Add An Irish Seafood Twist This Year
While most people make corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick's Day, why not add some classic Irish seafood dishes to the mix this year? Ireland does have some delicious coastal cuisine after all.
We’ve gathered some of our favorite Irish culinary treats that will add a little fresh-caught seafood flavor to your St. Patrick’s Day menu. Pair with your favorite Irish whiskey or a pint of Guinness to complete your St. Paddy’s celebration!
Guinness Battered Fish and Chips
Ingredients:
- Guinness beer
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Egg
- Flour
- Cod or haddock fillets (3 oz. cutlets)
- 7 medium potatoes
- Malt vinegar and tartar sauce
Method:
- Add beer, baking soda, salt, pepper, and egg to a large mixing bowl. Slowly add flour and whisk until the batter is thick but not runny.
- Heat oil to 350. Dredge fish in flour, shake off excess, then dip in batter. Be sure to cover all sides of fish.
- Gently dip fish into hot oil, holding halfway in for 15 seconds. Then drop completely into oil.
- Flip fish when brown on one side. Full cooking time should be 6-8 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish. Internal temperature should be 140.
- For potatoes, chop into small cubes, dry off and toss in cooking oil. Place on baking tray and bake in oven for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking.
- Serve fish with tartar sauce and malt vinegar and enjoy!
Irish Fish Pie
Ingredients:
- 1½ lb. sweet potatoes
- ½ lb. cod fillets
- ½ lb. large shrimp
- ½ lb. scallops
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (room temperature)
- Finely chopped small onion
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 fresh thyme sprigs
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup chopped chives
Method:
- Preheat oven to 375. Cut cod into 1-inch pieces, and check scallops for bits of shell or tough muscle and remove. Keep seafood refrigerated until ready to use.
- Peel potatoes and cut into 1-inch cubes. Put in large saucepan and add cool water to cover by 1-inch. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and gently simmer until potatoes are tender (about 15 minutes). Drain and reserve liquid.
- Mash the potatoes with the back of a fork or with a potato masher, this will create a coarser puree. For a perfectly smooth puree, instead pass potatoes through a food mill or press through a potato ricer, then give milled potatoes a stir and add cooking liquid if they seem dry or tacky. Set aside 2 cups or puree to use, the rest can be put away for future use.
- Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a medium saucepan and set to medium heat. Add onion and cook until translucent and soft. Add milk, bay leaves, and thyme sprigs and bring to a gentle simmer while stirring often. Stir ½ teaspoon of salt into milk.
- Each type of seafood should be poached individually. Place cod in pan and cook until nearly cooked through (1 to 2 minutes), remove and place in a casserole dish. Add scallops to pan and poach until opaque (about 30 seconds), then remove and add to dish with the cod. Add shrimp to pan and poach until they just about curl (about 1 minute), remove and add these to the dish as well. Flake cod in dish and add salt and pepper.
- Mash 2 tablespoons of butter with flour in a small bowl. Remove bay leaves and thyme from milk, bring to a simmer once again and whisk the butter mixture in until no lumps remain. Reduce heat to low and simmer until mixture thickens (about 5 minutes).
- Pour thickened milk mixture (béchamel) over fish, add chives, and fold to combine. Taste filling and adjust with salt and pepper as needed.
- Reheat cups of sweet potato puree and stir in 2 tablespoons of butter until it melts. Season with salt, then pipe or spread puree over the seafood filling. Seal edges.
- Bake for about 20 minutes, until filling is bubbly and topping has browned. Let stand a few minutes before serving.
Scallop Bisque
Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 stalks of celery (cut in large chunks)
- 2 diced medium carrots
- 1 diced large potato
- 1 chopped medium yellow onion
- 1 teaspoon tomato paste
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 quart seafood stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves or 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 cup half and half
- 8 large sea scallops
- Vegetable or refined coconut oil
- Salt and pepper
- Chopped chives
Method:
- Chop onion, carrot, and potato small, leave celery in larger pieces.
- Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a large saucepan and saute onion, carrots, celery, and potato over medium heat. Lower heat to medium-low and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add white wine or sherry and continue to cook for another 5 minutes.
- Stir in tomato paste and add seafood stock, bay leaves, and thyme. Cover and gently simmer for 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
- Remove bay leaves and celery pieces. Blend until very smooth. Add half and half or creamer and gently reheat while stirring frequently. Do not boil.
- Sear scallops on a hot pan with vegetable or coconut oil.
- Pour soup into bowls, top with scallop and garnish, and enjoy.
Mussels in Cream
Ingredients:
- Mussels
- Heavy cream
- Butter
- Flour
- Salt
- Black Pepper
Method:
- Heat mussels in a skillet until the shells open, discard any unopened mussels.
- Combine butter and flour into a roux and mix with water and heavy cream until the sauce thickens. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Mix mussels and their juices into the sauce, making sure they're coated before serving.
Grilled Oysters with Irish Whiskey Butter
Ingredients:
- Fresh oysters on the half shell
- Butter
- Irish whiskey
- Garlic
- Fresh parsley
- Lemon wedges
Method:
- Mix softened butter with minced garlic and a splash of whiskey. Place a spoonful on each oyster.
- Grill oysters, garnish with parsley, and serve with lemon wedge.
Want an even easier way to enjoy oysters for St. Patrick's Day? Raw, shucked oysters alongside lemon wedges and your stout of choice work just fine!
Putting together a seafood-centric St. Patrick's Day meal? Let us see it! Share your pics and tag us on Instagram or Facebook!