The simplest recipes are often the best, and this one, taken from the book La cuisine d’Helena, illustrates this perfectly.
This Portuguese grilled seafood recipe highlights the flavors of Portugal with a delicious sauce made from butter, fresh herbs, white wine, and piri-piri sauce, along with a selection of seafood grilled on the barbecue or in a pan.
If you have a charcoal barbecue, the result will be even more flavorful, with a slight smoky taste that enhances the seafood.
This recipe is perfect for entertaining, requiring little preparation while delighting everyone around the table.
And the combination of grilled seafood with this fragrant sauce is simply irresistible.
Simple, you say? Almost impossible to mess up!
Preparation tips
Which seafood to choose for this recipe? Calamari, shrimp, octopus, clams, mussels… use your favorite seafood.
How to grill seafood perfectly: Grilling seafood might seem intimidating, but with a few simple tips, you can easily achieve chef-worthy results.
- Clean the seafood: Ensure all seafood is well cleaned and dried with paper towels before cooking.
- Oil the grill: Use a brush to coat the grill with oil. This prevents the seafood from sticking and makes it easier to handle.
- High temperature: Preheat the barbecue to a high temperature. A hot grill quickly sears the seafood, locking in its juices.
- Quick cooking: Seafood cooks quickly, usually in 4 to 8 minutes. Watch them closely to avoid overcooking, which can make them rubbery.
- Use a grilling basket: For small seafood like shrimp and scallops, use a grilling basket to prevent them from falling through the grill.
- Grilling mussels and clams: Place them directly on the grill. They are ready when they open. Discard any that do not open.
Presentation tips: For a “wow” effect at the table, serve the seafood on a serving platter and place it in the center of the table.
Cela permet à chacun de se servir et ajoute une touche conviviale à votre repas.
Portuguese Grilled Seafood with Garlic and Herb Sauce
A grilled seafood recipe topped with a white wine sauce that is easy to make but will impress your guests.
Ingredients
- Oil (for grilling)
- 1.5 kg seafood of your choice (baby squid, jumbo shrimp, scallops, octopus, mussels, clams)
Garlic and herb sauce
- 75 ml salted butter (5 tbsp.)
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 125 ml white wine (1/2 cup)
- 1 bay leaf
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 60 ml chopped parsley (4 tbsp.)
- Piri-piri sauce, to taste
- Sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat barbecue to high and oil grill.
Preparing the sauce
- Melt the butter in a nonstick skillet on the stovetop over medium heat.
- Add garlic, white wine and bay leaf and cook for three minutes.
- Stir in lemon juice and parsley.
- Season with piri-piri sauce and salt to taste. Keep warm.
Cooking the seafood
- Place all seafood on a very hot barbecue grill and cook for approximately 4 to 8 minutes, depending on the seafood chosen.
- Serve grilled seafood immediately, accompanied by garlic-herb sauce.
Notes
Seafood can also be grilled in a pan on the stovetop, with a little olive oil or a knob of butter.
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Source: Recipe from the book La Cuisine d’Helena, Helena Loureiro, Editions de l’Homme, p. 101