BY THE SEA

PAN-GRILLED OYSTERS

The oysters hardly cook in this dish; they are still essentially raw with a slight smokiness and some delectable juices for mopping up. Once open, shells can be removed with your fingers or a butter knife. Use the smaller Canadian East Coast Malpeque or Beausoleil oysters; the larger Pacific oysters take too long to open. Serve a torn baguette for any juices. Serve as a first course at the table or as a superb nibble before dinner.

18 oysters, rinsed

8 thyme sprigs

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 1 dried chili

⅔ cup (150 mL) white wine ⅓ cup (80 mL) olive oil

1 Place oysters flatside down in a metal baking dish or baking sheet that can go on the barbecue. Scatter over thyme, garlic, chili, wine and olive oil. Preheat grill to high.

2 Place pan on grill and cook covered until oysters just open, about 4 to 8 minutes, depending on size. Transfer oysters to a bowl as they open; cover with foil to keep warm. Wearing an oven glove, carefully remove 1 shell of the oyster. They look their best when nestled in the curved shell. Place them on a dish with the remaining contents of the pan. Serve immediately. Serves 6

WHAT TO SERVE

Quinta da Aveleda Vinho Verde LCBO 89995 $11.95 The light spritz and refreshing essence of vinho verde help cool the palate from the chili’s spiciness.

Tio Pepe Extra Dry Fino LCBO 231829 $18.10 The briny and toasty character of fino sherry is a wonderful choice to enhance the flavour of baked oysters.

LIME-ROSEMARY-OLIVE

OIL CAKE

This easy cake, like a batter cake, is moist and overthetop tasty. For variations, change the citrus to lemon or orange or combine 2 flavours. Mango, vanilla or peach ice cream are terrific alongside.

¾ cup (175 mL) extra virgin olive oil with extra for greasing pan

2 eggs

1¼ cups (310 mL) granulated sugar

¾ cup (175 mL) milk

Zest of 3 limes, about 5 tsp (25 mL)

1¼ cups (310 mL) all-purpose flour

1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped fresh rosemary, about 3 sprigs

½ tsp (2 mL) baking powder

½ tsp (2 mL) baking soda

½ tsp (2 mL) salt

GARNISH

A few sprigs of rosemary Beaten egg white

1 tbsp (15 mL) sugar

1 Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease and line a 9inch (23cm) round cake pan with parchment paper.

2 Stir together eggs, sugar, milk, 3/4 cup (175 mL) olive oil and lime zest in a medium bowl.

3 Mix together flour, rosemary, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.

4 Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients with a whisk until just combined. Pour batter into prepared cake pan and bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 30 to 40 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan and turn out on to a rack to cool completely. 5 Dip rosemary sprigs into egg white then dust with sugar. Place on the cake.

6 Serve at room temperature with a side of Poached Peaches (recipe follows) and ice cream, if desired. Serves 8

WHAT TO SERVE

Growers Stone Fruit Cider LCBO 568436, 473 mL $3.05 This delicious cider is filled with juicy flavours that emphasize the sweetness of poached peaches. Dixon’s Wicked Citrus Gin LCBO 537738 $39.95 Light on the juniper with refreshing hints of citrus, this gin elevates the lime and rosemary nuances of the cake.

POACHED PEACHES

The peaches are a prettier colour if you leave the skin on. Slip it off after poaching or leave it on. Poached apricots or cherries are also good accompaniments. If you change the citrus to lemon or orange in the cake then change it here with the peaches, too.

1 cup (250 mL) water

½ cup (125 mL) sugar

¼ cup (60 mL) honey

2 slices lime

1 star anise, broken up, optional

1 piece cinnamon stick, 1 inch (2.5 cm) 4 peaches, skin on, quartered and pitted

1 Combine water, sugar, honey, lime slices, star anise and cinnamon stick in a small pot and bring to boil.

2 Add peaches. Simmer gently for 13 to 20 minutes or until tender and a knife slides in easily. Remove from heat and let cool in poaching liquid. Remove peaches from pot, peel off and discard skins. Strain and reserve poaching liquid. If syrup is a bit thin, then reboil for a minute or 2 to thicken.

3 Serve peaches alongside the cake with some of their syrup. Serves 6

SEAFOOD BOIL

I used shelled shrimp with tails on, lobster tails and clams for my seafood mixture. Omit any seafood you don’t like and add those you do. Mussels, scallops—even squid—will work well, although squid should only be cooked for one minute. You can omit the lobster tails or use whole lobster (they will take about 12 minutes altogether), and boil the sausages in the broth as opposed to grilling them. Other alternatives: omit corn; add potatoes into the broth and omit the potato salad; serve a green salad or a slaw as well. The broth itself tastes wonderful and bowls of it scattered around the table can be used as a dipping sauce. Use one of the many butters or aliolos that are featured in this issue as a bonus. There is a seasoning mixture called Old Bay which can replace all the herbs and spices if you can find it.

