Christmas Seafood Recipes

Sea Food Starters

These holidays always have been remembered for traditional main dishes and desserts, but I always remembered as well for the sea-food starters, so creamy and refreshing before the mains.

Prawn rocket salad Serves 4 – 175kcal -  Time25 minutes

Baked Prawns with rocket salad

You need: 500g king tiger prawns – 4 garlic cloves (chopped) – 100g rocket salad – 1 tbsp oregano – 2 bay leaves – 50ml dry white wine – 25ml brandy – 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar.

1. Remove the shell and head of the prawns just leaving the tail. Put them in an oven tray  and season with sea-salt and sprinkle over 3 tbsp of olive oil.
2. Them scatter over the chopped garlic and  oregano. Pour over the white wine and brandy.
3. Put them in a pre-heated oven at 200ºC for about 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile in a bowl dress the salad with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
5. Place some salad in each dish and top with the prawns and some juices from the oven tray.

Smoked Salmon with Prawns Serves 6 – Kcal 210 – Time 25 min.

Smoked oak salmon with prawns mousse

You need: 240g raw small prawns (knows as Canadian) peeled and defrosted if you bought frozen ones -
350g sliced smoked salmon (6 slices reserve) - 2 chicory heads - 200g ricotta – 1 lemon juice - A bunch of chives.

1. First separate in a delicate way the chicory heads leaves, wash them very well and put in a bowl with cold water and 1 tbsp. of vinegar for 4 minutes. Wash again and let drain.
2. Chop the prawns and smoked salmon.
3. In a bowl stir in the ricotta and then add the chopped salmon and prawns, season with plenty black pepper (to taste) and mix everything very well. Chill in the fridge.
4. Then mix the lemon juice, 15g of chives and 3 tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil for make a dressing.
5. In individual plates, first place 1 reserved salmon slice on the plate, top with 2 chicory leaves, and fill them with a tbsp. of ricotta mixture. Arrange and drizzle over some of the dressing and garnish with thinly sliced chives.

Stuffed baby gem lettuce Serves 6 – Kcal 300 - Time 25 min.

Baby gem lettuce are more bitter and intense, ideal for a snack

You need: 2 gem lettuce (or chicory heads) – 4 crab stick – 5 king prawns (cooked) – 50g Canadian prawns – 6  onions and 4 cornichons pickled – 1 boiled egg – 8 green olive – Capers – Cocktail sauce.

1. First separate in a delicate way the chicory heads leaves, wash them very well and put in a bowl with cold water and 1 tbsp. of vinegar for 4 minutes. Wash again and let drain. Reserve aside the lettuce hearts
2. Finely chop the prawns and crab sticks. Put in a bowl. Now also chop finely the pickled onion and cornichons, olives and egg. Stir in the bowl and mix very well. Season. Stir again.
3. Cut in thin shreds the lettuce hearts leftovers and add to the mix with 3 tbsp. of cocktail sauce. Mix all very well.
4. In a serving dish place the drain lettuce leaves and fill them with the seafood mixture.
5. Spread over a little extra cocktail sauce and sprinkle some capers and put in the centre of the table

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Christmas Seafood Recipes

Chicory the perfect companion

Chicory or Endive are originally from  Europe and now are  in season, just when we start to thinking in the summer ahead chicory is in the right moment for start to make the changes that we need in our diet,  from stew to salads. I think one of the reason why chicory still popular in the supermarket chain is because the compressed shape of his leaves and are available in two colors, the dream of any supermarket manager. So I decided bring to you a bunch of salad recipes that include Jaime Oliver and Gordon Ramsay; a more French style salad because the endive are very close related with the French cuisine and to end another salad with cheeses that usually my aunt make in the winter family reunions like a canapé also present in her nutritional book.  In fact the little bitterness of those leaves go very well with rich cheeses like blue ones.  Chicory as well has been used like a substitute of the coffee, so why not try start the day with this very awakening juice.

