If you keep Kosher, or don’t really like what the sea has to offer, you might want to skip this post. Full disclosure: Back in the day, I didn’t connect with seafood. I grew up in a home that was strictly kosher, in a country where seafood was uncommon. My first encounter with seafood was in my early 20’s. It was 4 AM after a night of drinking and partying in a nightclub in Paris, I went with a good friend for a night time snack. I had croissant in mind but she was thinking of something else, and I found myself in an all night fish restaurant close to Les Halls. “I’ll order” she said. My french was very minimal at the time, and all I could dig out of the discussion between her and the waiter were the words “fisherman” and “plate”. It was not long before the waiter arrived and placed an ice container on the table with a bottle of white wine and a tray stand. A second waiter followed him holding a huge tray, and put it on the stand. I stared in shock at all the creatures the sea had to offer that laid on a crushed ice bed. “What did you order?” I asked, “Fisherman’s Plate” she answered “this is their specialty”. At that meal she ate most of the dish while I concentrated on the french fries.
Ingredients
½ lb shrimps clean and deveined
1 lb mussels cleaned
1 lb mini scallops
3 shallot onions sliced
3 garlic cloves sliced
1 green hot pepper sliced (optional)
3 anis stars
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 cup white wine
1 TBS sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
Tomatoes can liquid
3 TBS basil leaves sliced
3 TBS olive oil
Heat olive oil in a large deep pan over medium high heat. Add shallots and fry until transparent. Add garlic, hot green pepper and anis stars and fry for one more minute. Add shrimps, mussels and scallops and stir. And remaining ingredients and spices and bring to boil. Cook 4-5 minutes until shrimps turn pink and mussels opens.
