AT HOME... RECIPE

Seafood Platter

From: Phil Saliba

Ingredients

• 1 x large bunch of parsley
• 1 kg x fresh local mussels
• 1 x bunch spring onions
• 1 kg x green king prawns
• 1 x small bunch of coriander
• 4 x blue swimmer crabs
• 2 x large onions
• 1 x calamari squid
• 6 x cloves of garlic
• 2 x fillets of rockling or trevally
• 2 x teaspoons of ginger
• 3 x tablespoons of minced chilli
• 3 x tablespoons of olive oil
• 3 x litres of water
• 1 x cup of sugar
• 4 x teaspoons of salt
• 1 x cup white vinegar

Method

Finely chop parsley, coriander and 2 large onions. Crush Garlic and chop ginger, cut spring onions into inch pieces.

Heat olive oil in a large boiler, saute above ingredients until soft and add minced chilli, stir it in well and take it off heat.

Clean all seafood and prepare it for cooking: de-beard mussels and take only the heads off the prawns. Take the top shell off the crabs and put aside with the prawn heads.

Wash the body section of the crabs under running water and remove all rubbish including gills. Cut crabs in half and take of front claws. Cut up calamari into pieces along with fish fillets. Place all fresh seafood in fridge.

In a large boiler bring to the boil 3 litres of salted water along with a cup of white vinegar and a cup of sugar. Add prawn heads and crab shells and boil for 30 minutes. Strain fluid and get rid of all rubbish from stock.

Bring stock back to the boil and add sauteed ingredients, simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

30 MINUTES BEFORE SERVING BRING YOUR BASE STOCK TO THE BOIL.

Add mussels and crabs to the stock followed by prawns and calamari a few minutes later, keep turning this over in the boiler every couple of minutes add fish pieces and boil for 15 minutes again, turning it over every few minutes.

Strain all ingredients though a colander and serve on a large platter.

(5 August 2002)