Each region may have their specific recipes but they share much similarities. It at any point we can pin which is which in what region we will try to specify.
Obviously as the website evolves we will learn the specific regional recipes. In the meantime lets post as many seafood recipes as possible. Again I stress the importance of contacting us if you feel we can use new recipes or new information.
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Calamari Pan Fried |
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Ingredients:
3 lbs. squid-cleaned, and cut into rings
Conola oil for frying
1 cup of flour
salt
lemon wedges
Directions:
Traditional Recipe
1 Prepare by dipping calamari in flour, and shake off excess flour.
2 Heat 1 inch of oil in a deep skillet.
3 Fry until golden, drain on paper towels, and serve with lemon wedges. |
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Cod (salted) Pan Fried |
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Ingredients:
2 lbs. of salted cod
flour
1/2 cup of olive oil
lemon juice (2)
pepper
flour
Directions:
Traditional Recipe
1 Add baccala in a pot of cold water for two days to reduce the salt content. Replace water at least 3 times a day to make sure the salt is removed properly.
2 When ready heat 1 inch of oil in a deep skillet/dip baccala in flour, and shake off excess flour and then fry until golden, drain on paper towels, and serve with lemon wedges
Batter Style Cod
Ingredients:
2 lbs. of salted cod
flour
1/2 cup of olive oil
lemon juice (2)
pepper
3 eggs
flour
1 Add baccala in a pot of cold water for two days to reduce the salt content. (Preferable to cut pieces into 2 inch pieces before so they fit in the pot). Replace water at least 3 times a day to make sure the salt is removed properly.
2 Make a marinade with oil, lemon juice and pepper and then add the cut baccala. Marinate overnight only after the salted cod is de-salted as mentioned above.
3 Prepare batter by beating eggs together with 3 tbls. of flour and pepper then heat oil in a deep skillet and then dredge fish in flour, and dip into batter then fry until golden on both sides. |
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Eel Pan Fried |
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Ingredients:
2 lbs. of eel-skinned, and cleaned
1/2 cup of olive oil
flour
1 tsp. of rosemary
salt and pepper
Directions:
1 Cut eel lengthwise into 4 inch pieces
2 Sprinkle with salt,pepper, and rosemary
3 Dredge in flour
4 Fry until golden brown on all sides |
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Marinara Seafood Pasta Sauce (White) |
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Ingredients:
2 tbsp pure olive oil 25 mL
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine 125 mL
1 tsp salt 5 mL
1/4 tsp pepper 1 mL
1 can (5 oz/142 g) baby clams, drained, reserving liquid
12 mussels - cleaned
small calamari tubes - 5 oz
16 medium shrimps cleaned
small scallops - 20 pieces
1 lb spaghettini 450 g (choice)
Directions:
1• In large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic and onion; cook 3 minutes or until softened.
2• Add wine, salt, pepper and 1/3 cup (75 mL) of reserved clam juice; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes. Add shrimps, scallops, calamari and cook 3 minutes. Finally add the mussels until colour change and opened. Discard unopened mussels.
3• Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook pasta 6 minutes, or until tender but firm. Drain pasta. Toss with sauce and parsley, and serve immediately gently decorating the pasta plate with the mussels.
Preparation Time: 40 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Makes 4 servings |
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Marinara Seafood Pasta Sauce (Red) |
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Ingredients:
2 tbsp pure olive oil 25 mL
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, chopped
1 can (28 oz/796 mL) san marzano ground tomatoes
1/2 cup dry white wine 125 mL
1 tsp salt 5 mL
1/4 tsp pepper 1 mL
1 can (5 oz/142 g) baby clams, drained, reserving liquid
12 mussels - cleaned
small calamari tubes - 5 oz
16 medium shrimps cleaned
small scallops - 20 pieces
1 lb spaghettini 450 g (choice)
Directions:
1• In large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic and onion; cook 3 minutes or until softened.
2• Add tomatoes, wine, salt, pepper and 1/3 cup (75 mL) of reserved clam juice; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes. Add shrimps, scallops, calamari and cook 3 minutes. Finally add the mussels until colour change and opened. Discard unopened mussels.
3• Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook pasta 6 minutes, or until tender but firm. Drain pasta. Toss with sauce and parsley, and serve immediately gently decorating the pasta plate with the mussels.
Preparation Time: 40 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Makes 4 servings |
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Red Mullet in Onion Sauce |
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Ingredients:
Two red mullets (about 250 grams each)
200 grams of sliced white or yellow onions
whole grain or white flour
half cup of white wine vinegar (a good varietal vinegar is best)
50 grams of white sugar or refined (crystallized) brown sugar
two tablespoons of finely chopped fresh parsley
refined olive oil (for frying)
virgin olive oil (to sauté onions)
two eggs (well beaten)
salt
mild white pepper
In Sicilian waters, the best mullet is caught in the Spring. This dish, famous in Sicily's seaside communities, was a favorite of the aristocracy, with which it is strongly identified. The link is probably due to the rarity of good mullet during certain seasons. The use of cane sugar (introduced into Sicily by the Saracens) and onions in this way is essentially a North African touch the Sicilians call cipollata.
Directions:
1 Clean the mullets but leave the heads attached.
2 Liberally coat the fish with flour, dip them in the beaten eggs, and dredge them in flour again.
3 Fry the mullets in refined olive oil over medium heat, turning as necessary, until fully cooked. (Do so carefully; olive oil has a very low burning point.)
