Seafood cocktail is a set of seafood, which includes shrimp, mussels, squid, octopus, but other sea inhabitants can also be found, depending on which country this delicious product was produced in. In Russian stores, it is sold by weight or packed in packages of 0.5 kg, and housewives have the opportunity to pamper their families with this tasty, healthy and low-calorie dish.
Like all seafood, seafood cocktail is very short-lived at room temperature, as it is susceptible to putrefactive infections. Therefore, immediately after the catch, all its ingredients are subjected to deep express freezing, in which any bacteria die. It is important that the necessary temperature conditions are strictly observed during the transportation and storage of the sea cocktail. In this case, its defrosting and re-freezing are not allowed.
When purchasing a seafood cocktail by weight or in a package, be sure to pay attention that the seafood is not frozen into lumps, and there is no ice in the packages - this is a sign that at least once the temperature regime has been violated, which is fraught with food poisoning.
Do not purchase a seafood cocktail thawed or in small shops and shops where the necessary storage conditions are unlikely to be provided.
To prepare seafood cocktail dishes, it is most often not defrosted. In the case when it is boiled to make a seafood salad, the cocktail is simply thrown into boiling salted water for a few minutes and then thrown into a colander. If you want to fry it, place it frozen in a skillet with fried onions and cook, stirring constantly, until the liquid evaporates. It is important not to heat seafood for longer than the time required to cook it. The seafood cocktail is categorized as “meals in 30 minutes” as all its ingredients are mostly protein.
To prepare two servings of a traditional Italian dish - risotto - you will need:
- 500 g of seafood cocktail;
- 1-2 cloves of garlic;
- ½ medium-sized onion;
- 200 g of hot fish broth;
- 800 g of dry white wine;
- 100 g of arborio rice;
- 3 tbsp. l. olive oil;
- a mixture of peppers;
- some fresh chopped herbs.
Chop the onion finely, just crush the garlic by pressing the flat side of the knife on top of it. Heat 2 tablespoons in a skillet. l. olive oil and fry the onion in it until golden brown, stirring constantly so that it does not burn. Place the garlic in a skillet and fry it along with the onions until the contents of the pan acquire a characteristic smell. Remove the fried garlic.
To prepare risotto, rice does not need to be rinsed or soaked beforehand. It must be dry.
Pour the rice into the skillet. Fry it with the onions until the rice turns slightly yellow. Place chopped herbs in a skillet and pour wine. Stir the rice until the alcohol smell evaporates. Then add the frozen seafood and ladle the hot fish stock into the skillet.
Continue to cook the rice, stirring constantly and adding broth as it is absorbed. How much broth to pour in will depend on how much the rice will absorb. Therefore, the latter should be tried periodically. As soon as it is almost ready, add another ladle of broth, wait for it to boil, taste the dish with salt and, if necessary, add salt. Pepper it to taste. Turn off the heat under the skillet, cover it with a lid and leave to stand for 10-15 minutes without heat. Add the remaining olive oil to the skillet, stir everything and serve.
