Seafood Dishes

Koi is a raw meat dish that is prevalent in Lao culture and in the northeastern Thailand region of Isan. The most popular iterations of koi are prepared in a way similar to a salad. The basic recipe involves thinly sliced fish (usually locally caught tilapia) with chopped greens (yardlong beans, shallots, and galangal), mixed and seasoned with ground roasted rice, chili flakes, fish sauce, and lime juice. Although the original version of koi is made with raw fish, it is also acceptable to blanch the fish in boiling water beforehand. This is because some raw fish can transmit liver infections and the blanching process leads to a much safer way of preparing the dish. Some other variations of koi, particularly popular in Thailand, are koi pla, made with raw fish and live red ants, and koi hoi, made with raw snail meat.

Spain

Gelatinous fish heads known as kokotxas are a key ingredient for this classic Basque dish. Kokotxas usually come from the flashy cheeks (lower part of chin) of hake or cod. The dish is sometimes served in a sauce consisting of white wine, garlic, flour, and olive oil. A more traditional way of serving kokotxas is in salsa verde sauce, consisting of olive oil, flour, fish stock, garlic, and finely chopped parsley. The kokotxas are lightly fried in a clay casserole pot, then combined with the sauce. It's recommended to serve the dish with crusty bread on the side for mopping up the sauce.

Kokotxas

Konko&eacute; is a traditional African dish originating from Guinea. It's made with a combination of smoked catfish and vegetables such as onions, eggplants, garlic, cassava, potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, and spring onions, along with stock cubes and palm oil. The fish and vegetables are simmered until the sauce thickens a bit but remains more on the soupy side. Konko&eacute; is traditionally eaten for lunch and it's served with cooked white rice on the side. If desired, the dish can be made spicy by adding a few hot chili peppers into the pot.

Konkoé

Sri Lanka

This spicy and sour seafood stew is one of the signature dishes of the Jaffna region in Sri Lanka. It combines tamarind-based broth with seafood such as cuttlefish, prawns, crayfish, crabs, as well as different types of fish. Apart from seafood, the dish also incorporates various spices and vegetables, and it is traditionally thickened with odiyal&mdash;the flour made from palmyra tuber. Jaffna kool is usually prepared as a hearty homemade dish, and it is mainly enjoyed on special occasions and family gatherings. It is served as a main course, preferably with pieces of raw coconut on the side.

Kool

Australia

Kovu walu is a traditional fish dish that is infused with coconut milk and spices, then steamed in banana leaves. Walu is locally-sourced Spanish mackerel, while kovu refers to the method of preparation of the fish that involves marinating it in a mixture of coconut milk, ginger, onions, and fresh turmeric, and then cooking it enclosed within fresh banana leaves. This fish specialty is typically served with taro and cassava on the side.

Kovu walu

Crayfish is the star of a local Luxembourgish specialty called kriibsen. The crustacean is typically alive right before it is cleaned and cooked in a sauce containing finely chopped vegetables and herbs, butter, seasonings, fish stock, and Luxembourg Riesling. Typical vegetables and herbs include green celery, shallots, carrots, thyme, tarragon, bay leaves, and parsley. The usual way of serving the dish is by placing the cooked crayfish on a warm serving platter and finishing it off with the hot, buttery sauce and a few sprigs of fresh parsley on top. This crayfish specialty is usually paired with a glass of fine Luxembourg Riesling, while the typical way of consuming it is by using one&rsquo;s fingers.

Kriibsen

Kulhimas is a traditional dish originating from the Maldives. The dish consists of spiced tuna and it's usually made with a combination of tuna, onions, curry leaves, hot peppers, garlic, ginger, grated coconut, cardamom, cumin, red chili powder, oil, salt, and black pepper. Everything except the tuna is blended into a smooth paste. The tuna is mixed with the spicy paste, and the mixture is then cooked over low heat to release the flavors. If desired, coconut milk or cream can also be added to the mixture. Kulhimas is often served with roshi, a typical Maldivian flatbread.

