Seafood Dishes

Spain

Marmitako is an excellent representative of the Basque Country cuisine, a tuna stew made in a pot with various other ingredients such as potatoes, tomatoes, chili, and onions. The name of the dish is derived from the Basque word marmita, denoting a pot or a casserole. When combined with the suffix &ndash;ko, it can be literally translated as from the pot. Originally, the stew was invented on fishing boats near the Spanish coast, and while tuna is the most authentic option, today there are numerous variations on the dish, depending on the type of fish used in the preparation of marmitako. The stew is characterized by its thick consistency, mostly due to starchy potatoes. It is recommended to prepare this flavorful stew a day in advance, then garnish it with parsley and pair it with a glass of white wine.

Marmitako

France

Marmite dieppoise is a traditional fish stew originating from Dieppe on the Normandy coast. The fish stew is usually made with a combination of scallops, prawns, mussels, salmon or monkfish, mushrooms, heavy cream, shallots, white wine, thyme, bay leaves, and parsley. The dish is traditionally made in a marmite &ndash; a covered earthenware or metal pot. The shallots, thyme, bay leaves, wine, and mussels are brought to a boil and simmered for a few minutes. The unopened mussels are discarded, while those that have opened are set aside to cool. The cooking liquid is simmered and mixed with prawns and scallops. After a few minutes, the prawns and scallops are removed, and the cooking liquid is used once again for the fish. The fish is poached until firm, and the cooking liquid is strained to remove any traces of sand. Next, it&rsquo;s reused to cook the mushrooms until the liquid evaporates. The cream is stirred in and boiled until thick, and the mussels, prawns, scallops, and fish are placed into the pot and cooked until hot. The fish stew is seasoned with salt and pepper and garnished with chopped parsley before serving.

Marmite dieppoise

United States

No other dish represents Maryland's cuisine better than the crab cake - a fishcake consisting of crab meat and ingredients such as mayonnaise, eggs, bread crumbs, milk, and seasonings. The blue crab is considered to be the ideal choice of crab for the cakes. They are usually served on a bun, accompanied by french fries, coleslaw, or macaroni salad. Originally, the dish was first prepared by the Natives, long before the arrival of the settlers. It was one of the first dishes that were adopted by the Chesapeake Bay region settlers. The first recipe, called Baltimore's Crab Cake, was published in 1930. In the 1940s, as the dish gained more popularity, Old Bay seasoning was added to the dish, and crab cakes have remained a staple of Maryland ever since, both for their exceptional taste and the benefit to the local economy.

Maryland Crab Cakes

Masgouf is a fish dish eaten all around Iraq and often referred to as the national dish of the country. The fish used to prepare masgouf is usually freshwater carp, which is butterflied, marinated, set on skewers, then grilled next to an open fire. To give it a crispy exterior, the fish is commonly covered with salt before cooking, while the marinating step may be omitted if the fish is fresh and of good quality. Although it is eaten throughout Iraq, the dish is especially popular in cities along the river Tigris. Originally, masgouf referred to the cooking technique, but today it is interchangeable with the dish. For the Iraqi people, eating is a ritual, and masgouf is an important part of that ritual. Because of the lengthy procedure and the complexity of the dish, it is usually eaten in restaurants. Each restaurant has their signature recipe, but they all share the same basic procedure principles. Due to the size of the carp, masgouf is commonly shared among family and friends. It is usually accompanied by freshly baked naan bread, tomatoes, grilled vegetables, and onion sauce.

Masgouf

Mashuai is a traditional fish specialty made by spit-roasting a whole fish which has been rubbed with oil and spices. Traditionally, this dish is prepared with kingfish, known locally as kanad, which is abundant in the coastal waters of Oman. Typical spices used for flavoring the fish include cumin, ground coriander seeds, cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, and salt. The roasted fish is typically enjoyed immediately, and it is usually served over a bed of lemon-flavored rice with cashews or rice on the side.

Mashuai

India

Masor tenga is a traditional curry originating from Assam. Although there are many recipes, it&rsquo;s usually made with a combination of fish, kokum, mustard seeds, hot peppers, tomatoes, mustard oil, potatoes, rice flour, turmeric, coriander, and salt. The fish is cut into pieces, seasoned with turmeric and salt, and then deep-fried in mustard oil until crisp. Mustard seeds and hot peppers are fried in mustard oil and mixed with chopped boiled potatoes and pur&eacute;ed tomatoes. Kokum is boiled in water and added to the curry, along with the fried fish pieces. Rice flour is added as a final touch in order to thicken the curry. Before serving, masor tenga is typically garnished with fresh coriander leaves. It&rsquo;s recommended to serve it for lunch or dinner with steamed rice and fresh green hot peppers on the side. The word tenga means sour, referring to the flavors of the stew.

