Food from the Sea

Europe

France

Moules a la mariniere is a classic French dish. It is prepared with mussels cooked in cider or wine-based sauce. Other ingredients include shallots, garlic, and herbs like parsley, thyme, and bay leaves. Fresh mussels are added to the mixture and steamed until they open up.

Croatia

Dagnje na buzaru is a traditional Croatian dish. It is prepared with mussels. Their shells are scrubbed, placed in a pot, and heated until the shells open up. Ingredients like olive oil, garlic, parsley, and pepper are sautéed then mixed with the mussels. White wine is added and the ingredients are simmered for a short while.

Greece

Simiako garidaki is a dish prepared with small shrimp that are fried in olive oil and garlic and seasoned with salt and pepper. The shrimp are eaten whole, including tails, shells, and heads.

Astakomakaronada is a delicious Greek dish made with lobster meat in a tomato-based sauce and served over pasta. Traditionally the lobster meat is served in shells.

Italy

Linguine allo scoglio is a pasta dish that is prepared with various seafood. It includes clams, mussels, shrimp, and squid. The dish is flavored with white wine and garlic

Linguine all’astice is a delicious Italian pasta dish with lobster meat. The lobster meat is combined with sautéed shallots, garlic or onions, deglazed with white wine, and finished with tomatoes. The sauce is served over fresh linguine.

Spain

Vieiras en su concha is a traditional Spanish dish originating in Galicia. The dish is made with scallops served in their shells. It is prepared with scallops, olive oil, onions, garlic, white wine, tomato sauce, salt, pepper, breadcrumbs, and parsley. The garlic and onions are sauteed in olive oil, then wine, tomato sauce, and seasonings are added. The scallops are boiled, placed on their shells on a baking sheet and topped with the tomato mixture, breadcrumbs, and parsley.

Arroz con bogavante is a dish that originated in Valencia. The dish is a mix of rice, lobster meat, fish stock, white wine, shrimp, onions, garlic, bell pepper, tomatoes, paprika, saffron, olive oil, and seasonings. The ingredients are sautéed in a pan until fully cooked.

Portugal

Ameijoas a Bulhao Pato is a dish that was named after 19th-century poet Raimundo Antonio de Bulhao Pato. The dish consists of clams with a tasty sauce made with olive oil, white wine, garlic, lemon juice, and fresh cilantro. It is usually served as an appetizer.

Asia

China

Stir-fried shrimp (you bao xia) is a Chinese dish made with whole shrimp stir-fried in a wok until crispy. After the shrimp are added to a savory sauce made with chicken broth, black vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, and Shaoxing wine. Scallions and ginger slices are added.

India

Chingri Malai is a traditional Indian curry from the Bengal region. It is prepared with prawns, and coconut milk, seasoned with garam masala spices, and fried in ghee or mustard oil with onions, hot chili peppers, garlic-chili paste, and turmeric. Other flavorings can be added like red chili powder, cinnamon, sugar, and cardamom. The dish is cooked until the gravy is thick and creamy.

Thailand

Tom Yum is a Thai dish that is a spicy, sour, and aromatic soup served with rice. Shallots, lemongrass, fish sauce, minced fresh ginger, shrimp, mushrooms, kaffir lime leaves, lime juice, and minced Thai chili pepper make for a delicious soup.

Singapore

Black pepper crab is made by stir-frying crab pieces, black pepper, garlic, shallots, and oyster sauce over high heat.

North America

Louisiana

Estoufee is of Cajun origin. It is prepared with shrimp or crawfish in a thick sauce. The sauce is made with a blonde or brown roux and served over rice.

Mexico

Camarones enclupotlados is a traditional dish that comes from Central Mexico. The dish is prepared with shrimp, tomatoes, olive oil, chipotle chilies, ginger, garlic, orange juice, orange zest, salt, and pepper. Tomatoes are halved and seasoned with salt and pepper, brushed with olive oil, and roasted in the oven. Shrimp are marinated with tomatoes, hot peppers, and ginger. The orange zest, orange juice, garlic, and ginger are sautéed in olive oil and mixed with the other ingredients.

Camarones en salsa de tamarindo is a traditional Mexican dish originating in Central Mexico. The dish consists of shrimp, onions, chipotle chilies, garlic, tamarind paste, stock, butter, coriander, and salt, The ingredients without the stock are sautéed in butter and then mixed with the stock.

South America

Brazil

Moqueca Baiana is a seafood stew that originated in the Brazilian state of Balua. The stew is made with white fish, shrimp, coconut milk, dende oil, lime juice, and vegetables like red and yellow peppers, tomatoes, spring onions, garlic, and ginger.

Chile

Machas a la parmesana is a dish made with razor clams topped with salt, white wine, butter, and parmesan cheese. The clams are broiled until the cheese melts.

Peru

Ceviche is the national dish of Peru. It includes slices of raw fish or shellfish like scallops flavored with salt, onions, and chili peppers, then marinated in lime juice. The acidity of the lime juice turns the texture of the seafood from pink to white. It cooks the meat with no heat involved.