Seafood Dishes

India

Ambot tik is a traditional fish curry originating from Goa. Ambot means sour, and tik means spicy, so this curry should always be sour-and-spicy. The dish is usually made with saltwater fish, onions, kokum petals, oil, salt, and a masala paste consisting of Kashmiri chillis, ginger, garlic, onions, tomatoes, cloves, cinnamon, peppercorns, cumin, coriander, turmeric, and tamarind. The hot peppers and tamarind are soaked in water, and then ground and mixed with the other ingredients in a masala paste. The onions and the masala are saut&eacute;ed in oil, and the fish is cut into pieces and added to the pot, along with water. The curry is simmered over medium heat for about ten minutes, and the heat is then switched off. Kokum petals are added to the curry, the pot is covered with a lid, and the dish is then served after a few minutes.

Ambot tik

Am&ecirc;ijoas &agrave; marinheira is a traditional clam-based dish originating from Portugal. Although there are some variations, it's usually made with a combination of clams, onions, garlic, tomatoes, white wine, parsley, oil, lemon juice, breadcrumbs, bay leaves, white pepper, and salt. The clams are washed, cooked in water until they open up, then set aside. The onion and garlic are saut&eacute;ed in olive oil, then mixed with the tomatoes, white wine, lemon juice, and breadcrumbs. When the alcohol evaporates, the bay leaves are added to the pot along with the clams, which are seasoned with salt and white pepper. After a few minutes of cooking, the dish is ready, and it's served hot and sprinkled with chopped parsley.

Amêijoas à marinheira

Portugal

Am&ecirc;ijoas na cataplana is a traditional seafood dish made by cooking clams in a cataplana, a special copper or metal cooking vessel that seals in flavors. The clams are typically combined with ingredients like garlic, onions, chourico, presunto, bacon, white wine, herbs, and olive oil, creating a rich, flavorful broth. The cataplana pot allows the dish to steam, keeping the clams tender and aromatic. It's a popular dish in coastal regions of Portugal, especially in the Algarve.

Amêijoas na cataplana

Amok trey is Cambodia's national dish, a fragrant and spicy coconut fish curry that is tenderly steamed in banana leaves, although chicken, tofu, and snails can also be used as a substitute for the main protein. The flavour of the dish is reminiscent of a mild Thai red curry. Usually served in coconut shells, amok trey is the main dish of the Water Festival in Cambodia, celebrating the change of Tonle Sap River's flow, and is a way to thank the Mekong River for providing Cambodia with abundant fish and fertile land. The fish is soaked in a rich curry paste and placed in little steamer cups made from banana leaves, imparting their specific flavor to the dish. The cups are steamed over boiling water, with the aromas of sweet coconut, galangal, and turmeric filling the air. After the dish is done, some coconut cream is usually spooned on top, and the whole thing is garnished with sliced chilies or noni leaf. Jasmine rice makes a great accompaniment to this fragrant and savory dish.

Amok trey

Amritsari fish is a traditional fish dish and a popular street food originating from Amritsari. It&rsquo;s usually made with a combination of freshwater fish, ginger-garlic paste, ajwain, red chili powder, garam masala, amchur mango powder, lemon juice, salt, gram flour, turmeric, and oil. The fish is coated with a mixture of gram flour, spices, lemon juice, and curd. Once coated, it&rsquo;s fried in hot oil until golden and crisp. Amritsari fish is then served piping hot, and it&rsquo;s enjoyed on its own.

Amritsari machhli

Italy

Anguilla alla Bisentina is a traditional dish originting from Bisentina, a tiny island in the middle of Lake Bolsena. The dish is usually made with a combination of eels, tomatoes, garlic, dried hot peppers, olive oil, white wine vinegar, rosemary, sage, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. The eels are sliced into pieces and saut&eacute;ed in an earthenware pan with the vinegar, herbs, and garlic. After a few minutes, olive oil is poured into the pan along with tomatoes, hot peppers, salt, and pepper. The dish is cooked for a few more minutes until a dense sauce is formed. Before serving, the cloves of garlic are removed from the dish, and it's then ready to be enjoyed with crusty bread on the side.

