Seafood Provencale Recipes

SHRIMP PROVENCAL

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Quickly saute shrimp until they turn pink, but are not cooked through; remove from skillet and set aside. Add the bell peppers, onion, garlic, fennel seeds, and thyme; cook until the onion softens, about 8 minutes.
• Stir in white wine, tomato paste, and diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the flavors blend, about 10 minutes. Add the shrimp, and simmer until they are cooked and turn opaque, about 3 minutes. Stir in the basil, and season to taste with salt and pepper before serving.

PROVENCAL SEAFOOD PIE

Steps:

• Heat oil and butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add leek, fennel, and garlic; cook, stirring, until vegetables are softened, about 6 minutes. Add flour; cook, stirring, 6 to 7 minutes. Whisk in stock. Bring to a boil. Stir in tomatoes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add lobster, shrimp, scallops, bass, and halibut; cook 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in parsley. Let cool.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to a 10-inch square, about 1/4 inch thick. Cut out a small vent in center. Transfer stew to an 8-inch square baking dish. Cover with dough, allowing excess to overhang. Transfer to freezer until cold, 20 minutes.
• Whisk cream and egg yolk in a small bowl. Brush crust with egg wash. Bake pie on a rimmed baking sheet until crust is golden brown and puffy, 35 to 40 minutes. Serve with aioli.

PROVENçAL FISH STEW

Steps:

• Drain chickpeas. If you used dried, reserve cooking liquid; if they are canned, discard the liquid and rinse the chickpeas. Put 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When it's hot, add bread crumbs, sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until they're crisp and toasted, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from pan.
• Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the skillet; increase heat to medium-high. When oil is hot, add garlic, olives, capers and anchovies. Cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, a minute or two. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring occasionally, until it darkens slightly, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Start adding spinach a handful at a time; keep stirring until all the spinach fits in the pan and starts to release its water; sprinkle with a little more pepper, then add the stock, chickpeas and red chile flakes if you're using them. Adjust the heat so the mixture bubbles gently but steadily, then stir in the squid and the shrimp. Cook until the seafood is just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Taste and adjust the seasoning. Divide among bowls, sprinkle with bread crumbs and serve.

COD PROVENçAL

Steps:

• Neatly trim the cod fillets. Score the skin of each fillet 3-4 times at regular intervals. Lay the fish in a shallow dish and sprinkle both sides of the fillets with the salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Set aside or chill overnight, see box, far right.
• Deseed and finely slice the peppers, then finely grate the garlic and lemon zest over the peppers. Carefully slice the fennel on a mandolin, or as finely as possible with a sharp knife, then tip half the fennel into a bowl of iced water and set aside.
• Brush the salt off the fish or, if it has dissolved, wipe the brine off with kitchen paper. Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large non-stick pan, cook the fish, skin side down, for 4 mins until the skin is crisp and browned, then remove from the pan.
• Put 1 tbsp more oil into the pan. Fry the fennel and the marinated peppers together for 4-5 mins until soft and starting to brown. Throw in the tomatoes and the balsamic vinegar, then continue to cook for 2-3 mins until they soften and release their juices. Scatter over the olives, capers and herbs, then toss everything together.
• Nestle the fish fillets, skin side up, among the vegetables, then lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 5-6 mins until the fish is just cooked through. Lift the fish from the pan and give the sauce a final simmer and stir, then turn off the heat. This dish is better served warm rather than hot, so don't worry about the vegetables or fish resting before you serve.
• Drain the reserved fennel and pat dry with kitchen paper. Toss with the juice from half the grated lemon, 2 tbsp olive oil and the anchovies. To serve, spoon the vegetables into the middle of two large dinner plates. Sit the cod, skin side up, on top of the vegetables and top with a neat bundle of fennel salad. Drizzle everything with a touch more oil, then scatter with the small basil leaves.

PROVENCAL SHELLFISH STEW

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and fennel and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are golden, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, pepper, and saffron and cook another minute. Stir in the vermouth and simmer until reduced by about half. Lightly crush the tomatoes through your fingers into the pot; stir in their juices, add the water, orange zest, bay leaf, cover, and simmer until the flavors come together, about 20 minutes.
• Adjust the heat so that the broth simmers briskly. Stir in the clams, cover the pot, and cook until they just begin to open, 6 to 8 minutes. (To keep the clams from overcooking, transfer any fully opened ones to a bowl.) Add the scallops and shrimp and cook, uncovered, until they are just cooked through and opaque, 2 to 3 minutes more. Stir in the vinegar, parsley, and return any of the cooked clams along with their juices. Season with salt, if needed. Divide stew and shellfish among 4 warm bowls. Serve.

