Coastal flavors, quick cooking, impressive results. Friday night special.
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|
| Bacon (fatty) | 200g | Thinly sliced |
| Onions | 2 large | Sliced |
| Bell peppers | 2 | Thinly sliced (mix of colors) |
| Mushrooms | 300g | Sliced |
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|
| White wine | 1 cup |
| Tomato smoor (or canned tomatoes) | 1 can |
| Cream | ½ cup |
| Chakalaka soup | ½ can |
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|
| Lemon fish spice | 1 tbsp |
| Crayfish spice | 1 tsp |
| Paprika | 1 tsp |
| Seafood spice | 1 tbsp |
| Prawn spice | 1 tsp |
| Black pepper | Freshly ground |
| Garlic salt | Light sprinkle |
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|
| Mussels | 500g | Hard shells, scrubbed |
| Clams | 300g | Hard shells |
| Prawns | 400g | Shell on or off |
| Calamari | 300g | Rings |
| White fish | 400g | Cubed |
| Crab/Lobster | Optional | Soft shell, pre-cooked |
| Ingredient | Notes |
|---|
| Fresh parsley | Chopped |
| Lemon wedges | For squeezing |
| Crusty bread | For sauce |
- Render bacon: Cook slowly to release fat, until crispy
- Sauté vegetables: In bacon fat, cook onions and peppers until soft
- Add mushrooms: Cook until browned and reduced
- Deglaze: Add white wine, scrape bottom
- Add tomatoes: Tomato smoor or crushed canned tomatoes
- Season: Add all spices, stir well
- Simmer: 10 minutes to meld flavors
- Hard shells first: Mussels and clams, cover 5 minutes until opened
- Prawns: Add, cook 3 minutes until pink
- Calamari: Add, cook 2 minutes
- White fish: Gently nestle in, cook 3-4 minutes
- Soft shell: Add pre-cooked crab/lobster at end just to warm
- Finish: Stir in cream, heat through (don’t boil)
- Garnish: Fresh parsley, lemon wedges
- Bread: Essential for sauce
- Order matters: Add seafood from longest-cooking to shortest
- Don’t overcook: Seafood turns rubbery fast
- Discard unopened mussels/clams after cooking
- Wine: Use something you’d drink—cooking wine ruins the dish
- Chakalaka soup: Adds subtle heat, can omit for milder version
| Style | Change |
|---|
| Portuguese | Add peri-peri, serve with rice |
| Italian | Add fennel, saffron, serve with linguine |
| Creamy | Increase cream to 1 cup |
| Tomato-forward | Double tomatoes, skip cream |
Serves 6-8 | Active time: 20 min | Total time: 45 min | Serve immediately