Flipping through the pages of Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi's book, Jerusalem, I came across a dish that sounded most unusual and is said to be unexpectedly delicious. Indeed, the combination of garlic and tomatoes with feta and shellfish had me salivating.
I have been cooking my way through a three-kilogram box of frozen wild-caught Tiger prawns and a couple of kilos of frozen Tasmanian scallops from Austral Fisheries, and there's always some Persian feta in the refrigerator, so this recipe was the perfect fit for my "shake the fridge" philosophy.
The verdict from the cook and her fussy sous chef? Absolutely superb! Here is my adaptation of the recipe, minus clams, because I didn't have any at hand. PRAWNS & SCALLOPS WITH TOMATO & FETA 250ml white wine (see my note below) 1kg clams, cleaned (optional) 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to finish 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 600g peeled and chopped tomatoes (tinned) 1 teaspoon caster sugar 2 tablespoons chopped oregano sea salt and black pepper 1 fresh lemon 200g raw tiger prawns, peeled and deveined 200g raw scallops, cleaned 120g feta 2-3 spring onions, sliced thinly Preheat your oven to 220 degrees C (fan forced). Using a potato peeler, shave off three or four strips of lemon zest (without the pith) and set them aside. If you are using clams, make sure you have cleaned them. Now, pour the wine into a medium-sized saucepan and bring it to the boil. Simmer until it has reduced to around 50mls in quantity. Toss in the clams, turn up the heat and pop a lid onto the saucepan. Cook the clams for a couple of minutes, shaking the pot occasionally, until the shells have opened. Strain the juices through a fine sieve and set aside with the clams. Take care to throw out any shells that haven't opened. Noting that I didn't have clams at hand, I added some of the sweet and flavoursome pink scallop roe to the wine and cooked it very briefly in the reduced liquid, as above. Heat the olive oil in a frypan and cook the sliced garlic over a low-medium heat, making sure you don't allow it to brown or burn (it will be bitter). Note, please step back while you carefully pour in the tinned tomatoes (the mixture will splatter), then stir in the reduced wine liquid, sugar, oregano and strips of lemon zest. Simmer the sauce for 25 minutes, until it begins to thicken. Season to taste with the sea salt and pepper, then remove and discard the lemon peel. Add the prawns, scallops and clams (if using), and pour the sauce into an ovenproof dish, such as a clay pot. Crumble chunks of feta evenly across the top, pressing it down into the sauce gently. Sprinkle with the sliced spring onion. Pop the dish into the oven for 5-7 minutes, or until the top has coloured nicely and the seafood is cooked through. Remove from the oven and finish with lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil. Serves 2 as a main meal, or 4 as an entree
Your turn now, dear readers. Is this the kind of dish you might enjoy? Perhaps you have a copy of Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi, and have already made this?
21 Comments
Lizzy
11/6/2017 02:58:37 pm
Isn't it the best, David!
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6/6/2017 12:01:50 pm
Good dish! I've had similar Italian dishes tossed with pasta, although minus the feta and the baking part. This looks good -- definitely a winner. Thanks!
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Lizzy
11/6/2017 02:58:53 pm
Thanks for stopping by, as always, John.
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Lizzy
11/6/2017 02:59:10 pm
It was surprisingly good, Kyrstie. xx
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Lizzy
11/6/2017 02:59:29 pm
Hi Gerlinde, snap indeed! Enjoy xx
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Eha
6/6/2017 08:51:04 pm
Superb! Am not surprised at the provenance of the recipe! Cooking cannot get any more perfect than this!! And methinks it is not quite an 'accident' that you are posting this during the fabulous week Yotam Ottolenghi is part of the team in Australia's Masterchef! As many around the world have realized we here are SO fortunate in having such a wonderful interpretation to the show: so far three out of five 'HIS' days have been on and the problems of the rest of the world have simply disappeared . . . . what is your version of the 'bastilla', Liz?
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Lizzy
11/6/2017 03:00:19 pm
Hello lovely Eha, I've not made his bastilla as yet, but that must change. Sadly, I'm not seeing MasterChef... but it should be good with him on it!
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8/6/2017 01:55:04 am
I have Jerusalem Liz (as well as two others of his/their books) but haven’t tried this one...I always get sidetracked by the amazing vegetable recipes :)
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Eha
8/6/2017 08:57:57 pm
I notice you write from Australia: if you did not get the chance to view Ottolenghi's final offering vide a great outdoors Masterclass on Channel 10 last night enjoy - a brilliant cauli salad plus VEGETARIAN scotch eggs to die for . . . . oh, the others came in most creditably also . . .
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Lizzy
11/6/2017 03:01:08 pm
Wow! Thanks for the update.
Lizzy
11/6/2017 03:00:51 pm
This is a good un, Beck... I seem to have all their books... must cook more from them! xx
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Lizzy
11/6/2017 03:01:24 pm
Laura, they are amazing. Thanks for stopping by x
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11/6/2017 08:24:56 am
You've got 3kg of prawns in the freezer, and a stash of scallops too, wowza... my faves! I love this dish, going to the market tomorrow to get me some seafood. DELICIOUS!
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Lizzy
11/6/2017 03:01:37 pm
Enjoy hun xx
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12/6/2017 06:10:46 pm
I have that cookbook too! I would not have paired seafood with cheese but it does sound interesting. Is Persian feta similar to Greek feta? Scallops are ridiculously expensive here, it works out to about $4 Canadian Dollars a piece from the fish monger so it's not something we often have. I am not a fan of adding sugar to tomato sauces, instead, we use a pinch of baking soda which neutralizes the acidity of the tomato making it seem so much sweeter. On your reco, I will try this dish this summer, thank you.
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21/6/2017 04:46:16 am
Hi Lizzy, With the combination of seafood and tomatoes you presented a great dish...Thanks for this incredible recipe...
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Cooking and writing have been a lifelong passion. Join me as I share with you my favourite recipes; postcards and morsels from my travels; conversations with cookery writers and chefs; and news on food, cookbooks and cooking. - Liz Posmyk
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