SEAFOOD PROVENCALE

Steps:

• Saute garlic, carrots, onion and zucchini in oil on low heat for 5 minutes.
• Add tomatoes with their liquid, clam juice, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook, covered on med.-low heat 10 minute or until vegetables are done.
• Add fish and cook 5 minute Add shrimp and cook addtional 5 minute.

PRAWNS PROVENCALE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 475 degrees F (245 degrees C). Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil. Brush with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
• Carefully remove shells and legs of prawns; leave the tail attached. To butterfly the prawns, cut a slit with a small sharp knife lengthwise down the belly side of shrimp, almost to the skin on the back. Open out like a book.
• Place chopped garlic, large pinch kosher salt, oregano, and thyme in a mortar; pound and stir with a pestle a few seconds. Add 1 tablespoon fresh parsley. Pound and stir mixture until it turns into a paste, 1 or 2 minutes. Add 1/3 cup olive oil; mix about 1 minute to infuse olive oil with herbs and garlic.
• Place bread crumbs in a mixing bowl. Transfer herb-garlic mixture to breadcrumbs. Add a pinch of salt, black pepper, pinch cayenne, remaining chopped parsley, and grated cheese. Mix with a fork to distribute ingredients evenly. Pinch a bit of the mixture; if it feels a bit dry and doesn't stick to your finger, drizzle in a bit more olive oil. Stir until mixture reaches desired consistency. 2 to 3 minutes.
• Lightly but thoroughly coat cut side of prawns with crumb mixture; place on prepared baking sheet.
• Bake in preheated oven until cooked through and tails curl up, 8 to 10 minutes.

SHELLFISH STEW PROVENçALE

Steps:

• Clean the hard-shelled clams:
• Scrub the clams thoroughly with a stiff brush under cold water, discarding any that have cracked shells or that are not shut tightly.
• Make the stew:
• In a kettle cook the onion, the fennel, and the bell pepper in the oil over moderate heat, stirring, until the vegetables are softened. Stir in the zest, the minced thyme, the bay leaf, the cayenne, and the saffron, cook the mixture, stirring, for 30 seconds, and add the wine, the stock, the tomatoes, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer the mixture, uncovered, for 15 minutes, add the garlic, and simmer the mixture for 5 minutes. The stew may be prepared up to this point 2 days in advance, cooled, uncovered, and kept covered and chilled. Stir in the shrimp and the clams and simmer the mixture, covered, for 5 minutes. Add the crab legs and the scallops, simmer the stew, covered, for 3 minutes, or until the scallops are just cooked through and the clams are opened, and discard the bay leaf and any unopened clams. Divide the stew among 8 heated bowls and garnish it with the thyme sprigs.
• Make the stock:
• In a well-buttered heavy saucepan combine the fish bones and trimmings, the onion, the parsley, the lemon juice, and the salt and steam the mixture, covered, over moderately high heat for 5 minutes. Add the water and the wine, bring the liquid to a boil, skimming the froth, and simmer the stock for 20 minutes. Strain the stock through a fine sieve into a bowl, let it cool to warm, and chill it, covered. The stock keeps, covered and chilled, for 1 week if it is brought to a boil every 2 days and then allowed to cool to warm, uncovered, before being chilled again. The stock keeps, frozen, for 3 months. Makes about 6 cups.

FISH SOUP PROVENCALE

Steps:

• Cut the fish into 1-inch cubes.
• Heat the oil in a heavy casserole or skillet. Add the onions, leeks, garlic, red and green pepper and the saffron. Cook, stirring over medium high heat, until wilted.
• Add the wine, canned tomatoes, water, thyme, bay leaf, anise seed, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Add the fish and the mussels; stir gently; bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Check for seasoning. Remove the thyme and bay leaf. Make sure all the mussels are open. If not, cook a bit longer. Sprinkle with the basil and serve.

SHRIMP PROVENçALE

Steps:

• Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and sauté just until pink, about 1 minute. Using slotted spoon, transfer shrimp to bowl. Add bell peppers, onion, thyme, garlic and fennel seeds to skillet. Sauté until onion softens, about 8 minutes. Add tomatoes with juices, olives, wine and tomato paste; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until flavors blend, about 10 minutes. Add shrimp; simmer uncovered until shrimp are just opaque in center, about 3 minutes. Mix in basil; season with salt and pepper.