Shellfish – Page 2 – The Food Wife

Prawn Summer Pasta

1st August 20181st August 2018
by thefoodwife

Serves 1

The Food Husband went out for the evening which called for seafood for me!

The hotter weather weâ€™ve been having recently means I want something lighter than my Prawn Linguine with its rich tomato sauce. Instead I want the pasta to be coated more in a dressing and this is achieved from the peppery olive oil and lemon juice. Using fresh tomatoes and spring onion gives a speedy and simple base to this dish and the fennel enhances the prawns beautifully.

Ready from start to finish in 15 minutes this is fresh fast food and whilst this serves one, you can just scale-up as required.

Ingredients:
75g pasta (the shape of your choice, I chose gemelli. If making this gluten-free make sure you choose a suitable pasta)
2 medium tomatoes, diced or 2 small handfuls of cherry tomatoes, halved or a mix of the two
2 spring onions, sliced
1 tsp of fennel seeds
150g raw prawns, peeled and deveined (I used tiger prawns)
1 fat clove of garlic, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
1/2 lemon, juiced (zest optional)

Step 1: Cook your pasta according to the packet instructions.

Step 2: Whilst your pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a frying pan on a medium heat and add the fennel seeds, tomatoes and spring onion.

Step 3: After 2 minutes add the garlic and stir and then add your prawns. Stir or toss the pan every so often until the prawns are just cooked through.

Step 4: Add your drained pasta, along with a little of the cooking water and toss in the sauce along with salt and pepper to taste.

Step 5: Finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice (and a little of the zest if you like).

You could also add a little fresh or dried chilli in step 3. I also threw in a few freshly torn basil leaves as I served which complements the anniseedy fennel seeds. This is nice served with a green salad.

Gambas Pil Pil

27th June 201827th June 2018
by thefoodwife

Serves 3-4 as a tapas

A tapas feast is not complete (in my humble opinion) without Gambas Pil Pil. In a restaurant these are always swimming in olive oil, beautifully pungent with the garlic and chilli. I have been restrained on the oil front, but by all means add more, I was just thinking of the calories!

Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1-2 red chillies, finely chopped
150g raw king prawns, peeled, deveined and scored down the back with a sharp knife
Juice of half a lemon

Step 1: Combine all ingredients (except the lemon juice) in a bowl. Cover with clingfilm.

Step 2: Leave to marinate in the fridge for an hour.

Step 3: Cook in a hot pan for a minute or two, stirring occasionally, until just cooked through.

Step 4: Once cooked, squeeze over the lemon juice.

Prawn Linguine

30th May 201830th May 2018
by thefoodwife

Serves 2

Take me to an Italian restaurant and itâ€™d be highly unusual if I didnâ€™t go for their Linguine au Frutti di Mare. At home my version just has prawns in it, but there is nothing stopping you from adding a mix of seafood.

I like chilli in my sauce but this is not obligatory, and the sauce is good with pasta on its own, without the prawns, if you want something simple for supper.

You could make the sauce (minus the prawns) ahead of time; just go up to step 4 and switch off after 15 minutes, until itâ€™s time to reheat to get dinner on the table.

This sauce could stretch to four people, just add more prawns and pasta!

Ingredients:
150g linguine
1 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, finely diced
1/2 pepper, finely diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
12 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes
1 dsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp sugar
500g passata
150g raw king prawns

Step 1: Soften the onion in the olive oil on a medium heat for five minutes.

Step 2: Add the pepper and garlic and cook for a further five minutes, stirring often.

Step 3: Add the halved tomatoes followed by the passata. When it is simmering add the chilli, sugar and balsamic vinegar.

Step 4: Cook on a gentle simmer for 15 minutes.

Step 5: Whilst this is simmering, cook your linguine according to the packet instructions.

Step 6: Three or four minutes before you are ready to serve, add the prawns to the simmering sauce and they will poach in the liquid.

Step 7: Add the drained linguine to the sauce and coat evenly, using a little of the cooking water to loosen the sauce if necessary.

Serve with a sprinkling of parmesan if you like (this will remove its dairy free status), and a green salad.

Spanish Prawns with Red Rice and Chorizo

23rd May 201823rd May 2018
by thefoodwife

Serves 2 as a main meal or 4-6 as a tapas

Smoky paprika, pungent garlic and the zing of lemon adorn sweet and juicy prawns and meaty chorizo in this wonderful meal inspired by Spain. The addition of red rice adds a deep nuttiness to the dish, but a brown basmati rice would be a good alternative as you will also be flavouring it with a simple but gutsy sofrito.

