Potted shrimps (or .... don't let them be seen naked)

One of the delicacies of the Morecambe Bay area is potted shrimps and, frankly, if you can find them ready-potted by one of the wonderful local fisheries, then buy them and enjoy. If you happen to be in the area, or if you have an enlightened fishmonger, you might just find them sold naked.

There are all kinds of recipes for potted shrimps and each Lancashire (and Cumbrian) family probably has its own secret ingredient. Some contain mace, others have cayenne pepper, nutmeg, ground cloves, all types of spice. But on a recent holiday on the shores of Morecambe Bay Auntie Anne picked up some undressed shrimps and so faced the challenge of what to add to them.

The travelling food store that goes everywhere with us on our self-catering trips happened to include ground allspice and smoked paprika - and so that's what went in the mix. Added to that were a good twist of freshly ground black pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Melt down a goodly chunk of the best butter you can afford, and stir in the spice mix. Then force the whole lot into some sort of container (a mug will do if you're desperate) and let it set.

Give it at least half a day to mature and for all the flavours to blend, then warm it gently (don't microwave it - the shrimps will go chewy) and spread it on toast or any other kind of warm bread product. The crumpets were a recommendation from a local. A very good idea too!

Seafood Feast the Auntie Anne way

One thing we love in our house is seafood. One thing we don't like is having to pay a small fortune for seafood platters in a restaurant.
Seafood is easy to prepare - especially if you have a friendly fishmonger!

This weekend we had a bit of a banquet. We went out and bought:

• Half a dozen small scallops
• About half a pound of mussels
• A bag of shell-on prawns
• 4 raw crevettes
• A nice, plump,dressed crab
• Some good crusty bread
• Some button mushrooms
• A small pot of single cream
• A small bottle of cider
• A large bottle of white wine
• Parsley
• Lemons

We already have in the house:

• Freshly ground black pepper
• Onions
• Butter
• Olive Oil
• Garlic
• Mayonnaise

Begin by placing the dressed crab on a plate and surrounding it with a few lemon wedges.
Give it a bit of fresh black pepper if that's your taste.

Put the prawns into a large bowl.

Wash the mussels, scrape off any barnacles and remove the "beards". That's the hairy bit sticking out from betweeen the shells. Just pull and they'll detach very easily. Discard any mussels that are open at this stage. (Slightly open is OK but fully open isn't.) If you want more help with preparing the mussels see here.

Find a big pan with a lid,
a small saucepan without a lid
a small frying pan.

Chop up a small onion very finely and place it with two sliced cloves of garlic, a good glug of cider and some chopped parsley into the pan with a lid and put it on a low-to-medium heat.

Slice your scallops into 1/2cm thick rounds. Include the orange corals. Put them in the small saucepan with some crushed garlic, sliced mushrooms and a glug of white wine. Don't turn the heat on yet!

Put heat under the small frying pan and add a crushed garlic clove and some olive oil. Now add the crevettes, then listen for them beginning to sizzle.

Put heat under the scallops and get the white wine simmering.

Sling your cleaned mussels into the lidded pan and put the lid back on.

Turn over your sizzling crevettes to cook the other side.

Take your scallops off the heat and let them cool slightly.

Pick up the lidded pan and give it a good shake. Lift the lid. The mussels should be nicely open by now. Pour the whole lot into a big bowl.

Your crevettes should now be nicely pink. Tip them onto a plate. (If they're still a bit blue give them a minute longer while you finish off the scallops.)

Add a generous helping of single cream to the scallops and tip the mixture into a bowl.

Serve all of it with good bread and butter. Black pepper to taste. Bowl of mayonnaise to dip the prawns in.

Don't forget plenty of napkins, a big empty bowl for the wreckage and some REALLY nice, dry white wine. Chilled mineral water helps too.

What can I do with the leftovers?

When you're done you'll probably find there's plenty of mussel juice left and quite a bit of the cream sauce from the scallops. Do not throw them away! Mix together and refrigerate then serve as soup the following day.
Leftover prawns will make sandwiches, prawn cocktail or even go into a fish pie if you have any "fishy" fish available. Or mix them with scrambled egg for breakfast.
Leftover mussels can be frozen and kept for fish pie. (They've been cooked so it's OK.)
Leftover crab can be turned into crab cakes. Just mix it with bread crumbs and any seasoning you like. Thai sauce and coriander; Worcester sauce; mustard; lemon juice and thyme; curry powder; whatever you like. Add a bit of mayonnaise or some olive oil if the mixture is a little dry.  Shape into rounds, flour lightly and then shallow fry in a little groundnut oil.