Mediterranean Shellfish Casserole Recipe

Fresh shellfish cooked with red wine and tomatoes makes an impressive main course to serve for that special dinner party.

Recipe : Mediterranean Shellfish Casserole

Ingredients :

1 onion, peeled and finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

45ml / 3 tbsp olive oil

750g / 1.5 lb tomatoes, skinned, seeded and chopped

30ml / 2 tbsp tomato puree

57y0ml / 1 pint dry red wine

freshly ground black pepper

1.25 liters / 2 pints mussels, in their shells

8 large Mediterranean prawns (shrimps), in their shells

120g / 4 oz white crab meat

8 small crab claws, for garnish

30ml / 2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 tbsp fresh chopped parsley

8 slices stale French bread

Method :

In a large saucepan, fry the onion gently in the olive oil for 3 minutes, or until transparent but not browned. Add the 2 cloves of garlic and chopped tomatoes to the onions, fry gently for a further 3 minutes, stirring to break up the tomatoes. Stir in the tomato puree, red wine and black pepper. Bring the sauce to the boil; cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Scrub the mussels to remove any small barnacles or bits or seaweed attached to the shells. If any of the mussels are open, tap them gently with the handle of a knife. If they do not close up immediately, discard. Drop all tightly closed mussels into the simmering tomato sauce. Cover and cook for 15 minutes.

Add the whole prawns, peeled prawns, crab and claws to the mussels and tomatoes. Re-cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan and stir in the remaining garlic clove and parsley. Put the slices of French bread into the hot oil and fry until brown on one side. Turn each slice over and fry until the second side is well browned. Spoon the fish stew into a deep sided serving dish and arrange the garlic croutons over the top. Stir briefly before serving.

Serving idea - Serve with a large mixed salad and perhaps some extra French bread to mop up the sauce.

Preparation - All the mussels must have opened completely after being cooked in the tomato sauce. Any that do not, must be removed and discarded.

Serves 4

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