During a visit to the east coast last summer, I couldn’t help but cross paths with a tiny seafood shack in New Hampshire. After being lured in with the promise of fresh Maine lobster rolls, my eyes landed on this chilled, buttery, garlicky, seafood “salad” that was remarkably fresh and savory, I swear I can still taste those first bites.
After returning to the west coast, I immediately looked up how to replicate this heavenly dish, and was so content I ate the entire portion in one sitting. I was delighted with how easy it was to cook mussels, since I’d never cooked them before. Here’s the Montauk Seafood Salad, adopted from Ina Garten’s recipe. You can substitute any of the shellfish and customize the recipe to your own preference, as I did with adding in lobster.
INGREDIENTS:
Seafood:
- 3 lbs of mussels
- 1.5 lbs prawns
- 1-2 fresh lobster tails
- 1 lb sea scallops
Sauce:
- 2 lemons, zested
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme
- 1-2 teaspoons salt
- Boil the lobster tail(s) in a saucepan for approximately 8-10 minutes. or until the shells turn a bright red. Let cool and peel lobster tail off or remove lobster meat from tail. Cut up into smaller pieces, like langostini-sized tails. Put in bowl.
- Rinse mussels and put 1-2 cups of water in a pot to boil. Put mussels in pot and cover. After about 5 minutes or until mussels are open, turn off and remove. Scoop mussels out of shell and discard shells, then place in bowl with lobster tails.
- In a skillet, melt butter and drizzle a small amount of olive oil if desired. Rinse shrimp and peel if not already peeled, then add shrimp once butter starts to simmer. Cook for 1 minute, then add garlic and black pepper. As shrimp starts to become less translucent and more pink, put thyme into the pan. Flip the shrimp over so both sides cook evenly, and gently splash white wine into the pan. Sauce should start to thicken, at which point add in lemon juice and lemon zest.
- Once shrimp is still succulent but not too firm, remove from heat and place in bowl with lobster and mussels, sprinkle parsley over the bowl. Add scallops to the pan and let cook until it no longer has a clear appearance and is juicy but lightly golden. Cut in half if you desire smaller pieces, and combine scallops plus sauce into bowl.
- If you need more sauce, simply heat more butter, wine, lemon zest/juice, and thyme in a pan and pour over seafood. Mix up all the seafood so it becomes a “salad” or assortment. Sprinkle more parsley if desired.
- Sprinkle salt over mixture and cover, then chill in fridge for at least an hour.
Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
