Delectable Seafood

Europe

Ireland

A traditional dish from Ireland is mussels in cream. It is very popular in Donegal and Cork countries. This is a simple dish that is prepared with scrubbed and de-bearded mussels. First, the mussels are heated in a skillet until the shells open. Set aside the mussels. Then a roux is made with flour and butter and mixed with a bit of water and heavy cream and stirred until the sauce thickens. The sauce is seasoned with salt and pepper and poured over the mussels with their juice. 

France

Mouclade is a traditional dish that originated in La Rochelle in the southwest of France. To make this dish mussels are cooked in cream, and white wine, and flavored with saffron and some curry spice. This dish is served with a crusty baguette to soak up the sauce. 

Bourride is a popular fish stew originating from the Languedoc-Roussilon region of France. This stew is made with white fish like mullet, mackerel, or sea bass. However, traditional recipes use monkfish. Vegetables added to the stew can include leeks, onions, celery, and carrots and an aioli sauce is prepared with garlic, olive oil, and egg yolks. 

The Netherlands

Gebakken mosselen is a popular Dutch dish. It is prepared by frying fresh mussels in a pan with garlic, onions, and butter. The dish is seasoned with salt, pepper, and sometimes ketchup. It is served on toast or accompanied by potato salad.

Belgium

Moules-frites is a traditional comfort food that consists of mussels with Belgian fries on the side. This dish is popular in Belgium, the Netherlands, and northern France. Mayonnaise is used as a condiment.

Croatia

Dagnje na buzaru is a traditional dish with mussels as the main ingredient. The mussels are scrubbed, cleaned, and steamed in a pot until the shells open. Then olive oil, garlic, parsley, and pepper are sauteed a mixed with the mussels. Some slices of lemon are added to the dish. While the dish is simmering some white wine is added.

Turkey

Midye tava is a Turkish street food that is also served as an appetizer or snack. De-shelled mussels are covered with batter and deep-fried in a metal cauldron until crispy. They are then stuck on a stick and served with a dash of salt and a side of tangy tarator sauce for dipping.

Midye dolma is another popular Turkish street food consisting of mussels filled with rice, herbs, nuts, raisins, pine nuts, and spices like saffron, black pepper, cinnamon, red pepper flakes, parsley, and dill. When ready to consume the top shell is broken, and lemon juice is squeezed over the filling and eaten using the loose shell as a spoon.

Greece

Garides saganaki is a classic dish that is made with shrimp. Sautéed shrimp are deglazed with anise-flavored ouzo, doused in tomato sauce, and topped with crumbled feta cheese. It is served as an appetizer or a mezze dish accompanied by warm pita triangles or bread.

Polpette di gamberi are traditional fritters. They are prepared with chopped shrimp, bread, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper. Once the mixture is combined it is put in the fridge to rest. Then it is rolled in flour, dipped in beaten eggs, rolled in breadcrumbs, and shaped into small balls. The fritters are fried in oil until golden brown. They are served as an appetizer with a lemon wedge on the side.

Cozze gratinate is a traditional mussel dish. It is a combination of mussels, garlic, breadcrumbs, parsley, and olive oil, and seasoned with oregano, salt, and pepper. The mussels are steamed until they open. Then half-shells with mussels are placed into a roasting pan, sprinkled with parsley, oregano, and garlic. They are drizzled with oil, sprinkled with breadcrumbs and baked for a few minutes, and sprinkled with black pepper.



Fregola or fregula is a variety of pasta from Sardinia. The pasta is made with semolina flour and water. The dough is rolled very thick and cut to look like enlarged couscous pieces which are toasted in the oven. They are paired with seafood such as clams or mussels and cooked like a risotto simmered in olive oil, and garlic.

Cacciucco is a Tuscan fish stew and traditionally has five different kinds of fish and seafood, one for each “C” in the name. Seafood includes octopus and squid or cuttlefish which are first placed in the stew then toward the end of cooking tender-flesh fish, mussels, and prawns are added.

Spain

Tigres is an authentic dish originating in Bilbao. The dish is usually served as a tapa consisting of mussels that have been stuffed with onions and flour cooked in wine. The mussels are dipped in eggs, rolled in breadcrumbs, and fried in hot oil. They are served with a spicy sauce with tomatoes and anchovies.

Zarzuela de mariscos is a traditional Catalan seafood stew. The stew includes ground almonds, cured pork, peppers, and tomatoes. The dish is made with mussels, clams, and shrimp but versions might include calamari and scallops. Other ingredients consist of saffron, white wine, olive oil, bay leaves, onions, garlic, rosemary, and thyme. Smoked paprika and parsley are used are garnishes.

Mejillones en escabeche is a traditional Spanish method of preserving mussels. They are preserved in vinegar, olive oil, white wine, onions, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, and paprika. These can be served hot or cold stuck with toothpicks and served as a tapa.



Portugal

Acorda de camarao is a flavorable seafood broth. It is made with cooked shrimp, bread, sautéed onions, and olive oil. It turns into a creamy mash that is thickened with eggs and seasoned with cilantro. The soup is garnished with shelled shrimp. 

Acorda de marisco is a dry bread soup. It is seasoned with bread mash that has been infused with olive oil, sauteed onions, cilantro, and seafood like shrimp, cockles, or clams. Eggs are added last and mixed through.

Asia

India

Chingri malai curry is a traditional curry originating in the Bengal region. It is prepared with a base of coconut milk and prawns seasoned with garam masala spices. It is fried in ghee or mustard oil with onions, hot chili peppers, garlic-ginger paste, and turmeric. To enhance flavors red chili powder, cinnamon, sugar, and cardamom can be added. It is all cooked until thick and creamy and served hot with rice on the side.

