Seafood Dishes

Stir-fried octopus is a classic Korean banchan (side dish). It is usually prepared with a small-sized octopus that is sliced and then fried in a flavorful combination of garlic, ginger, and gochujang chili paste, while other additions include sliced vegetables such as onions, scallions, cucumbers, chili peppers, or zucchinis. The dish is usually served sprinkled with roasted sesame seeds and goes exceptionally well with hearty Korean soups and stews.

Nakji bokkeum

North Korea

Nampo petrol clams are, as the name implies, clams cooked in petrol. They are a specialty of Nampo, a major port on the west coast of North Korea, usually enjoyed by work groups or rare foreign tourists visiting the city and its spa centers. Clams are sourced from the Yellow Sea and are arranged in concentric circles on a fireproof surface, facing down, then sprayed with petrol and set on fire. There is a minimal risk of petrol getting inside the shell because clams do not usually open until forced by your fingers and nails. However, if they do open during the cooking or cannot be opened after they are removed from the fire, it's best to avoid consuming them. The cooking should take five to ten minutes, and once they are done, Nampo petrol clams are best paired with some local soju (it's believed soju kills any of the remaining bacteria).

Nampo Petrol Clams

Nanbanzuke is a Japanese dish consisting of fried fish that is marinated in vinegar and served with vegetables. The fish used for nanbazuke is usually small yellowtail, smelt, blue mackerel, or whiting, while the marinade typically consists of vinegar, sake, mirin, soy sauce, and sugar. The vegetables which are marinated with the fish include onions, cucumbers, red chili, and carrots. Immediately after the fish has been fried, it should be placed in the marinade so it can absorb it. Once prepared, nanbanzuke is traditionally served chilled or at room temperature, making it ideal for hot summer days. The word nanban means foreign, referring to Portugal and Spain who introduced deep-frying, onions, and hot peppers to Japan, while the word zuke or dzuke means marinated.

Nanbanzuke

Italy

Nasello alla palermitana is a traditional fish dish originating from Palermo. The dish is usually made with a combination of hake, garlic, anchovies, breadcrumbs, rosemary, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and black pepper. The garlic and anchovies are saut&eacute;ed in olive oil until the anchovies dissolve (they can also be mashed with a fork). The fish is seasoned with olive oil, salt, and pepper, then rubbed with the anchovy mixture and coated with breadcrumbs. The hake is then baked in an oven until fully cooked, and a few minutes before the dish is ready, the fish is sprinkled with lemon juice. If properly prepared, a golden crust should form around the hake.

Nasello alla palermitana

United States

One of the earliest and quintessential American dishes, New England-style clam chowder is a creamy stew made with briny clams, chunks of salt pork, sweet onions, potatoes, and milk. The dish was invented by the Pilgrims who had landed near Plymouth Rock in 1620. Hungry and with nothing to eat, they turned to delicious clams that are commonly found on New England's shores and cooked them in pots filled with water over an open flame. As for the word chowder, some claim it stems from the French chaudi&eacute;re, denoting an iron cooking pot, while others claim it stems from chaudeau, meaning hot water. The creamy version we all know and love today started to become popular at the beginning of the 19th century, and by the end of it, there were also some regional versions of the dish. Some of them added crushed crackers, butter, or chopped fish to the already flavourful broth. Aromatic and sea-flavored, it is almost a sacred dish in New England, regularly celebrated with various competitions, festivals, chowder lovers societies, and boat races. Today, there are many versions of clam chowder in Manhattan, Rhode Island, Long Island, Minorcan, Hatteras, Delaware, and New Jersey.

New England clam chowder

Australia

This dish is a New Zealander version of the classic English fish and chips. It is believed that fish and chips was introduced to New Zealand before World War I by British settlers. The dish is traditionally served wrapped in newspaper, and it's typically eaten on a Friday night as a takeaway treat. The fish is usually tarahiki, hoki, red cod, blue warehou, or elephant fish (elephant shark) - battered, fried, then served with chips.

New Zealand Fish and Chips

This popular Korean snack consists of thin strips of dried squid (ojingeo chae) that are stir-fried together with gochujang-based chili paste and various additions such as garlic, soy sauce, or rice wine. The spicy snack is often served at bars and goes especially well with beer, but it is also commonly enjoyed as an accompaniment to rice or other Korean dishes. It is typically served in small bowls and comes garnished with roasted sesame seeds. Ojingeo chae muchim is a similar dish in which the thin squid strips are merely coated in a spicy paste.

Ojingeo chae bokkeum

Ojingeojeot is a traditional squid-based dish originating from South Korea. This preserved squid side dish is usually made with a combination of squid, salt, gochugaru pepper flakes, fish sauce, scallions, garlic, ginger, hot peppers, toasted sesame seeds, sesame oil, and corn syrup. The squid is mixed with salt and left in an airtight container for a month in the fridge. The squid is then removed from the container, rinsed in water, drained, chopped into small pieces, and pounded to tenderize it. The rest of the ingredients are mixed and added to the chopped squid, and ojingeojeot is placed back into the airtight container and chilled. It&rsquo;s enjoyed in moderate amounts as a spicy side dish.

Ojingeojeot

Oka popo is a Samoan dish made with coconut milk, fresh fish, and vegetables such as cucumber, tomatoes, and onions. The ingredients are mixed with lime or lemon juice, salt and pepper, and freshly chopped coriander. This concoction is then placed in the fridge because it is traditionally served well-chilled.