Kulhimas

Kung thot krathiam phrik thai is a Thai stir-fry consisting of shrimps that are fried with garlic and pepper. In order to soak up more of the flavors, the shrimps are often mixed with the rest of the ingredients that typically include minced garlic, fish sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, and ground white pepper before they are stir-fried with the marinating mixture. This stir-fry dish is typically eaten on a bed of jasmine rice with slices of fresh tomatoes and cucumbers on top, but noodles can also be used instead of rice. The typical condiment of choice is prik nam pla, a mixture of bird&rsquo;s eye chilis, fish sauce, garlic, sugar, and lime juice, which is often served alongside rice dishes. This one-dish Thai meal is a perfect blend of savory, garlicky, and salty, with just enough heat to enhance the flavor of the dish. Kung thot krathiam phrik thai is a typical street food and lunchtime item, and it is rarely prepared at home.

Kung thot krathiam phrik thai

Kusksi bil hoot is a traditional dish using steamed couscous and fried firm-fleshed fish (e.g. grouper) as the main ingredients. Before frying, the fish is usually marinated in a combination of garlic, lemon juice, hot peppers, celery, olive oil, and cumin, while couscous is steamed with the addition of stock made from onions, tomatoes, parsley, and fish heads. Couscous and fried fish are then combined with a sauce consisting of tomatoes and fried vegetables such as potatoes, squash, bell peppers, chickpeas, aubergines, and onions. Once prepared, kusksi bil hoot is typically served in a communal dish so everyone can feast from the same plate.

Kusksi bil hoot

France

Once reserved only for the wealthy people, today the lamprey is a popular delicacy in the Bordeaux region, caught between December and May in the Dordogne and the Gironde estuary. The dish consists of lamprey stewed with cured ham, red wine, various fresh herbs, and vegetables such as leeks, onions, and garlic. While preparing the dish, one must be careful to first hang the lamprey by the head before cutting its tail, in order to collect the blood. The blood is used in combination with Armagnac and wine sauce, and the lamprey is briefly flamb&eacute;ed in the mixture before being served, usually accompanied with garlic bread croutons and a glass of local red wine. Today, there is even an annual lamprey festival held in Libournais in April, filled with cookery workshops, gourmet dishes, and a variety of other activities.

Lamproie à la bordelaise

Mexico

Langosta de Puerto Nuevo is a traditional lobster dish originating from Puerto Nuevo in Baja California. The dish is usually made with a combination of lobster, butter, salt, pepper, and oil or lard. The lobster is cut in half, seasoned with salt and pepper, and then fried in a mixture of butter and oil or lard until golden brown on both sides. Once done, the lobster is often served with rice and beans and a dip consisting of tomatoes, garlic, salt, and bird&rsquo;s eye chili peppers. Tortillas and lemon wedges are typically served on the side as well.

Langosta de Puerto Nuevo

Langouste a la vanille is a traditional dish originating from the Comoros Islands. The dish is made with lobster and vanilla beans as the key ingredients. Other ingredients include butter, olive oil, shallots, white wine, vinegar, clover sprouts, and spinach. When served, roasted lobster meat is removed from the claws, then placed on a bed of greens, and the combination is drizzled with the vanilla sauce. The dish is usually topped with clover sprouts and served immediately.

Langouste a la vanille

Ireland

This classic Irish dish combines thick and creamy bisque with Dublin Bay prawns. The bisque is made from a mix of various vegetables (usually onions, shallots, potatoes, or tomatoes), milk or tomato pur&eacute;e, double cream, and seasonings such as parsley, thyme, fennel, paprika, and bay leaves. Some recipes also suggest adding an alcoholic drink such as cognac, sherry, or wine. The mix is first cooked in butter and then pur&eacute;ed, which gives the dish its rich and creamy texture. Before they can be added to the bisque, the prawns need to be boiled and cleaned. As a finishing touch, the dish is garnished with sliced scallions and black pepper, and it&rsquo;s usually served with crusty bread or croutons on the side.