Thailand

Hoy tod is a traditional dish sold at street food stands. This dish consists of a crispy omelet made with oysters or mussels or both and bean sprouts. The shellfish are coated in egg batter and fried. When done the omelet is garnished with spring onions. It is served with condiments like green chili sauce, fish sauce with chili peppers, or tomato sauce.

Poo cha or poo ja is a Thai dish with stuffed, deep-fried crabs. Fresh crabs are steamed and the meat is removed and flaked. The flaked crab is combined with pork, shrimp, soy sauce, garlic, fish sauce, and different spices. The mixture is stuffed in crab shells and sometimes steamed before being deep-fried.

Singapore

Black pepper crab is prepared with stir-fried pieces of crab, black pepper, garlic, shallots, and oyster sauce. The crab is garnished with coriander leaves and served with rice on the side.

China

Phoenix Tail Shrimp is an Anhui cuisine specialty. The dish is made with crispy-fried, battered shrimp. Large freshwater shrimp are shelled and deveined leaving the tails intact. They are coated with a batter of flour, water, and seasoning and fried. The frying process makes the tails of the shrimp bright, red, crispy, and tilted upward. They are enjoyed with lemon wedges and dipping sauces. 

Oyster omelets originated in Chaozhou Teochew in the Fujian region. It has become the signature dish of the Hokkein people. The dish is made with small oysters, added to the egg batter, and potato starch.

Japan



Tenshindon is a dish that consists of a crab meat omelet and rice. The omelet is made with crab meat, Japanese negri onions, and can include mushrooms, peas, and sliced ginger. This dish is usually served in a bowl placed on top of rice. A thick sauce is poured over the top. The sauce is prepared with soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, rice wine, sesame oil, oyster sauce, chicken broth, starch, and sometimes ketchup.

Kaki Fry includes Japanese deep-fried oysters. Shucked oysters are dusted with flour, dipped in beaten eggs, and coated in panko breadcrumbs. Then they are deep-fried until they are golden and crisp. When ready they are served with lemon wedges, fresh vegetables, and different sauces and condiments.



Indonesia

Kepiting saus Padang is a traditional seafood dish. It is made with crab in a spicy Padang sauce. To prepare this dish blue or mud crabs are used. The crabs are boiled until done and then simmered in the sauce. The spice Padang sauce is made with shallots, garlic, ginger, candlenuts, chili peppers, turmeric, onions, kaffir lime leaves, bay leaves, ketchup, and oyster sauce. To thicken the sauce lightly beaten eggs are added.

Ikan bakar is a popular Indonesian and Malaysian dish. It includes barbequed fish. Other seafood is added like squid, cockles, and clams. The fish is marinated in chili paste, soy sauce, turmeric, galangal, and other seasonings. Then it is grilled. Traditionally it is served with dipping sauces on the side. 

South Korea

Saewoojeon is a traditional dish. It is prepared with shrimp, flour, eggs, salt, white pepper, and oil. The shrimp are cleaned and sprinkled with salt and pepper. Then they are coated with flour and dipped in beaten egg and deep-fried on both sides in hot oil until golden brown. They are served hot as an appetizer or snack with dipping sauces on the side.

Guljeon originated in South Korea and is made with oysters. The oysters are shelled and rinsed. They are coated in flour and dipped in a mixture of beaten eggs, rice wine, salt, pepper, and scallions. Then they are pan-fried in hot oil and served hot with dipping sauce.

North America

The US

Clams oreganata is an Italian-American dish. It is prepared with six or twelve littleneck clams, butter, breadcrumbs, oregano, parsley, garlic, lemon zest, and white wine. The clams in half shells are topped with a mixture of all of the ingredients and baked. 

Crab Rangoon is an American-Chinese dish. It is made with deep-fried dumplings that are stuffed with crab meat, garlic, scallions, and cream cheese. It is served as an appetizer with dips like mustard, soy sauce, or plum sauce.

New England

Clam cakes are a summer tradition in all of the New England states particularly Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. Chopped clams are covered in a batter made with flour, milk, clam juice, eggs, and a leavening agent. Then they are placed in hot oil and fried until golden and crisp.

Maryland

Maryland crab cakes are popular and well-known and can be made fresh or even bought frozen. To make the crab cakes flaked crab meat is mixed with mayonnaise, eggs, breadcrumbs, milk, and seasonings. Then the mixture is placed in hot oil and fried until golden on both sides. These are usually served with French fries, coleslaw, or a macaroni salad.

California

Crab Louie is an American salad originating in San Francisco, California, The salad is prepared with Dungeness crab meat, tomatoes, iceberg lettuce, asparagus, hard-boiled eggs, and Louie dressing. The dressing is made with chili sauce and mayonnaise. Optional ingredients include white olives, and green onions.

Cioppino is a hearty fish stew also from San Francisco. It is prepared with the catch of the day, tomatoes, and white wine. The stew includes crabs, clams, shrimp, scallops, squid, and mussels. It is served with toasted sourdough bread.

Louisiana

Charbroiled oysters are a traditional American dish originating in New Orleans, Louisiana. Freshly shucked Louisiana oysters on the half shell are placed on a hot grill. They are cooked in their own juices until bubbling and the edges start to curl. The oysters are topped with a sauce prepared with butter, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, cayenne, lemon juice, and grated Pecorino Romano.

Mexico

Camarones a la diabla is a traditional Mexican dish. The dish is a combination of shrimp, tomatoes, garlic, onions, arbol chili peppers, olive oil, and salt. The shrimp are cooked in olive oil until pink. The hot peppers are combined with the other ingredients and then the sauce is poured over the shrimp. Once the dish has simmered and the sauce is bubbling it is served right away. It is accompanied by warm corn tortillas or crusty bread.