Anguilla alla Bisentina

Anguilla alla giovese is a traditional Tuscan dish originating from Giovi, hence the name. The dish is made with a combination of eels, onions, celery, carrots, tomatoes, garlic, sage, flour, parsley, olive oil, salt, and pepper. The onions, carrots, parsley, and celery are saut&eacute;ed in olive oil and then mixed with the tomatoes and seasonings. The mixture is cooked until thick. Garlic and sage are saut&eacute;ed in olive oil in another pan. The cleaned eels are seasoned with salt, dusted with flour, and browned in a pan with garlic until fully cooked on all sides. Once cooked, the eels are mixed with the tomato sauce and the dish is ready to be enjoyed after a few minutes, when the eels have soaked up the flavors. It's recommended to serve anguilla alla giovese with bread on the side and pair it with a glass of robust wine.

Anguilla alla giovese

Anguilla alla muranese is a traditional dish originating from the Venetian Laguna's island of Murano. The dish is made with a few simple ingredients &ndash; cleaned eels, vinegar, bay leaves, and salt. The eel is cut into pieces but the cuts don't go all the way through, like a small train. It's rinsed in water and vinegar, coiled, and arranged on a bed of bay leaves before it's placed in a glass furnace, seasoned with salt, and topped with another layer of bay leaves. The dish is cooked in the furnace for an hour and then finished in the oven where it's baked for two more hours. The temperature should be lowered as the cooking time draws to a close.

Anguilla alla muranese

Spain

Angulas a la cazuela is a traditional dish originating from the Basque Country. The dish is usually made with a combination of rare and expensive angulas (baby eels), garlic, hot pepper flakes, olive oil, and salt. The garlic and pepper flakes are saut&eacute;ed in olive oil in a cazuela (shallow earthenware pot). The angulas are then added to the cazuela, seasoned, and cooked until they become hot and sizzling. The dish is served straight out of the cazuela and it's traditionally eaten with a wooden fork.

Angulas a la cazuela

Ankimo is a refined Japanese dish prepared with monkfish liver which is cleaned and soaked in milk, then rinsed and brined in a marinade infused with sake and mirin. It is traditionally rolled in a cylinder, steamed, then served sliced, accompanied by grated daikon, sliced scallions, and ponzu sauce. Because of its rich flavor and velvety texture, this unusual treat is considered to be an exquisite delicacy found on the menus of only the finest Japanese restaurants.

Ankimo

Anticucho de pescado is a traditional dish originating from Peru, consisting of fish on skewers. The dish is prepared by marinating firm white fish in a combination of garlic, paprika, salt, vinegar, lime juice, oil, cumin, and black pepper. The fish is then cut into cubes, placed on skewers and grilled until fully cooked. Once done, the fish skewers are served on a platter and the dish is traditionally accompanied by thick sliced of boiled potatoes, lettuce, corn, and aji amarillo sauce on the side for dipping. It's recommended to garnish anticucho de pescado with lemon wedges.

Anticuchos de pescado

Anticucho de pulpo is a traditional dish originating from Peru. These skewers are usually sold on the streets and in this case they're threaded with octopus tentacles. Other ingredients for the preparation of anticuchos de pulpo include potatoes, vinegar, oregano, parsley, salt, pepper, and olive oil. The octopus and the potatoes are boiled, mixed with the other ingredients, then left to marinate before the octopus is threaded onto bamboo skewers and grilled to perfection. The skewers are served with golden potatoes and chimichurri on the side.

Anticuchos de pulpo

China

Macanese garlic prawns is a traditional dish originating from Macau. Although there are a few variations on the dish, it's usually made with a combination of prawns, garlic, red chili peppers, coriander, ginger, oil, salt, black pepper, and rice wine. The prawns are washed, drained, and a slit is made in their back. The coriander, garlic, ginger, and chili peppers are finely chopped, mixed with salt, pepper, and oil, and the mixture is stuffed into the back of the prawns. They are fried in oil on both sides, sprinkled with rice wine, simmered for a bit more, and served immediately, often with lemon wedges on the side.

