In Ireland, seafood is a big part of our cuisine, and this recipe combines locally sourced ingredients to create the perfect St. Patrick’s Day feast.
We turn to Culinary Columnist and Executive Chef Paul Watters to share his mouthwatering Seafood Medley. This dish features grilled prawns and scallops, calamari rings, tenderstem broccoli, slow-roasted tomatoes, grilled red onions, wilted baby spinach, and a creamy dill sauce—creating a wholesome and satisfying dish.
The Ingredients
8 king prawns
2 Calamari tubes (cut into rings)
8 baby Scallops
2 plum tomatoes ( halved)
8 tender stem broccoli
2 red onion (peeled and halved)
4 handfuls of baby Spinach
(All seafood is available in all good supermarkets or fishmongers)
The Sauce
2 Oz of unsalted butter
2 Oz of plain flour
1 chicken stock cube
250 ml of milk
2 tablespoons of double cream
1/2 handful of picked dill (chopped)
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F). In a medium-sized saucepan, bring water to a boil and add 1 teaspoon of salt. While the water is heating up, you can start on the sauce.
- Prepare the sauce: In another saucepan, melt butter over medium heat and add the chicken stock cube. Remove from heat, gradually stir in the flour, and mix well. Return to the heat, allowing the sauce to simmer, and slowly add the milk until it thickens into a creamy sauce. Season with salt, pepper, dill, and a splash of cream. Leave the sauce on low heat to keep warm.
- Grill the veggies: If you don’t have a griddle pan, a regular frying pan will do. Add a little oil to the pan and place the onion flat side down, seasoning with salt and pepper. Add the tomatoes and cook for 3-4 minutes. Transfer the onions and tomatoes to an oven-proof dish and place it in the oven.
- Cook the seafood: In the same pan, add the prawns and cook for about 4 minutes on one side. Flip them over, then add the scallops and cook for another 4 minutes. After flipping the scallops, remove the prawns from the pan. Take the dish out of the oven and add the prawns and scallops back into it. Place it back in the oven.
- Cook the calamari: Return the pan to the heat, adding a little more oil. Cook the calamari for 4 minutes on each side, then remove the oven dish from the oven and add the calamari. Place the dish back in the oven to finish cooking everything.
- Prepare the vegetables: While the seafood is in the oven, add the broccoli to the boiling water and cook for 3-4 minutes. Once cooked, strain and set aside. In the same pan, add a spoonful of butter to wilt the spinach, seasoning with a pinch of salt and pepper (a bit of nutmeg enhances the flavor of wilted spinach). Once the spinach is wilted, turn off the heat.
- Plating the dish: Carefully remove the dish from the oven. On two large plates, place the wilted spinach in the center. Arrange 4 prawns on top of the spinach, followed by the cooked onion and tomato mixture. Add the broccoli beside it, and position the calamari around the prawns. Drizzle the dill cream sauce around the plate and place the scallops around as well. For a colorful touch, sprinkle a little red pepper powder and garnish with fresh dill.
This dish celebrates the rich seafood heritage of Ireland, combining locally sourced ingredients for a perfect St. Patrick’s Day feast.
About Paul Watters
“I grew up in Belfast, Northern Ireland and have spent 30 years working within the hospitality industry. Cooking has always been my biggest passion, having discovered the love of food and cooking at just 16, there was no other career path for me.”
“I have been incredibly fortunate to have worked in many upscale kitchens including the Savoy in London and Sydney Opera House in Australia. Over the years it has been a pleasure to have had the opportunity to gain irreplaceable knowledge and precious experience whilst travelling the world, discovering different cultures and meeting some colourful culinary characters along the way.”
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