With Christmas just around the corner I was trying to figure out something original to get my parents as a special gift. They are in their 80s and have everything they could ever want or need. That’s when I came across a website where I could buy seafood online and have it delivered fresh to their door. They both enjoy crab and fresh fish and I decided this was what I was going to get them every Christmas.
There's no doubt about it, calamari is a hit as an entree, appetizer or bar snack in dozens of countries around the globe! Because more shellfish lovers have learned to buy seafood online, scrumptious squid dishes are being served everywhere. If your past efforts with calamari have resulted in a tough, chewy mess, it's time to learn to cook your calamari to perfection.
The first rule of calamari, no matter how you prepare it, is that it must be fresh. Unless you're able to walk down to the docks and purchase your squid from a seafood shop, look for an online vendor who offers overnight seafood delivery. Store your calamari in the refrigerator on ice and use it within a day or two.
The second rule of calamari is that you must cook it quickly, in less than two minutes, or slowly, as in more than an hour. Anything in between gives tough, unappetizing squid that will have your guests grimacing rather than asking for more!
The most common way to cook calamari quickly, as with shrimp and other forms of shellfish, is to fry it. Some squid lovers like it dipped in beer batter or with spicy seasonings added into the coating. Whichever way you like it, the key is to have the oil you're deep frying or stir frying in hot enough to quickly brown the coating without toughening the calamari.
Again, because you've learned to buy seafood online, your calamari rings for frying should be very fresh, without a strong, "fishy" odor. Experiment with batters for your squid and try serving it with dips like marinara sauce and tzatziki.
Another way to gain kudos for your calamari is by cooking steaks, rather than rings, with a quick frying method. Ask your online seafood delivery service if they can deliver pre-tenderized calamari steaks. These delicious slabs of shellfish can be dipped in egg and seasoned flour and sauteed for just under two minutes. Add a little butter and lemon juice, or experiment with delicate sauces, and you've got a squid dish even the most squeamish can love!
As we mentioned, you also need a way to cook calamari for more than an hour. The best way is braising, which simply means quick heat followed by slow liquid. Stir fry your sliced calamari steaks or rings in a little olive oil for only a minute (add some veggies like shallots or peppers for interest), then cover it with broth, wine or some other type of sauce and cook it slowly for a little over an hour, stirring and adding spices as you go.
This is a wonderful way to make calamari marinara to serve over your favorite pasta. Play with your own treasured sauce recipes and find ways to slow cook calamari into the mix.
No matter how you serve it, remember the rules for calamari:
1. Keep it FRESH! Buy seafood online and take advantage of overnight seafood delivery if you're not close to a coast.
2. Cook it fast or cook it slow. Anything else will be disastrous!
Calamari could become your family's best-loved shellfish, if you'll follow these rules. Get ready for requests to make squid a regular part of your menu.
Are you skipping a succulent way to eat fish that can open a whole new world of flavor? Even regular fish eaters often miss the possibilities of smoked fish. With a quality online seafood shop, you should have some great smoked fish varieties easily available.
You may consider yourself a fearless fish- and seafood-eater, enjoying varieties like halibut, lobster and sushi-grade tuna regularly. Great online seafood shops, though, can also introduce you to their own special recipe smoked fish -- varieties like smoked salmon and New Zealand Greenlip Mussels.
Before you turn your nose up, imagining tough, dried fish strips, it's time to redefine for you the flaky goodness that is smoked fish. Premium seafood stores create succulent smoked fish onsite, often using special blends of ingredients like brown sugar and soy sauce. By slowly smoking fillets from fish like salmon, trout or swordfish over aromatic woodchips, the result is succulent and tender.
Look through your online seafood store's offerings for their smoked fish specialties. You'll be amazed that, amid the usual online seafood menu of Dungeness crab and Abalone, there are unusual smoked fish like thresher shark.
Once you've received your first order, your taste buds are in for a treat! Your first bite of savory smoked fish will have you planning your next online seafood order.
