seafood

spanish clams

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I have taken the flavours of a classic Spanish clam stew and rejigged it so it tastes great even though there is no meat in it. Normally it would have Chorizo in it, so I used smoked paprika which is the flavor of Chorizo instead and it tastes just as good. It’s a really easy recipe and great for a date night. Also, the frozen Clams were a bargain £3.59 for 500g in the freezer section of Waitrose. I always buy a few boxes and keep them in the freezer just in case. They are delicious with roasted sourdough or my homemade fries or roast potatoes.

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crab with avocado and lime on toast

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This recipe is a great way of making a fairly expensive ingredient go a long way, and anyway, what could be nicer than crab with chilli and lime on crunchy bread with avocado and pickled cucumber? The perfect combo of flavours and textures. The lime is the perfect match for crab and is slightly more subtle than if I used a lemon, which you can do if you prefer. It’s a great starter to any dinner, just multiply it by the number of guests.

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shrimp laksa bowl

~ aplotzi ~ 1 Comment

Laksa is a creamy coconutty broth which is spicy, delicious and is  a very traditional Thai dish. It’s always served in a big bowl with noodles and with lots of garnishes, so it looks scrumptious. You can also make this recipe with whatever takes your fancy, so you can add different seafood to it like squid and scallops or shell fish. It’s up to you and if you omit the noodles you have a very tasty, creamy low carb meal. It’s perfect for date night dinner with your darling, when you fancy something hot and spicy.

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crab linguine

~ aplotzi ~ 10 Comments

This is my 100th recipe on the blog. I’m really proud and grateful, thank you for subscribing, and as Julia Child used to say Bon Appétit!

I have had the crab linguine lots of times at Polpo restaurant in Nottinghill Gate with my friend Emily, we always order it and we are obsessed with it as it’s so good. I really wanted the recipe, however it isn’t in their cookbooks or online, so I have had to guess what it is. It took me six attempts before I got it right, that’s a lot of linguine and I’m now booking in to a health farm so I can do my jeans up again, however it was worth it. I really think Polpo have nailed it, and I hope you think I have too. The beauty of it is it only takes about twelve minutes to make and you can keep the ingredients in the store cupboard. Perfect for a stress free dinner party or just dinner for two. Ralph has just cooked and tasted it and he thinks that it is so easy and beyond amazing and you should definitely try it and everyone that has cooked this recipe has said it’s the best crab linguine they have ever had. Give it a try…

Recipe

Serves 2 (double or triple the quantities for more people).

Ingredients:
200g of linguine or spaghetti
170g tin of crab meat (drained which becomes 100g) or 100g of fresh white and/or brown crab meat
½ teaspoon of finely chopped red chilli or a pinch of dried chilli flakes
8 cherry tomatoes halved
A sprig of parsley finely chopped
2 tablespoons of fresh grated Parmesan
1 small clove of garlic minced
2-3 tablespoons of butter
Juice of half a lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

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paella

~ aplotzi ~ 5 Comments

Hola! This is one of my favourite dishes ever.

I make it with a lower ratio of rice to seafood so it’s mostly seafood, which makes it more delicious and healthier. My version is created with all the amazing moorish flavours that are really special as I combined all the best bits from each Spanish recipe I could find and reworked it and it is really simple to make and only needs one pan. My friends think it is the best paella they’ve ever had, partly because the seafood is steamed on the rice for the last ten minutes so it’s tender and not dried out and over cooked. If you are feeding more people just double or triple the quantities, as needed. Just make sure you use a big enough pan.

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risotto milanese with scallops

~ aplotzi ~ 2 Comments

You can leave the scallops off if you don’t want them, but this combo of flavours is really good with or without. I get frozen scallops from the supermarket which are cheaper, and more convenient, but the scallops from the fish monger are super fab. The risotto is baked so it’s easy and you don’t have to stand over it, whilst entertaining.

Serves 4.

Ingredients:

  • 1 large pinch saffron
  • 1 onion finely chopped
  • 400g risotto rice
  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 1 litre of hot, rich chicken, vegetable or fish stock
  • 30g butter
  • 30g grated Parmesan
  • small bunch parsley finely chopped
  • 1 lemon zested and wedged
  • salt and pepper

For the scallops

  • 200g frozen scallops (thawed)
  • 10 g butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

How:
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Heat a large oven proof saucepan, which has a lid, over medium heat.
Add the oil and onion and cook until soft, about 4 mins.
Add the saffron, rice and stock, cover with the lid and bake for 30 minutes.
Stir in the butter, Parmesan, salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with a sprinkling of parsley, lemon zest and a lemon wedge.

For the scallops, sear the scallops in a hot pan with the olive oil and butter for 1½ minutes each side until golden. Arrange them on top of the risotto.
Serve straight away.

mediterranean roasted shellfish spaghetti

~ aplotzi ~ 2 Comments

This recipe was inspired by a roasted Mediterranean seafood platter I had at the Ivy restaurant in London once and which I still dream about. I thought it would be great with pasta, and it is.

Serves 4.

Ingredients:
1 pound of a mix of frozen prawns, scallops, calamari, langoustines (optional), thawed
1 cup of white wine
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 lemon, zested and juiced
2 minced garlic cloves
small bunch of chopped basil
small bunch of chopped parsley
500g spaghetti

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