Ingredients:

For the rice and sofrito:
140g red rice/brown rice
1 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, small dice
1 red pepper, small dice
1 clove of garlic, finely minced
1 tbsp tomato purÃ©e
1 dried chilli, crushed or 1 tsp chilli flakes
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp sweet paprika
Salt and pepper to taste

For the prawns and chorizo:
1 tbsp olive oil
80g chorizo, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp smoked paprika
150-200g raw king prawns
1/2 lemon (juice only)
1 tbsp chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

To serve:
1/2 lemon (cut in to wedges)

Step 1: Cook your rice according to the packet instructions.

Step 2: Make the sofrito; heat the oil in a frying pan on a medium heat. Add the onion and pepper and soften for five minutes. Add the garlic and stir for a minute.

Step 3: Add the tomato purÃ©e and cook out, stirring for a minute or two.

Step 4: Add the chilli and paprikas and stir on a low heat for two minutes. Turn off the heat until you are ready to add your cooked rice.

Step 5: Add the cooked rice to the sofrito and stir thoroughly so everything is combined and then season to taste. Keep on a low heat whilst you cook the prawns and chorizo.

Step 6: In a separate pan, heat the oil on a medium heat and fry the chorizo to release its oils for a few minutes.

Step 7: Add the garlic and paprika and stir to ensure they do not burn, then add the prawns, stirring frequently and cooking until they are no longer translucent.

Step 8: Squeeze over the juice of half a lemon and stir in the chopped parsley.

Serve the prawns and chorizo on a bed of the rice, with a wedge of lemon on the side to squeeze over. It is lovely with a green salad.

Thai Red Curry Fish Cakes

10th May 20186th June 2018
by thefoodwife

Makes/Serves 2

My husband has to be in the mood for seafood and so I usually eat fish when he is out for the evening, or I choose it in restaurants because I donâ€™t have it nearly enough as I should like to at home.

I persuaded him a few months back to try a Thai flavoured fish and potato cake from a supermarket. He liked it (hurrah!) and so it became a bit of a regular in our weekly meals. The problem is, I would prefer them if they contained more fish, so I decided to have a go at making my own. This is the result; a fish cake that is fragrant and spicy and very satisfying.

Ingredients:
1 large or 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into one-inch dice
1 fillet of white fish (approx 70g) (I used Pollock)
12 king prawns (raw or cooked)
2 lime leaves (optional)
2 spring onions, finely sliced
1 tbsp chopped coriander
1/2 – 1 tsp Thai red curry paste (depending on your taste; I used 1 heaped tsp and the result was very spicy)
3 tbsp panko breadcrumbs
1 tbsp sesame seeds

Step 1: Cook the potatoes in salted cold water, bring to the boil and simmer until cooked (a knife should easily pass through). Drain and mash till smooth.

Step 2: Whilst the potatoes are cooking, see to the fish. In a shallow pan put the 2 lime leaves and cold water (about 2cm), enough to cover the fish fillet. Add the fish and bring to a simmer until the fish is cooked (if putting in from cold this will take 3 or 4 mins once simmering).

Step 3: Remove the fish and flake gently with a fork. Set aside to cool.

Step 4: If you are using raw king prawns, add these to the simmering water and cook for a couple of minutes until just cooked. If you are using ready-cooked prawns skip to step 5.

Step 5: Remove and roughly chop half of the prawns and halve the rest. Set aside to cool.

Step 6: Add your Thai red curry paste to the potatoes and mix thoroughly until evenly combined. Leave to cool.

Step 7: Now mix the spiced potatoes, flaked fish, chopped prawns, sliced spring onions and chopped coriander in a bowl.

Step 8: Divide equally in two and shape in to your fish cakes.

Step 9: Mix the panko breadcrumbs and sesame seeds on a plate.

Step 10: Coat the fish cakes all over with the breadcrumb and sesame seed mix.

Step 11: Place in the fridge to chill and firm up until youâ€™re ready to cook them.

Step 12: Cook on a baking sheet in a preheated oven (180c) for 25 minutes. Alternatively these could be fried in a non-stick pan for 3-4 minutes on each side, which would result in a crisper coating, however I was aiming for a fat-free meal.

You could up the fish content more still, and lower the potato accordingly.
This is perfect served with my Asian Noodle Peanut Salad.