An Incredibly Easy Method That Works For All
10 Apr 2021
Simple Seafood Recipes for a Weekend Lunch
A weekend lunch beside the coast should never feel like hard work. The best seaside cooking is the sort that leaves you with salty hands, a cold drink and enough time to actually sit down with your guests. That means choosing dishes that cook quickly, use few pans and can be carried to the table in one journey. Two courses, or three if you count a bowl of strawberries and some good cheese, is plenty.
Buy your fish on the day if you can. A decent fishmonger will tell you what came in that morning, and that is almost always the right answer. Look for bright, clear eyes, flesh that springs back when pressed, and a clean sea smell rather than anything sharp or ammonia-like. For shellfish, ask when it was landed and get it home in a cool bag with a frozen block. As a rough guide, allow about 200g of filleted fish per person, or a whole fish of around 500g each if you are cooking it on the bone.
Mussels are the most generous thing in the display and the cheapest way to feed a crowd. Rinse 1.5kg under cold running water, pull off any beards and tap each shell sharply. Any that stay open go in the bin, as do any with cracked shells. This is the only fiddly bit of the whole lunch, and it takes ten minutes.
In a large pan with a tight-fitting lid, soften two finely chopped shallots and a clove of garlic in a knob of butter. Add 200ml of dry cider or a glass of white wine and let it bubble for a minute. Tip in the mussels, clamp on the lid and cook over a high heat for four to five minutes, shaking the pan once or twice. They are done the moment the shells open. Stir through 100ml of double cream and a generous handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley, then serve in deep bowls with the liquor spooned over. Discard any that remain shut. Give everyone a bowl for the empty shells and plenty of crusty bread.
For the main event, a whole fish is far more forgiving than fillets and looks far more impressive than it deserves to. Sea bass, bream or mackerel all work beautifully. Ask the fishmonger to gut and scale it but leave the head on.
It is ready when the flesh at the thickest point lifts away from the bone with no resistance. Let it rest for five minutes before serving — it will carry on cooking as it sits, and the flesh will be far easier to portion. Bring it to the table whole and let people help themselves, lifting the top fillet away from the bone with a spoon and fork. A bowl of lemon wedges and a pot of salsa verde made from parsley, capers, anchovy, garlic and olive oil will see off any dryness.
The vegetables should be as unfussy as the fish. In spring, blanch a handful of purple sprouting broccoli for three minutes and dress it while warm with lemon zest, olive oil and toasted flaked almonds. In summer, samphire needs nothing more than a minute in boiling water and a knob of butter — it is naturally salty, so do not season it. Griddled courgettes with mint and a squeeze of lemon are wonderful alongside mackerel.
New potatoes boiled in well-salted water, drained, then tossed with butter and chopped chives are the side that never fails. If you want something a little sharper, a simple tomato salad with thinly sliced red onion, a pinch of sugar and a glug of good olive oil benefits from twenty minutes of sitting. Dress it before the fish goes in the oven and forget about it.
Eating outside brings its own small challenges, so plan for them. Weight everything down: a stone in the bottom of a jug, a heavy bowl for the shells, napkins tucked under plates. Keep anything with mayonnaise or cream in the shade or in a cool box until the last moment, and keep white wine in a bucket of ice and water rather than ice alone, which chills far faster.
Warm plates matter more than you might think, especially if there is a breeze. A stack of plates kept in a low oven for ten minutes makes a real difference to a whole baked fish. And do not overlook the simple pleasure of a jug of iced water with lemon and mint on the table — after a plate of mussels, everyone will want it.
Finish with something that requires no last-minute attention. A lemon posset made the night before is ideal: warm 600ml of double cream with 150g of caster sugar until the sugar dissolves, stir in the juice of two lemons, strain into small glasses and chill overnight. It sets firm and sharp and cuts through the richness of the meal beautifully.
Failing that, buy the best ice cream you can find and serve it with shortbread and a pile of raspberries. Or simply put out a plate of local cheese, oatcakes and a few grapes, and let lunch drift into the afternoon. That, after all, is the whole point.
The Willow Dune Simple, genuine and looked after with care — the kind of place worth returning to.
April 25, 2019 at 10:46 am
Take in the iconic skyline and visit the neighbourhood hangouts that you've only ever seen on TV. Take in the iconic skyline and visit the neighbourhood.
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Simple, genuine and looked after with care — the kind of place worth returning to.
Soldman Kell
April 25, 2019 at 10:46 am
Take in the iconic skyline and visit the neighbourhood hangouts that you've only ever seen on TV. Take in the iconic skyline and visit the neighbourhood.