Aomen da suan xia

Ireland

This simple and classic dish from Northern Ireland is prepared by rolling the famous Ardglass herrings in a dish and adding vinegar, raw onions, spice berries, salt, and pepper. The dish is baked until the tops of the fish become crispy. It is recommended to serve the herrings accompanied by crusty brown bread and butter on the side, to mop up the juices.

Ardglass Potted Herring

Indonesia

Arsik is an Indonesian dish that has its origin among the Mandailing and Batak Toba people, native to North Sumatra. The dish is usually prepared with common carp, which is stewed with various spices and herbs. Torch ginger and Szechuan pepper are the key spices used in the dish. Because Szechuan pepper is only found at the height of 1500 meters in the area where the Mandailing and Batak Toba people reside, arsik has always represented the traditional dish of the area. The fish is always served whole, symbolizing the entire human life, and it is typically covered with a thick, spicy sauce. Arsik is eaten as the main dish and it is a common staple at important events and special occasions.

Arsik

Malaysia

The main characteristic of this popular Malaysian dish is the combination of tamarind juice and chili paste, giving the dish its signature sour and spicy flavors. Even though it appears in numerous varieties throughout the country, it is traditionally prepared with okra, tomatoes, fish, and various seasonings, all cooked in a zesty, rich broth. Asam pedas is usually enjoyed as the main course, commonly served accompanied by rice.

Asam pedas

At&uacute;n mechado is a traditional dish originating from M&aacute;laga. It&rsquo;s made with a combination of tuna, bacon, peppercorns, garlic, flour, olive oil, onions, carrots, cloves, bay leaves, parsley, and either sherry or white wine. The bacon is rolled in crushed peppercorns, then inserted into slits that have been cut into the sides of the fish. The same process is repeated with slices of garlic. The fish is then dusted with flour and browned in olive oil, while the remaining garlic is fried with onions and carrots until the ingredients soften. The wine, bay leaves, cloves, and water are then added to the pan, and the contents are placed into a casserole with the browned tuna. The fish is braised gently in the oven until the sauce is reduced. This dish is traditionally served with mashed potatoes or rice on the side, and it&rsquo;s often garnished with parsley.

Atún mechado

Bacalao a la Vizcaina or Basque-style cod is a traditional dish that's also popular in many Spanish-speaking countries. The dish is made with salt cod fillets in Vizcaina sauce. The sauce consists of red onions, garlic, and choricero pepper pur&eacute;e, although some people also like to add tomatoes to the mix. The fish is cooked, and the sauce is poured over the fillets. The dish is traditionally served warm.

Bacalao a la Vizcaina

Bacalao al pil-pil is a traditional dish originating from the Basque Country. It is prepared with only four ingredients: salt cod, olive oil, garlic, and chili peppers. The cod is cooked in olive oil (with garlic and chili peppers), releasing gelatin that is needed for the emulsification of the sauce later on. Making pil-pil is a laborious process, taking anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes, and the final result is a creamy sauce that is spooned over the cod before serving. It is recommended to garnish the dish with leftovers garlic and chili peppers, then serve it hot or warm.

Bacalao al pil-pil

Bacalao frito con tomate is a traditional cod-based dish originating from Spain. The dish is usually made with a combination of dried salt cod (soaked in water for a day), onions, tomatoes, garlic, bay leaves, roasted bell peppers, olive oil, and flour. The cod is cut into pieces, dredged in flour, and fried on both sides in olive oil before it&rsquo;s removed from the pan. The onions and garlic are chopped and fried in the same oil until soft and translucent. Tomatoes and bay leaves are added to the pan along with the codfish and sliced roasted peppers. The dish is simmered over low heat for a few minutes, and it&rsquo;s then typically served with fried potatoes on the side.