Chicory salad with Mimolette cheese.

Serves 6. Timing  15 min. Kcal 170

Mimolette cheese by pinprick's

Salad

Vinaigrette

1 lettuce (lamb or frisée)                              1 tbsp cider vinegar

3 read chicory heads (leaves separate)         1 tsp Dijon mustard

100g mimolette cheese (in stripes)               1 tsp caster sugar

50g walnuts (finely crushed)                        Salt and pepper

                                                                  3 tbsp walnut oil

                                                                  4 tbsp Groundnut oil

1.       Place the leaves of chicory and lettuce in a bowl and add the mimolette and the crushed walnut.

2.       In a little bowl mix the vinegar, mustard and sugar and pinch of salt and pepper, then add the oils and whisk  very well. Taste your seasoning.

3.       Pour the vinaigrette over the salad bowl and serve!

Roast Quail with Endives by Gordon Ramsay.

Serves4. Timing 35 min.  Really nice salad but watch out 530kcl!

Salad

Vinaigrette

2 oven ready quails.                                         2 tbsp white wine vinegar

6 thyme sprigs                                                  ½ tsp Dijon mustard

20g hot melted butter                                       5 tbsp Walnut oil

2 chicory (white and red leaves separates)        2 tbsp olive oil

14 small basil leaves

50g walnuts.

Oven 200ºC

1. We need start cooking the quails, first filling the quails cavities with the thyme.
2. In a hot frying pan with a 2 tbsp olive oil brown the quail breast side down for 3 minutes pressing down onto the pan to get the best color possible. Now turn over and cook for another 2 minutes and basting a few of the hot butter over the bird.
3. Transfer the pan to the oven and roast for 5 to 8 minutes. Remove and let to cool.
4. Put the chicory (big leaves cut into quarters) walnut and basil in a big bowl.
5. For the dressing mix all the ingredients in a little bowl and whisk together very well, add some salt and pepper for seasoning. Pour over the bowl with the chicory.
6. Remove the breast from the birds and then slices them.
7. Serve the salad in the plates with the quail slices on top. 

 Quick Chicory salad with a really tasty dressing by Jaime Oliver.

Serves 4. Timing 20min. 

Salad

Vinaigrette

4 chicory (white and red leaves separates)   8 big basil leaves  

8 little basil leaves                                        1 garlic clove (peeled)

2 tbsp capers (drained)                                3 tbsp olive oil

                                                           ½ tin of anchovies in olive oil

                                                                   1 tsp Dijon mustard

                                                                   2 tbsp natural yoghurt

                                                                   3 tbsp red wine vinegar

                                                                        

1. Arrange the chicory and basil leaves in a big salad bowl or already in a big salad dish.
2. In a liquidizer mix all the vinaigrette ingredients and whiz them. Take a taste, season with a few salt and pepper and add a splash of water, whiz again.
3. Put a tbsp. of olive oil in a hot pan, add the capers for 2 min.
4. Sprinkle the capers over the chicory leaves and drizzle with your salad dressing. Ready to enjoy.  

Cheese chicory canapés.

Endives by coses de pac's

50g blue cheese. 200g cream cheese. 100g brie cheese.
1 tbsp of diced salad onion (very finely)
10 green olives5 black olives (diced very finely)
4 white chicory (leaves separated)
50g walnut.
1 tbsp vinegar

1.    In a big bowl with half of cold water add the vinegar and chicory leaves. Left them rest for 5 minutes. 
2.    Rinse the leaves in rinse water and drain in a colander.
3.    In another bowl mix all the cheeses very well, using a whisker or a fork
4.    Add the diced black olives and salad onion to the cheese mix and season with pepper
5.    In a serving dish arrange the chicory leaves and fill with the cheese mix and top ones with the green olives and another with a piece of walnuts.
6.    Before serving refridgerate them for at least half an hour.

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Chicory the perfect companion