Speedy Seafood Dinner

Frozen seafood is my personal “go to” fish protein throughout the week. It’s quick to thaw, fun to flavour, and relatively cheap if you stock up during supermarket sales. You can whip up this meal after a long day of classes, eat like a king, and still have time to tackle your evening schedule.

This simple recipe is inspired by Nigella Lawson’s cookbook Kitchen which is full of lots of quick and delicious recipes for all foodies. It will serve approximately 2-4 people, but can be stretched to 6 if served with pasta.

2 tablespoons of olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
6 spring onions, finely sliced
½ teaspoon dried tarragon
125 ml dry vermouth or dry white wine
1 x 227g can chopped tomatoes (i.e. ½ regular can)
1 teaspoon sea salt
400g frozen mixed seafood
Fresh herbs, to serve (optional)

        Warm the olive oil in a large fry pan (with high edges) over medium heat and fry the spring onions and dried tarragon for a minute or so. If you don’t have tarragon in the kitchen, use dried basil as a substitute.

        Add vermouth (or wine) and let bubble for a minute, then add the tomatoes and let it all come back to a boil. Add ½ teaspoon of sea salt. Table salt works too, but sea salt has less severe taste and it’s better for you!

       Turn up the heat to high, add the frozen seafood and bring pan back to a boil, then turn down the heat to medium and simmer until the seafood is hot and cooked through, which should take only 3 or 4 minutes (or according to package instructions). If you’re like me and buy seafood on sale, you won’t necessarily have a package of assorted seafood ready to go. I used handfuls of shrimp, mussels, and scallops instead.

       This a good time to put some pasta on the stove or warm up some crusty bread to serve with your savory seafood dish.

        Cut up fresh herbs to garnish your plate. Since I used dried basil, I chopped some fresh basil to place on top or beside my meal. One fun way to this is by rolling your basil leaves into a roll, and slicing them to create little spirals.

        Season with pepper to taste, and add the rest of the salt if required, and sprinkle with any available herbs.

  

      Serve with a nice bottle of white pinot grigio and enjoy!

TIP: Leftovers from this recipe are delicious, but don't keep remaking this tasty meal because it's quick to make. Eating this dish for seven days in a row made me cringe at the very thought of seafood pasta. So keep it fresh, and keep reading for more savory meal ideas during the semester crunch!