Langoustine Bisque

Vietnam

Lẩu c&aacute; linh b&ocirc;ng đi&ecirc;n điển is a traditional dish originating from the Dong Thap province. This hot pot is made with a base of ca linh, a local freshwater fish, and river hemp flower called bong dien dien. If the fish is male, it&rsquo;s simmered in the pot, and if it&rsquo;s female, its roe is usually deep-fried. The river hemp flower is usually blanched in order to get the most of its nutty and buttery flavor and crunchy texture. The broth usually consists of coconut water, selected seasonings, young tamarind, water lily (bong sung), yellow velvet leaf (keo neo), and either pork or chicken stock. The hemp flower is blanched first, while the fish is added last to the hot pot. Fish sauce and hot chili peppers are welcome additions to this unique hot pot variety.

Lẩu cá linh bông điên điển

Trout and sturgeon hot pot is a traditional dish originating from the Sapa region, and it's prepared with sturgeon and a species of salmonid called rainbow trout. The rainbow trout and sturgeon have been farmed in the region since 2005, and nowadays they're a part of a local specialty that's particularly popular during winter. The dish consists of sliced salmon and sturgeon and a hot broth, served with local wild vegetables including pumpkin buds and watercress. This communal dish is enjoyed by cooking pieces of fish in the hot broth.

Lẩu cá tầm cá hồi

Lẩu do bien is a traditional version of a hot pot made with seafood as the main ingredient. The dish is cooked in a round metal vessel with a hollow part that goes up the middle. The pots are placed over hot charcoal, and the flames go up the chute to heat the soup in the outer part of the cooking vessel. The ingredients of a seafood hot pot are typically prawns, fish fillets, squid, scallops, mussels, vermicelli noodles, tofu, fish sauce, and vegetables such as carrots, okra, Chinese cabbage, water spinach, and mustard greens. Once done, lẩu do bien is usually accompanied by soy sauce with sliced bird's eye chili peppers for dipping. The dish is usually cooked at the dining table, and everyone takes a portion in a small bowl directly from the pot.

Lẩu do bien

Lekkerbekje is a Dutch dish consisting of fish that is dipped in batter and fried in oil. Essentially, it's the Dutch version of fish and chips. It can be found throughout the country, at numerous fish stands and markets. People often consume it right away as a snack or take it home for dinner. It is recommended to serve lekkerbekje with boiled potatoes and tartar sauce on the side.

Lekkerbekje

This simple dish of fish cooked in banana leaves is commonly associated with the Republic of the Congo. It can be prepared with a whole fish or fish fillets that are marinated or seasoned and occasionally enriched with onions and vegetables. All ingredients are neatly wrapped in banana leaves, and the package is grilled or baked in the oven. The dish is traditionally served accompanied by chikwanga - cassava flour cakes - or fufu - a ubiquitous African side dish consisting of pounded starchy vegetables.

Liboké de poisson

Liechtensteiner fish stew is a traditional dish from Liechtenstein made with a combination of dark rye bread, sprats, fish such as snapper, cod, or mahi-mahi, tomatoes, green onions, potatoes, garlic, celery, parsley, marjoram, smoked paprika, olive oil, broth, and seasonings. The combination is simmered until the vegetables become tender and the fish is fully cooked. When served, a slice of rye bread is first placed onto a serving plate, and then it is covered with the broth or mash mixture, generous portions of fish, and the combination of tomatoes, potatoes, sprats, and the broth. It's recommended to garnish this delicious stew with chopped parsley.

Liechtensteiner Fish Stew

Croatia

Lignje ispod peke is a traditional dish originating from Dalmacija. In order to prepare the dish, the squids are seasoned with salt, pepper, and olive oil. They're placed into a baking dish that's usually layered with potatoes, onions, and other seasonal vegetables. The baking dish is covered with a metal lid (peka) and the dish is baked for about one hour. The metal lid is covered with hot embers and ashes as the dish is cooking. The squid and vegetables should be stirred and mixed when halfway done. Once done, the squid and vegetables are left to rest for a bit, and the dish is then ready to be enjoyed.