A perfect entrée for a dinner party this recipe is variation on an old traditional French favourite “moules marinières” or muscles in white wine. Muscles arent’ everyone’s cup of tea so with recipe you can pick your favourite seafood morsels and combine them for your own take on this classic. It’s also a very quick and simple recipe, with clean flavours which go perfectly with almost any white wine but particularly those with a good acid structure, like Riesling, which helps to cut through the fat content in the dish and cleanse the palate.
You can substitute some ingredients: I prefer to use celery but the original recipe calls for onions or shallots. Also you can substitute cream (or perhaps Philadelphia cream for cooking) instead of the crème fraîche which is slightly sour. If doing this then back off on the sugar or omit it all together.
This is a ‘tender’ dish so your ingredients should also be of a similar nature so don’t use woody fennel or tough ingredients. My last, but rather important, tip is to ensure you don’t over cook the seafood. Under cook them just a little (except if you’re using white fish) and then let the surrounding broth and time to serve complete the cooking process so your guests get tender succulent morsels.
Ingredients
8 Japanese scallops (with or without roe)
4 large shelled green prawns
100g Atlantic salmon fillet cut into large cubes
1 stick of celery (can substitute onion or shallots)
½ medium bulb of fennel
1 tablespoon of butter
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs of fresh thyme leaves, stalks removed
200mls dry white wine
100g crème fraîche
1 teaspoon sugar
salt and pepper to taste
Method
- Finely slice the celery and fennel, preferably on a mandolin slicer.
- Warm a large non-stick pot.
- Add the butter, thyme leaves, bay leaf, celery and fennel and soften on a low heat.
- When the celery and fennel have become translucent and soft add the wine, crème fraîche and sugar.
- Add the seafood ingredients in order of cooking requirements (salmon, prawns then scallops) ensuring you don’t over cook.
- Stir to ensure even cooking noting scallops take only 2 minutes to cook, prawns an extra 1 or 2 minutes and the fish may take a little longer.
- Taste broth and check for seasoning.
- Remove the bay leaf
- Plate up an even amount of seafood in serving bowls
- Distribute the celery and fennel and broth between the bowls
- Serve immediately with a sprig of thyme or fennel frond, some fresh parsley and even crusty bread.
Time: 25 minutes
Serves: 4 as an entrée or 2 as a main
Best Wine Match: 1999 Richmond Grove Limited Release Riesling
By : Sigrid de Castella (AKA Mrs Wine Matchmaker)