22 November 2010

SALAD OF CRAYFISH, MUSSELS, PRAWNS, AND SCALLOPS WITH LEMON AND AVOCADO

Serve this luxurious salad on a large platter for maximum effect. The seafood can all be prepared and cooked the night before Christmas and each shellfish kept carefully refrigerated. Toss together with the lemon segments and avocado and the vinaigrette just before serving..

• 1 medium fresh crayfish, (800g) preferably live.
• 300g green prawns, shelled with tails still attached
• 300g fresh scallops
• 1 kg small mussels, in the shell, scrubbed if necessary
• 2 firm ripe avocados
• 2 juicy fresh lemons
• 1 bunch watercress, picked over and stalks removed 8 2 small cos lettuces For the lemon vinaigrette:
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• Plenty of salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ½ cup flat leaved parsley leaves picked off the stems

Drown the crayfish in water, and add to a large pan of boiling salted water. Simmer until the meat turns opaque, then refresh immediately in ice-cold water. Pull the tail from the body by twisting it, remove from the shell and cut the meat into neat chunks. Put this meat aside. Keep the head and shell for another use such as crayfish bisque. (Freeze it until you are inspired to use it.) Heat a little olive oil in a heavy pan and gently fry the prawns until they turn opaque. Keep aside. Wipe out the pan, add more olive oil, and quickly sear the scallops so that the meat just sets but is still rather quivery. Heat about a cup of water in a deep saucepan and add the mussels. Simmer until the mussels open. Reserve the juices in a bowl, open the mussels and place immediately in these juices so that the mussels remain plump and juicy. Discard the shells. When ready to assemble the salad, peel the avocados and cut into neat chunks. Peel the lemons with a knife to remove all the pith, and cut into neat segments, removing all the membranes and pips. Arrange the washed and dried watercress and baby cos lettuce leaves on the platter. Very gently toss the crayfish, prawns, scallops, and drained mussels together. Place on the platter and scatter over the avocado and lemon segments. Make the vinaigrette, and pour this over. Finally decorate with flat leafed parsley leaves, removed from their stalks. Serves 10-12. Recipe by Lauraine Jacobs