Introduction

Most seafood has naturally tender meat that needs to be cooked quickly to prevent overcooking. However, there is also seafood with flesh that needs to be cooked longer in order to attain the desired tenderness. This lesson will present the common dry and moist heat methods of cooking seafood dishes.

Baked or roasted seafood roasts can get overcooked easily. For this reason, some seafood are wrapped with liquid, seasonings or both in order to preserve the flavor and to create an appetizing aroma. Seafood roasts are usually wrapped in:

• Foil;

• Paper (En Papillote);

• A thick layer of sea salt; and

• Puff pastry (En Croute).

Roasting and Baking Seafood

Oyster Rockefeller

Ingredients:

1 dozen Oysters, blanched and opened, left on one shell

2 Tbsp Spinach, chopped

3 strips Bacon

¼ cup All-purpose cream

½ Tbsp Butter

tt Salt and pepper

Yield: 4 to 6 Servings

Procedure:

1. Rest the oyster on a bed of rock salt.

2. Render the bacon fat.

3. Chop the bacon into small square pieces and set aside.

4. Blanch the spinach and wring out excess moisture.

5. Chop the spinach coarsely.

6. In a saucepan, melt a small amount of butter, put in a little olive oil and saute the spinach.

7. Add in the cream and season with salt and pepper.

8. Put the spinach and cream evenly on top of the oyster.

9. Top with bits of bacon.

10. Bake for 3 to 5 minutes at 360°F or 180°C.

11. Plate and serve.

Baked Mussels