Masor tenga

Mas riha is a rich fish curry originating from the Maldives. The curry is based on three Maldivian staples &ndash; fish, starch, and coconut. The ingredients used for the preparation of mas riha usually include tuna or swordfish, onions, garlic, ginger, curry leaves, hot peppers, coconut oil, cumin, turmeric, fennel, coconut milk, cinnamon, salt, and black pepper. The pieces of fish are added to the aromatic curry sauce near the end of cooking, and the curry is then spooned into bowls and served with rice or cauliflower rice on the side. If desired, a tablespoon of the remaining coconut milk can be drizzled over mas riha just before serving.

Mas riha

Madagascar

Mataba au poisson is a traditional dish originating from Mayotte, an overseas department and region of France. The dish is usually made with a combination of mackerel, coconut milk, garlic, onions, pounded cassava leaves, and salt. The fish is cooked in salted water, drained, and the meat is pulled off the bones and crumbled. The coconut milk, garlic, onions, and salt are brought to a boil, the pounded cassava leaves are stirred in, and the dish is cooked over low heat for an hour. Crumbled mackerel is added to the pot, and the liquid in the dish is reduced until dry. Mataba au poisson is typically served over rice, with pickled fruit such as mangoes or lemons on the side.

Mataba au poisson

Matelote is a popular French fish stew made with freshwater fish such as eel, salmon, and carp, a fish stock broth, and the best red or white wines. The name matelote means sailor in French, and the stew is also known as fisherman's Coq au vin. Although not as popular as bouillabaisse, a similar dish using saltwater fish, it has several regional variations, such as matelote Normande, which uses hard cider instead of wine. It is recommended to serve matelote with some boiled potatoes, a salad, and a crusty baguette on the side.

Matelote

Tanzania

Mchuzi wa samaki is a Swahili dish consisting of fish that is cooked in a combination of onions, oil, garlic, curry powder, tomatoes, water, and lemon juice. The dish is often additionally flavored with freshly chopped coriander. After it has been properly prepared, mchuzi wa samaki is typically served hot with fluffy white rice on the side, ideally complementing the spicy, full-bodied sauce. As for the fish, any white fish will do &ndash; be it sea bass, cod, or red snapper.

Mchuzi wa samaki

Portugal

This cod-based dish is usually associated with Lisbon. It consists of salt cod that is cooked with chickpeas and typically also includes sliced onions, boiled eggs, potatoes, olive oil, parsley, paprika, and vinegar. Although it is usually served cold, it can occasionally be oven-baked and enjoyed warm. The name meia-desfeita, which roughly translates as half-undone, allegedly stems from frugal times when the custom was to order only half of the dish.

Meia-desfeita

Mejillones a la vinagreta is a traditional dish originating from Galicia. It's made with a combination of local mussels, red wine vinegar, olive oil, green and red bell peppers, onions, and salt. The mussels are steamed until the shells open, drained, and cooled. The empty part of each mussel is discarded. The olive oil is whisked with vinegar, and the combination is then seasoned with salt and mixed with onions and bell peppers. The mussels are arranged on a platter and a spoonful of the pepper mixture is placed into each shell. It's recommended to refrigerate the dish for half an hour before serving and pair it with a cold beer on the side.

Mejillones a la vinagreta

Mejillones en escabeche is a traditional method of preserving mussels in a combination of vinegar, olive oil, white wine, onions, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, and paprika. These marinated mussels can be bought in small tin cans in most stores in the country, but they can be prepared at home from scratch as well. Mejillones en escabeche can be served either hot or cold, with toothpicks, and they&rsquo;re often served as a tapa, accompanied by slices of rustic bread on the side for mopping up the sauce.

Mejillones en escabeche

China

Braised abalone is a Chinese dish originating from the Guangdong region. The dish is made by simply braising the mollusk in a soy sauce-based liquid. It is recommended to use fresh abalones because their texture is tender, and they produce a delicate, fresh flavor. Abalones are often covered with scallions, ginger, and coriander before braising, while pork and chicken can also be added in order to impart their flavor during the slow and long process of braising. The dish is served hot with the sauce over it. It is especially popular at Chinese New Year celebrations.