If you're inspired to smoke fish yourself, the store where you buy seafood often offers to their customers the same woodchips they use for smoking fish. Look for the traditional mesquite or hickory, or more aromatic woodchips like cherry or apple. Of course, they can also supply the fish fillets or steaks you need for the perfect fish smoking experience.
Don't miss this fantastic way to eat fish. Just think; a perfectly smoked set of salmon steaks could be on their way to you today! Explore the flavor possibilities presented by smoked fish soon. You won't believe what you've been missing!
You may be one of those people who considers abalone too exotic to experience. Here's a secret: once you try awesome abalone, you'll be adding it often to your menu. You see, abalone may be a shellfish, but its succulent steaks are as versatile as halibut or sushi-grade tuna. California Red abalone steaks, for instance, are delectable pan-fried in butter with a coating of macadamia nuts. But, like ahi, you can also use it for sashimi. No matter how you decide to eat your abalone, you're going to love the sweet, smooth flesh of this shellfish.
While you may be serving delicious chilled jumbo shrimp to impress your party guests, wait until they taste amazing abalone appetizers. The meat of this oversized sea snail takes a little preparation -- after all, it's largely muscle -- but the time it takes to tenderize this sumptuous treat is well worth it.
Many cooks start by slicing the meat of the abalone into thin steaks, tenderizing it and then baking, broiling or frying it. Premium online seafoodshops can also supply cleaned and tenderized abalone steaks, ready for you to cook. Like salmon, there are almost endless possibilities for serving California Red abalone. Great seafood cooks prepare hors d'oeuvres, appetizers and entrees with this sweet, scrumptious delicacy.
Another tip for gourmet cooks: it's possible to purchase abalone live in their beautiful shells if you'd like to experience it at the very peak of freshness. Check your favorite seafood shop for availability.
We're not finished singing the praises of this versatile shellfish yet! Abalone trim or "skirts" make crunchy little treats to toss with pasta. And a must-have accessory for abalone aficionados is panko, delicious Japanese-style breadcrumbs perfect for coating fish. Don't be afraid to jump in and experience abalone for yourself! You're going to find a new favorite at the seafood market!
Imagine a perfect world where no matter what state or city in the United States you lived in you could have access to fresh seafood whenever you wanted it even if you lived in the middle of the map. Now imagine a world where you could not only have access to fresh seafood at any given time but you could have it shipped fresh to your door for an affordable price and the very next day after you place your order. Finally, imagine that in this perfect dream world you receive the fresh seafood you want, the ability of having it delivered the day after you order it, affordable prices and shipping, then to end the dream you have access to wonderful recipes, wine suggestions for the seafood you choose, a suggested menu, as well as sauces and seasonings, and access to others who experience this dream world.
Wake up! Your dream of that perfect world of fresh seafood and other wonderful options can come true. Yes, you can turn your dream into reality with the wonderful and experienced on line assistance of a fresh seafood market that has been offering fresh seafood for years. Join the many individuals all throughout America that experience the fresh seafood, wonderful sauces and marinades, menu assistance, and a group of people with wonderful ideas. The company you are working with supplies only the best cuts of fish, the top of the line shell fish and other seafood products as well as the experience and knowledge to offer you seafood shipped directly to your door the very next day. The experience you will have with the seafood and other products you receive will keep you returning for all your seafood needs and the best part is even if you live in the middle of the map with no body of water around you can still enjoy the fresh seafood you receive when you live on the coast line.
Put an end to frozen and processed seafood dinners and say hello to the way seafood was intended to be eaten, fresh. Enjoy shopping for your seafood needs on line and in the convenience of your own home with a family owned company that has made offering fresh top quality seafood to America their life. With the experience and knowledge this company offers you can rest assured that your next catered event or special dinner will be a success when you have fresh seafood on the menu.
If you run out of menu ideas or you want to put an end to the fish sticks in your freezer that have been processed and made of a variety of fish you can rest assured that the fresh seafood you desire is right at your fingertips. Delivered fresh and the next day is what this company takes pride in offering to you no matter where in the United States you live.