Oka popo

Orata alla pugliese is a traditional fish dish originating from Puglia. The dish is made with a combination of bream, potatoes, garlic, pecorino, olive oil, parsley, salt, and pepper. The potatoes are sliced and left to soak in cold water. The fish is coated with oil, seasoned with salt and pepper, and stuffed with garlic and parsley. The potato slices are drained and placed into a baking dish with more oil, parsley, and garlic. The mixture is seasoned with salt and pepper, topped with grated pecorino, and the fish is placed on top of the potatoes before the dish is baked until the potatoes are tender and the fish is fully cooked. Once done, orata alla pugliese is served piping hot. If desired, any large and thick fish can be used instead of bream.

Orata alla pugliese

Ostra ao bafo is a traditional oyster-based dish originating from Brazil. The dish consists of boiled oysters, and it&rsquo;s usually made with a combination of oysters, cacha&ccedil;a, and lemon juice. The oysters are boiled in a mixture of water and cacha&ccedil;a until the shells start to open. They&rsquo;re removed from the pot and placed on ice to stop the cooking process. Once boiled, the oysters are served with lemon wedges so that each person can drizzle some lemon juice over the oysters before consumption. If desired, a vinaigrette sauce consisting of honey, orange juice, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper can also be served with ostra ao bafo.

Ostra ao bafo

This is a traditional take on the popular ceviche. It consists of fresh, raw fish that is marinated in coconut milk and citrus juice until the fish flesh develops an opaque visual appearance. Later on, the fish is typically combined with vegetables such as tomatoes, green onions, cucumbers, and hot peppers. The dish should be served and consumed immediately.

'Ota 'ika

This American dish consists of shucked oysters that are left in the shell, and are then topped with bacon bits and various additions such as Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, butter, cheese, or parsley before they are shortly broiled. The most popular theory claims that the dish was invented at the Palace Hotel in San Franciso by the chef Ernest Arbogast who named it after the hotel manager John C. Kirkpatrick. Over time, other theories emerged, and the dish nowadays appears in many variations, and it is known under various names. In Australia, it is known as oysters Kilpatrick, and it typically includes a splash of Tabasco.

Oysters Kirkpatrick

Kenya

Oysters Mombasa is a delicious Kenyan dish made by baking oysters which are drizzled with a sauce consisting of butter, garlic, white wine, hot sauce, and either parsley or coriander. After about 8 minutes, the oysters are ready, and it is recommended to serve them with lemon wedges and hot sauce on the side. It is believed that the dish was invented during the period of British colonialism in Kenya. Nowadays, oysters Mombasa is often served at restaurants and resorts along the Kenyan coast.

Oysters Mombasa

Pac&uacute; a las brasas, meaning pac&uacute; on the embers, is a traditional Argentine fish specialty. It is made by grilling pac&uacute; - a type of freshwater fish related to the piranha - over hot embers of a wood or charcoal fire. Butterflied pac&uacute; is seasoned or marinated in a mixture of spices and herbs, and it is then placed on the grill. Once grilled to perfection on both sides, the fish is typically served on top of fresh lettuce leaves, and it's usually accompanied by tomato slices, potatoes, and fried onion rings on the side. Other typical accompaniments include saut&eacute;ed vegetables, a fresh salad of apples, corn kernels, lettuce, and tomatoes, and a glass of fine white wine.

Pacú a las brasas

The Pahua taioro is an exquisite Tahitian dish that can be based on clams (pahua) soaked in fresh water for a few hours before being combined with taioro, a condiment made by fermenting almonds, grated coconut, seawater, and shrimps. In the end, garlic, onions, salt, and pepper are added. This dish should be served at room temperature.

Pahua taioro

Paila marina is a traditional stew consisting of a shellfish stock combined with a variety of seafood, shellfish, herbs, spices, and vegetables such as tomatoes, bell peppers, carrots, and onions. This flavorful stew, which is said to be a great hangover cure and an aphrodisiac, is typically flavored with paprika and parsley. The word paila in the name of the dish refers to an earthenware bowl in which the dish is traditionally served, while marina refers to a variety of seafood and shellfish used in the stew.

Paila marina

Croatia

Palamida na zeca is a Croatian fish dish originating from the area of Trogir and Čiovo. The dish is made with a combination of Atlantic bonito, onions, garlic, red wine, vinegar, pro&scaron;ek, bay leaves, rosemary, sage, parsley, olive oil, cornmeal, fish stock, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. The fish is cut into slices, rubbed with olive oil, seasoned with salt, and shortly grilled on both sides. The onions are saut&eacute;ed in olive oil with garlic and parsley. The mixture is poured over grilled fish slices along with the pan juices. The slices are seasoned with black pepper and placed into a wide pan. A mixture of red wine, vinegar, fish stock, rosemary, and bay leaves is poured over the fish and the dish is simmered until most of the liquid evaporates. Near the end of cooking, pro&scaron;ek and sage are added to the dish and the pot is taken off the heat. After a few minutes, a squeeze of lemon juice and chopped parsley are stirred into the dish and palamida na zeca is then served with fried or grilled polenta on the side.

Palamida na zeca

Belgium

Paling in 't groen is a Flemish specialty dish consisting of chopped eel in a unique green sauce made from white wine, parsley, spinach, mint, tarragon, sage, dill, and lemon juice. It is believed that the dish originated on the banks of the river Scheldt, when local fishermen started to catch large quantities of eel and combined them with whatever fresh herbs they found near the river. The dish should be served hot, preferably with some fresh bread or fries on the side.

Paling in 't groen

P&aring;ng&rsquo;lao or land crabs are some of the most harvested animals on the island. Both men, women, and children take part in crab hunting, and after that, the crabs are kept for a few days in order to fatten up and to expel the toxins out of their system. To prepare the dish, the crabs are stuffed with a combination of pumpkin tips, grated coconut, coconut milk, red peppers, and onions, although there are also other versions of the stuffing. P&aring;ng&rsquo;lao is typically placed alongside the fish on the festive Chamorro table.