FLAVOURED BROTH

12 cups (3 L) water

2 small onions, cut in 8 wedges

1 head garlic, cut in half

6 sprigs parsley

6 sprigs thyme

3 bay leaves

2 small bird’s-eye chilies, optional

1 tbsp (15 mL) dry mustard

1 tbsp (15 mL) ground ginger

2 tsp (10 mL) smoked paprika

2 tsp (10 mL) ground allspice

1 tsp (5 mL) ground cardamom

1 tsp (5 mL) crushed red pepper flakes

1 tsp (5 mL) ground cinnamon

1 tbsp (15 mL) kosher salt

4 corn cobs, cut in thirds

6 small lobster tails or 3 larger ones, split

2 lbs (905 g) clams, preferably littleneck

2 lbs (905 g) 16 to 20 size shrimp, peeled or not

1 Add water, onions, garlic, parsley, thyme, bay leaves, chilies, mustard, ginger, paprika, allspice, cardamom, pepper flakes, cinnamon and salt to a very large pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. This can be done ahead of time.

2 Bring back to boil and add corn. Cook for 2 minutes. Add lobster tails and cook 1 minute if small, 2 minutes if larger. Add clams and boil another 2 minutes. Add shrimp and cook for 4 minutes or until shrimp are pink, clams have opened and lobster tails are white inside. Timing varies with the size of seafood you use.

3 Scoop seafood and corn into a large bowl. Add sliced Grilled Chorizo (recipe this page). Pour all the seafood, corn and chorizo mixture onto a large table covered in an oilcloth. Surround with Simple Potato Salad, Creole Sauce and Sweet Potato Cornmeal Biscuits (recipes follow). Serves 8

WHAT TO SERVE

Pfaff Pinot Gris

LCBO 362087 $17.10 The ripe fruit and lightly sweet flavours of Pinot Gris calm the spiciness of the Creole Sauce while accentuating the shrimps’ inherent sweetness.

Bobcaygeon Brewing Dockside

LCBO 485870, 473 mL $3.15 The sweet roasted malt character of this red ale provides contrast to the rich, assertive flavours of Creole Sauce while complementing the Sweet Potato Cornmeal Biscuits.

CREOLE SAUCE

Full-flavoured and spicy, this is a wonderful dipping sauce for the seafood. Serve it in small bowls around the table or as individual servings. Substitute it for cocktail sauce when you do shrimp and a dip or use it as a drizzle over steak.

⅓ cup (80 mL) tomato ketchup

3 tbsp (45 mL) Dijon mustard

2 tbsp (30 mL) prepared horseradish 1 tbsp (15 mL) tarragon vinegar

1 tsp (5 mL) hot pepper sauce

1 tsp (5 mL) paprika

¾ cup (175 mL) olive oil

½ cup (125 mL) chopped green onions ¼ cup (60 mL) minced parsley

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 Combine ketchup, mustard, horseradish, vinegar, hot pepper sauce and paprika in a food processor, or use a stick blender. With machine running slowly, add olive oil to emulsify. Stir in green onions and parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serves 8

GRILLED CHORIZO

Spicy sausage is the best match with seafood. I use chorizo, but you could also use hot Italian sausages.

4 chorizo sausages

1 Preheat grill to high. 2 Place chorizo sausages on the grill and grill for 6 to 8 minutes, turning occasionally or until cooked through. Remove and cut into 2-inch (5-cm) pieces. Add to the seafood mix just before serving or serve separately. Serves 8

SIMPLE POTATO SALAD

The secret to this salad is to use several types of potatoes. Fingerlings, purple potatoes and red potatoes make a flavourful mixture. Do not peel the potatoes, but cut them in half. If the sizes vary too much, then cut the larger ones in quarters.

2 lbs (905 g) small potatoes, unpeeled, halved or quartered, if large

½ cup (125 mL) olive oil

¼ cup (60 mL) white wine vinegar

1 tbsp (15 mL) horseradish

2 tsp (10 mL) grainy mustard

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 bunch watercress, leaves and small stems only ½ cup (125 mL) finely chopped green onions

1 Place potatoes in a pot, cover with salted water and bring to a boil. Boil potatoes until crisp-tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain well and return to the shut-off burner to remove any excess water.

2 Whisk together oil, vinegar, horseradish and mustard in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

3 Transfer warm potatoes to a bowl and toss with half the dressing. Cool.

4 Add watercress, green onions and remaining dressing just before serving, seasoning again if needed. Serves 8

SWEET POTATO CORNMEAL BISCUITS

These tender muffins are a treat with the seafood. I often combine the dry ingredients and wet ingredients in separate bowls, mix together and bake just before I need them. They can be made ahead of time and warmed in the oven for a few minutes before serving or served at room temperature. Use other cheeses, too. I have tried Asiago, Monterey Jack, fontina and Parmesan, all with good results.

Butter or nonstick spray for greasing 2 eggs

¾ cup (175 mL) sour cream

½ cup (125 mL) grated sweet potato, about 1 small

¼ cup (60 mL) vegetable oil

¾ cup (175 mL) flour

½ cup (125 mL) yellow cornmeal

¼ cup (60 mL) sugar

2 tsp (10 mL) baking powder

2 tsp (10 mL) mustard powder

1 tsp (5 mL) salt

¼ cup (60 mL) chopped cilantro leaves 1 cup (250 mL) grated cheddar cheese

1 Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Grease small muffin pans with butter or nonstick spray.

2 Combine eggs, sour cream, sweet potato and oil in a bowl.

3 Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, mustard powder and salt in a separate bowl. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Stir in the cilantro and cheese until just combined.

4 Fill muffin cups two-thirds full with mixture, about a scant ¼ cup (60 mL). Place muffin pans on a baking sheet.

5 Bake 17 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from muffin pans and serve warm.

Makes 10 to 12, serves 8