4 Remove mullets from pan and drain oil by placing fish on absorbent paper. Discard frying oil.
5 Very slowly sauté onions in virgin olive oil in a separate pan.
6 When cooked, add about a half cup of vinegar.
7 Add sugar and stir mixture.
8 When sugar begins to thicken or crystallize, add salt and pepper to taste.
9 Remove pan from heat. Add parsley. Add cooked mullets, or place fish on a plate and pour sauce over it.
10Serve with a large slice of lemon. Traditionalists believe this dish is best served slightly chilled or at room temperature. (This makes it ideal if your dinner guests arrive late, after you've cooked the mullets).
Serves two. |
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Shrimp and Scallops in Garlic Cream Sauce |
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Ingredients:
5 tablespoons olive oil
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 cloves shallots, chopped
2 cups white wine
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves, plus sprigs for garnish
1 teaspoon chopped thyme leaves
1 teaspoon turmeric spice
2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 pounds (20/30 count) scallops
1 1/2 pounds (16/20 count) shrimp peeled and deveined with tails left on
1 1/2 to 2 pounds cooked pasta or rice, for an accompaniment
salt and pepper to taste
If you like hot spices you can add to your taste
Optional: fresh mushrooms - diced
Directions:
1 In a large saute pan, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil and cook garlic and shallot until translucent, about 2 minutes.
2 Deglaze the pan with the wine, and add parsley, basil and thyme and let the liquid reduce by half.
3 Add the cream and turmeric spice
4 Over low heat, let the sauce reduce to medium thickness.
5 To the now empty saute pan, add 2 tablespoons olive oil, saute scallops, cook until opaque and remove to a utility platter in a warm place.
6 Then use the same pan to saute shrimp just until pink, and remove to the utility platter.
7 Add cream sauce to saute pan to toss the drained pasta or rice with the cream sauce and seafood.
8 Transfer to a serving dish, and sprinkle with cheese, as garnish. Arrange shrimp and scallops on top and garnish with basil sprigs.
If you add the mushrooms you need to fry them seperately in olive oil seasoned with salt pepper and garlic powder. You can then add them allong with the 2 cups of heavy cream and then continue the process as stipulated above. |
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Shrimps, Tomatoes, and Capers with Pasta |
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Ingredients:
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup onion, thinly sliced lengthwise
1 can fresh, plum tomatoes, crushed gently
1 tsp chopped fresh oregano
2 Tbs capers
1 lb fresh medium shrimp, peeled, deviened, and cut into 1/2" pieces
salt and freshly ground pepper
Directions:
1 Put the olive oil and onion in a large skillet over, over medium heat and cook until the onion has turned golden brown.
2 Raise the heat to medium-high and add the tomatoes. Cook rapidly until most of the liquid has evaporated, but the tomatoes have not broken down completely.
3 While cooking the tomatoes bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot, add 1 tbs of salt, and drop in the pasta all at once, stirring until the strands are submerged. If you have a smaller pot, you can use less than 4 quarts of water, but you must constantly stir the spaghetti for one minute.
4 Add oregano, capers, and shrimp to the sauce in the skillet. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until the shrimp turn pink (about 2 minutes). Once they are pink remove the skillet from the heat.
5 When pasta is cooked al dente, drain it and toss it with the sauce. Serve at once. |
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Shrimps and Vegetables Tuscany Style |
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Ingredients:
1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cup Seafood Marinade
1 red onion peeled and sliced
1 red bell pepper sliced
1/2 cup water
pinch of salt or two to taste
Directions:
1 Heat a 12 inch saute pan to medium hot, add two 2 tablespoons of Marinade and saute peppers and onions.
2 Stir 5 minutes over medium heat and then add the shrimp.
3 Cook 2 minutes, add water and remaining Marinade and bring to a simmer.
4 Serve immediately over rice or pasta.
Serves 4 |
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Stewed Squid |
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Ingredients:
1 kilogram small to medium squid (body 20 centimeters or 8 inches long)
1 kilogram of mature plum tomatoes
6-8 large anchovy fillets (in oil) finely chopped
one-half cup chopped parsley
one-half medium size white or yellow onion very finely chopped
one-half cup white table wine
extra virgin olive oil
ground red pepper
salt
one large lemon
This is one of the many simple yet delicious seafood dishes for which Sicilian cuisine is famous. It can be served alone or as a sauce with long pasta such as spaghetti. (Remember that Sicilians do not sprinkle grated cheese over seafood pasta dishes.) This is actually similar to a Neapolitan recipe. The success of this recipe depends on the freshness of the ingredients (fresh squid rather than frozen ones, fresh tomatoes rather than canned ones). It's healthy and easy to prepare.
Directions:
1 Steam or boil the tomatoes for a minute to remove the skins ("blanching" them) and then chop the tomatoes into medium sized chunks. Set aside.
2 Clean the squid well, removing the backbone. Remove and save the heads with the hard "jaw" removed but the eyes and tentacles attached.
3 Cut the squid bodies into ring segments about two centimeters (or one-half inch) in width. Set aside.
4 In a small pan, sauté the onions in olive oil.
5 Then add the anchovies (chopped)
6 pepper and parsley
7 Allow these to simmer for a minute or less, forming a paste.
8 Add the wine and allow the mixture to simmer for a minute or two until most of the alcohol has evaporated.
9 Then add the squid rings and heads (drained well so that you add as little additional water as possible).
10 Allow these to cook over a low to medium flame, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes.
11 Then add the chopped tomatoes. Salt to taste.
12 Cook the complete mixture over medium to low heat for five to ten minutes. When it reaches a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Serve with lemon. As we mentioned, the stewed squid may be served over pasta. |
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