During the holiday season ahead, great quantities of turkey and roast beef will be served at celebratory meals in homes across the nation. But for a good many Americans, including me, one of the great treats of holiday dining is the frequent appearance of shellfish.
The sight of oysters on the half shell, bowls of jumbo shrimp, canapes topped with crab meat on a holiday buffet table immediately put me in the spirit of the season. (Though taking, not giving, is the reaction to such bounty, the hungry guest soon radiates goodwill and regards the party’s hostess and host with heightened benevolence.)
A first-course soup or chowder made with crab, clams or oysters, a gumbo with shrimp or crawfish and main course dishes with scallops or lobster only strengthen feelings of well-being among the turkey-satiated.
Here, then, are a pair of shellfish-based dishes that can become the centerpiece of a holiday meal for company.
LASAGNA OF SEAFOOD WITH SAFFRON CREAM
Serves three or four as main course or six as appetizer servings
1 tablespoon kosher salt
3 sheets lasagna pasta
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
2 pound bag of mussels in the shell
1/2 cup whipping cream or creme fraiche, plus 2 tablespoons
Pinch saffron
8 ounces peeled medium shrimp or rock shrimp, cut into small pieces
4 ounces crab meat, picked over to remove any shell
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
Salt and white pepper to taste
Cayenne pepper to taste, optional
2/3 cup grated Gruyere cheese
1. Heat water in a large saucepan. When it boils, add a tablespoon of salt and the lasagna pasta. Cook to the al dente stage, 8 to 10 minutes, then plunge them into cold water to stop the cooking. Drain.
2. Pour wine into a large, non-corrosive saucepan. Add the shallots and cook until the shallots have softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the mussels, cover the pan and bring liquid to a boil. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes (shaking the pan from time to time) or until most if not all the mussels are open. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the mussels to a sheet pan. When cool enough to handle, separate mussels from their shells. Place mussels in a bowl. Pour juice back into the pan. Discard the shells.
3. Strain and measure the mussel broth. Pour 11/2 cups back into the pan. Add cream and saffron and heat to the point of a boil. Add shrimp and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and combine with the mussels. Add the crab meat to the shrimp and mussels. Reserve. Continue to simmer the cream sauce until it coats the back of a spoon. Dissolve cornstarch in remaining 2 tablespoons cream. Add to the sauce and stir for 1 minute after sauce returns to a simmer and thickens. Season to taste with salt, white pepper and optional cayenne.
4. To assemble the lasagna, cover the bottom of a 11/2-quart, rectangular casserole with a coating of sauce. Place a sheet of blanched pasta atop the sauce and cover it with half the seafood. Spoon a third of the remaining sauce over the seafood and top with the second sheet of pasta. Repeat with remaining seafood, half the sauce and the final sheet of pasta. Cover the pasta with the remaining sauce and sprinkle with cheese. (Lasagna may be prepared several hours ahead. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until 30 minutes before serving.)
5. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake lasagna, uncovered, for 25 minutes, or until sauce is bubbling and cheese has begun to brown. Serve with a chardonnay.
MARSALA JHEENGARI (SHRIMP LACED WITH MILD SPICES)
Six servings
2 pounds shrimp, preferably large to medium (28 to 32 per pound), shelled, deveined and washed
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 cup light vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion
2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons white poppy seeds, roasted and ground
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 green chilies, seeded and minced (or substitute 1/2 teaspoon red pepper)
1/4 to 1/3 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons finely chopped coriander leaves
1. Bring 1 quart of water to a boil on high heat. Add turmeric and shrimp, and cook for 4 minutes. Immediately drain the shrimp, reserving the water, and set them aside.
2. Heat oil in a large heavy-bottomed pan, preferably one with a non-stick surface, and add onion. Over high heat, fry the onion until golden brown (about 8 minutes), stirring constantly to prevent burning. Add garlic and cook for an additional, 30 seconds. Reduce heat, and add ground poppy seeds, cumin, coriander and paprika. Stir rapidly for 5 seconds and add half the reserved liquid in which the shrimp were cooked. Increase heat to high and boil rapidly, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
3. Add the remaining liquid and continue boiling, uncovered, until the sauce reduces to a thick pulpy gravy, about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally to ensure that the sauce does not stick to the pan. Add yogurt, salt and chilies or red pepper, and continue cooking for an additional 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
4. Add the cooked shrimp, and stir to mix. Reduce heat and gently simmer, covered, for a couple of minutes, or until the shrimp are heated through. Turn off the heat and stir in the cream.
5. Let the dish rest at least 1 hour. When ready to serve, gently simmer until heated through. Check for salt, stir in the chopped coriander leaves and serve sprinkle with a few more chopped leaves.
— Adapted from “Classic Indian Cooking” by Julie Sahni
