktail will take on a delicate reddish hue from the tomato and may well serve as an unusual and tasty replacement for traditional boiled crayfish with beer.
When choosing a bag of seafood, you should pay attention to ensure that the seafood in it is not stuck together. Most likely in this case it was stored for too long or was defrosted and was re-frozen.
As a rule, the ingredients of a sea cocktail are covered with an ice crust. You can heat them in a frying pan and drain the water formed after the ice melts. But it is better to leave it in the refrigerator for 7-8 hours.
If seafood is not washed, the aroma of the dish will be stronger.
Lightly grease the pan with olive oil before placing a fairly large piece of butter on it. The main thing in this combination is the latter; olive oil is added so that it does not burn.
Garlic and onion are chopped and fried in a mixture of oils until golden brown. It is very important not to miss the moment when the garlic is overcooked and becomes bitter.
And if you can avoid onions, then garlic is a necessary ingredient. You shouldn’t skimp on it; you can even add a whole head, disassembled into cloves. During the heat treatment, the pungent garlic aroma and taste becomes softer.
Soy sauce, lemon or lime juice and zest, white wine, ground black pepper - adding them to a seafood cocktail gives the dish different-sounding aroma notes.
Cream and cheese are indispensable products for preparing a seafood cocktail in sauce. First, the cream is boiled down, and then grated cheese is added to it, which thickens the sauce. The mixture is kept on fire with constant stirring until the cheese is completely dissolved.
The best cheese is Parmesan, but you can use any other hard cheese.
The seafood cocktail is added last, otherwise the squid included in it will turn rubbery. For this reason, it is necessary to reduce the cooking time; 1 minute is enough for frying.
Basil or parsley must be used fresh; dried herbs do not give the desired aroma. Place the chopped leaves in a frying pan a minute before removing from the stove or sprinkle them on the finished dish on a plate.
It is permissible to replace parsley with dill or cilantro. For a special aroma in winter, the sea cocktail can be seasoned with a mixture of dried Italian herbs.
The set of products for preparing a seafood cocktail is simple, but it is thanks to the presence of several components at once that a truly tasty dish is obtained.
According to any of the given recipes, you can prepare a dish only from shrimp, squid, mussels or octopus.
We look forward to your comments and ratings - this is very important to us!
Store-bought marinated seafood cocktail is simply delicious! I always wanted to learn how to make a marinade that tastes the same at home. After searching a bunch of sites with recipes for marinating seafood, using trial and error, I finally managed to find the closest option. I bring to your attention a recipe with a photo of a marinated cocktail, just like in the store.
How to marinate a frozen seafood cocktail
Frozen seafood is sold at any grocery store. I bought a 500 gram package of sea cocktail consisting of mussels, squid and shrimp. If you like a different combination of seafood, you can choose the required composition for yourself by purchasing seafood in bulk.
First of all, let's boil the seafood. For this? Place the contents of the bag into boiling water for 3 minutes. There is no need to defrost anything first. We begin counting the time from the moment the food is placed in boiling water. No need to salt the water!
After the specified time, drain the contents of the pan into a colander and let the sea creatures cool.
Now, next is the marinade. To prepare it, we need 1 teaspoon of salt, 1.5 tablespoons of sugar, peppercorns - 5 pieces, 1 bay leaf.
Fill the spices with 200 milliliters of water, add 50 milliliters of 9% vinegar and 40 milliliters of odorless vegetable oil. Bring the marinade to a boil and then cool it to room temperature.
Although the recipe states “Just like in the store,” I can’t help but add fresh onions to the cocktail. This ingredient will add a flavorful note to the main products, and itself will become an additional crunchy treat.
Cut a small onion, weighing approximately 50 grams, into half rings.
Mix onions and cooled seafood in a separate container.
Now you can lay the base for pickling in a clean 500 ml jar.
Pour the cooled marinade over the seafood.
Screw the lid on the jar and put it in the refrigerator for a day.
After 24 hours, put the marinated sea cocktail on a plate and treat yourself to a magnificent dish.
Marinated seafood is an ideal stand-alone appetizer or salad topper. To be honest, this dish never lived up to salads in our family.
Seafood is tasty and healthy. And if until now your gastronomic acquaintance with these products has been limited to salted herring and boiled shrimp, then, as they say, we are coming to you. To tell you how to quickly and easily cook seafood and turn it into an appetizing and satisfying dish. And, of course, we will take into account all the nuances of culinary processing. Because we understand perfectly well that for everyone who lives more than 500 km from the nearest salty body of water, seafood is available only in frozen and packaged form. Don’t let this fact upset you too much: when properly prepared, they are almost as good in taste and properties as fresh, recently caught sea creatures.
Types and characteristics of frozen seafoodThe entire diversity of edible living organisms from the depths of the sea can be divided into two main groups: mollusks and crustaceans. Of course, fish is a separate group, but we will not consider it in this article. But let’s try to sort out the first two categories literally “by the bones,” although many of their representatives just don’t have bones. Edible shellfish are mussels, scallops, squid, oysters and some other bivalves. Among crustaceans, most of our compatriots are familiar with the taste of shrimp, crabs and lobsters.
All these invertebrates are caught by fishermen directly in their habitats, but end up on supermarket shelves only after processing and more or less long transportation. Freezing technology varies for different types of seafood depending on their size and structure. For example, most small organisms are frozen in whole blocks, but a large crab can be left individual and whole. Most often, frozen mussels and squid are covered with a so-called glaze - that is, a layer of ice.
