Seafood Boil

Seafood Boil
Recipe by Dragon and Peter Minaki of www.kalofagas.ca

Sometimes the best meals are not the ones you plan....they are ones born out of an idea, a craving, a passing thought. That is how this Seafood Boil dinner came about.

We had already made plans for dinner but instead, Peter's suggestion of "I want lobster" was all it took to get our creative juices going and this wonderful meal prepared. Yes, lobster, but why not crab...why not both?

Off we went to the local Chinese supermarket and the seafood department provided the rest of the inspiration. We not only got lobster and crab but picked up clams and shrimp....a seafood boil was on the menu.

We gathered our supplies and headed home to cook. When you break it down, a Seafood Boil is simple to prepare. It's all about timing how long each ingredient takes to cook and making sure things are added to the pot in the proper order. Once all the ingredients were prepped, the Seafood Boil came together rather quickly....which was a good thing considering we were hungry by this point! :)

We prepared the table by layering some old newspapers down as a tablecloth, added a couple of finger bowls with water & lemon slices, lobster crackers, seafood picks and wine glasses....no plates required and it's an easy cleanup.

The Seafood Boil was drained then poured right out onto the newspaper. We squeezed some lemons and limes over the seafood and topped it with fresh basil and thyme....then we feasted!

So a little spontaneity, some inspiration and a whole lot of fun in the kitchen lead to a most memorable dinner. I think Germain Greer said it best..."The essence of pleasure is spontaneity." Enjoy!


Serves: 4

Ingredients:
24 cups of water
2 large onions, quartered
1/2 to 3/4 cup of Old Bay Seasoning (or salt or your preferred seasoning)
3 bay leaves
5 birdseye chilles
the peel of 1 whole lemon
1 handful of mixed peppercorns
2 heads of garlic, sliced in half
1 cup of white wine
1 long piece of dry (cured) chourico sausage, cut into 1-inch pieces (or other cured sausage like Andouille or Kielbasa)
8 new (red potatoes), about palm-size
4 corn on the cob, peeled and cut into three
2 live lobsters, about 1.5 lb. each

2 live crabs, about 1lb. each
1 lb of littleneck clams, rinsed
1 lb of medium shrimp, deveined
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
wedges of lemons & limes for garnish
1 cup basil leaves + sprigs of fresh thyme for garnish

Directions:

1. Bring water to boil along with Old Bay, peppercorns, chillies, lemon peels, wine, garlic, onions and sausage. Simmer for 10 minutes.

2. Add the potatoes (whole) and boil for 10 minutes.

3. Add corn, lobster and crab and boil for another 10 minutes.

4. Add clams and boil for 5-6 minutes or until just opened. Take pot off the heat and add shrimp and olive oil and let stand for 5 minutes (shrimp are cooked when pink). Drain the liquid and enjoy!



Enjoy some more photos from our dinner.


7 comments:

Peter M said...

I would do a seafood boil every weekend but then it wouldn't be special. Simple yet so damn tasty!

Deeba PAB said...

Love it I do...the spontaneity, the adventurous spirit, the fun shopping, the easy clean up...and you! MWAH

LaDue & Crew said...

YUM!! No one told me of such shenanigans so that I could make it in time- geesh!! This has my tastebuds rolling!!

firma contabilitate said...

Hmmm this recipe looks so delicious and nice and i think that fits perfect with my taste. Even it doesen`t like a very easy recipe i think i will try it. Thanks for sharing.

greeneracres said...

This looks awesome and reminds me of the seafood boil I ordered once at Big Daddy's Crabshack in Ottawa - it was served in a roasting pan!

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

I heard about your boil when in Troonto and was salivating even then. Good job guys!

expert contabil said...

Hmmm this recipe looks so delicious and nice and i think that fits perfect with my taste and in my opinion is a very easy recipe, so i think i will try it. Thanks for sharing.

 
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