Men bao yu

Merlu koskera is a traditional dish originating from the Basque region. The dish is prepared with hake (merlu), peas, mussels, asparagus, carrots, shallots, white wine, butter, garlic, eggs, thyme, bay leaves, and parsley. The hake is cut into fillets, then cooked with other ingredients. When served, the hake is usually placed on the bottom and topped with hard-boiled eggs, peas, asparagus, and mussels. It is recommended to serve merlu koskera with crusty bread or new potatoes on the side.

Merlu koskera

Merluza a la gallega is a traditional fish dish originating from Galicia. The dish is usually made with a combination of hake, garlic, potatoes, paprika, bay leaves, onions, olive oil, salt, and pepper. The pieces of fish, onions, bay leaves, and potatoes are boiled in salted water over low heat. The garlic is saut&eacute;ed in olive oil with paprika, and the mixture is then poured over the fish and vegetables. Before serving, the dish is simply reheated for a few minutes and it's then ready to be enjoyed.

Merluza a la gallega

Roughly translated as in the manner of miller&rsquo;s wife, the term &agrave; la meuni&egrave;re refers to a French cooking technique in which a whole fish or fish fillets are lightly dusted in flour and then saut&eacute;ed in butter. Traditionally, meuni&egrave;re dishes are made with white flesh fish and are commonly finished off with the addition of lemon juice and parsley, but the technique is easily adapted by replacing the main ingredients or incorporating additional elements such as capers or almonds. The most common dish prepared with this technique is called sole meuni&egrave;re.

Meunière

Mussels in the shell, stuffed with spiced rice, steamed shut and sold cold from a tray on the street, eaten one after another with a squeeze of lemon and counted by the empty shells: midye dolma is Istanbul's signature street food and one of the oldest. Armenian and Greek cooks of the city made it in the Ottoman period, and the rice filling, with onion, pine nuts, currants, allspice and cinnamon, belongs to the same family as the stuffed vine leaves and vegetables called zeytinyağlı dolma. Today the trade is run largely by families from Mardin in the south-east, who prepare thousands a day for the sellers who stand with their trays at Beşiktaş, Kadıköy, Taksim and İzmir's Kordon. The seller opens each shell with a thumb, squeezes lemon over it, and uses the top shell as a spoon to hand it to you.

Fresh black mussels are scrubbed, bearded and prised slightly open with a knife without separating the halves, and the meat is left attached. The filling is a pilaf started in olive oil: finely chopped onion cooked soft, short-grain rice stirred in with pine nuts and currants, seasoned with black pepper, allspice, cinnamon, a little sugar and salt, and cooked for a few minutes with a little water so it is half done. Each mussel is packed with a spoonful of this rice and closed, then the mussels are stacked tightly in a wide pot with a weighted plate on top, water is added partway up, and they steam for thirty to forty minutes until the rice has swelled and the shells are glued shut by it. They cool in the pot and are served at room temperature or cold, never hot. A good tray is made that morning and finished by evening.

Judge by the mussel first: it should be plump, tender and taste of the sea, not shrunken, rubbery or fishy. The rice should be fully cooked, moist from the mussel liquor and oil, and clearly spiced with cinnamon and allspice, with currants and pine nuts actually present rather than implied. Mark down dry or undercooked rice, a filling that tastes mainly of oil or of stale spice, mussels so small the rice is all you taste, shells that smell at all of ammonia, and any dolma that has been sitting in the sun. The lemon should be fresh, squeezed per mussel, not poured from a bottle. Eating a dozen is normal; the test of a seller is whether the tenth is as good as the first. Frozen, factory-stuffed versions reheated in a restaurant are a different and lesser product, usually betrayed by uniform size and pale rice.

Midye dolma

Minorcan clam chowder is a Floridian dish hailing from St. Augustine. This Manhattan-style, tomato-based chowder is made with a combination of onions, bacon, green bell peppers, clams with their juice, crushed tomatoes, celery, thyme, bay leaves, potatoes, and datil chili pepper, which is grown in the St. Augustine area. The chowder is cooked until the potatoes are fully cooked. If the broth is too thick, it's recommended to dilute it with water or tomato juice. However, the consistency should remain on the thick and chunky side. Some claim that Minorcan clam chowder is even better if reheated the next day. The dish was brought over by the Minorcans to St. Augustine in 1777.

Minorcan Clam Chowder

Miruhulee boava is a traditional dish originating from the Maldives. The dish consists of octopus tentacles that are braised in a combination of onions, garlic, cumin, curry leaves, chili peppers, peppercorns, coconut oil, and salt. The garlic, onions, and curry leaves are fried in oil, and the rest of the ingredients are blended into a thick paste. The octopus tentacles are added to the mixture, then braised over low heat until done. The dish is traditionally served on a large platter.

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