Both shellfish and crustaceans can be sold cut or whole, raw or pre-cooked before freezing. For example, shrimp retain their taste and meat structure better if they are frozen already cooked. Squid and mussels are found in the windows of fish stores, both fresh-frozen and boiled-frozen. When you go shopping for them, you are most likely to be able to buy the following seafood:
- shrimps;
- mussels;
- scallops;
- crabs and crayfish;
- lobsters and lobsters;
- squid;
- octopuses;
- cuttlefish;
- sea cocktail (assortment of several varieties of seafood).
Defrosting seafood
Whatever type of marine exotic you prefer, it is important to be able to properly defrost and prepare this product. Most manufacturers place instructions on the packaging for how to use the contents, but if you purchased loose seafood, you can defrost it using a universal method without any problems.
To do this, place the bag or bowl on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator (or the one farthest from the freezer) and wait until the ice turns into water. You can achieve the same effect faster by defrosting seafood in the kitchen sink. Some housewives douse the frozen bag with hot water. But most often, seafood is defrosted directly during the cooking process. Especially boiled-frozen ones and those that do not require long-term heat treatment.
Cooking frozen seafood
Depending on the occasion and type of seafood, choose one of the recipes to suit your taste. Each of them is tested and good in its own way:
- Sea cocktail in a frying pan. A mixture of mussels, squid, shrimp, etc. Place in boiling water for 5 minutes. Then transfer to a heated frying pan and quickly fry in vegetable or butter. There is no need to salt seafood, and aromatic herbs and/or a mixture of peppers can be added at the very end of cooking.
- Pilaf with seafood. Take 500 g of seafood (excluding the weight of ice), a glass of rice, a small onion, 1 tablespoon of refined vegetable (olive or sunflower) oil, spices for pilaf. Without pre-defrosting, boil seafood in boiling water and transfer to a cauldron with heated oil. Separately, fry the chopped onion and add it along with the spices. Rinse the rice in advance and soak in cold water. Then place on top of the seafood and add water to cover the level of solids by about 2 cm. Cover with a lid and simmer over low heat until the rice is cooked. As the liquid boils, add water in small portions.
- Seafood in wine. For half a kilo of seafood cocktail (or any seafood of your choice) you will need half a ripe lemon, 3 cloves of garlic, 1 onion, 1 sweet red pepper, 2 tablespoons each of butter and olive oil, 1 glass of wine (dry white), a pinch of salt , ground pepper and fresh herbs.
Thaw the seafood according to the instructions on the package or in another convenient way, and transfer to a glass bowl. Pour lemon juice, salt and add a little pepper, stir and place under the lid in a cool place for 20-30 minutes. Peel the onion and garlic, cut into smaller pieces, quickly fry in a mixture of vegetable and butter. Then cut the pepper into narrow strips and simmer together with the onion for 7 minutes.
Remove the bowl of seafood and discard any liquid that has formed around it. Add to vegetables and simmer, stirring continuously, over low heat. After 5 minutes, pour in the wine, stir and simmer under the lid for another 8-10 minutes or until the liquid has completely evaporated. Only a small amount of thick sauce made from vegetables and wine will remain in the pan along with the seafood. Before serving with a side dish of rice and/or fresh vegetable salad, sprinkle the seafood with chopped herbs. - “Drunk” seafood with tomatoes and cheese. A Mediterranean recipe that is in demand among visitors to European restaurants. You can join them in our latitudes. To do this, take 500-700 g of a mixture of mussels, scallops, shrimp and squid, 400 g of tomatoes canned in their own juice, 2 large lettuce peppers (red or yellow, or one of a different color), 5 cloves of garlic, 1 medium onion, 300-350 g unsalted cheese (can be replaced with feta), 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, zest from one large lemon, 3 tablespoons of vodka, a pinch of salt and ground white pepper, a few dried chili pepper flakes and a couple of anise stars.
Thaw seafood in the refrigerator or at room temperature, drain the thawed water. Meanwhile, take care of the vegetables: peel and cut the onions and peppers into cubes, chop the garlic in a crush or mortar. Place the garlic in a bowl with the defrosted seafood, pour in half the butter and vodka, sprinkle with salt, pepper and zest, mix everything and add anise. Cover with a lid and place in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes.
To prepare the sauce, sauté the prepared onions and peppers in the remaining oil in a deep saucepan, after 5 minutes add salt, add two more tablespoons of vodka and remove the tomatoes from the jar. Simmer for 5 minutes covered over low heat, then fry for another 5 minutes without a lid.
Take out the bowl of seafood and add it to the saucepan along with the marinade and juices. Cover with a lid, reduce the heat to low and leave for 10 minutes. Use time as a guide to the readiness of the seafood: large specimens take longer to cook, while small boiled shrimp only need a few minutes to warm up.
A couple of minutes before it’s ready, crumble the feta cheese (you can use other white cheese) and generously sprinkle the contents of the dish with it. Cover with a lid, turn off the heat and let sit for at least 10-15 minutes. When serving the finished stew, immediately place it on portioned plates and add a side dish of rice or pasta without sauce. The fact is that there is already enough sauce in this dish, and it is very tasty, so do not forget about fresh bread, which you will happily use to soak up the leftovers from the plate.
However, cases of poisoning from seafood are not uncommon. In most cases, this occurs due to failure to comply with basic safety rules. Remember them so as not to repeat the mistakes of others:
- Do not skimp on purchasing seafood and purchase it only from large food chains or trusted retail outlets. The slightest doubt about the freshness of the product should make you refuse to eat seafood, especially those purchased at the market.
- When purchasing packaged seafood, make sure the package is intact. When purchasing loose, check the delivery time and expiration date of the product.
- Once defrosted, seafood cannot be re-frozen. At home, if you were unable to cook all the contents of the defrosted package, do not regret it and throw away the leftovers. Health is more valuable.