The restaurant meal-kit collection and delivery model has taken a distinctly fishy turn this week, with the launch of two lobster and shellfish options from Dublin restaurants. Both are only available in the capital, but with an increasing number of fish retailers offering nationwide delivery, now is the time to stock up on barbecue-friendly fish and shellfish for the bank-holiday weekend.
The fish merchant, chef and restaurateur Niall Sabongi is putting Klaw lobster rolls, a menu staple at his Temple Bar restaurant for the past six years, back on sale "for one weekend only", he says. Only 100 of the meal kits are being offered for sale, at sustainableseafood.ie and deliveries will be made to addresses throughout Dublin city and county on Friday.
The boxes, which cost €60 including delivery, will contain two whole cooked Irish lobsters (bonus: you get the shells to make bisque) and a lobster cracker and pick, so you can get to work, along with buns from Firehouse Bakery, Klaw mayo, pickles and Old Bay nachos. A litre of Klaw’s Bloody Mary mix, with pickles and Dublin Bay prawn garnishes, can be ordered for an additional €40.
A luxury seafood option has just been added to the classic barbecue and surf-and-turf meal-kit boxes offered during lockdown by Asador and Prado, sister restaurants in Dublin 4 and 3, that specialise in cooking over fire.
Feeding four to six people, the Seafood Feast kits contain lobster and prawn meat for lobster rolls, lobster tails, salsa-verde-marinated gambas, octopus and spring onion skewers and monkfish skewers, along with side dishes, salad and sauces.
The kits feed four to six people and cost €95, with delivery in Dublin 1-24, and parts of Co Dublin, for an additional €3.50. Click and collect at specified times is also available. They are available Thursday to Sunday and can be ordered here.
Niall Sabongi's online fish shop, Sustainable Seafood Ireland, will dispatch fish and shellfish anywhere in Ireland, if you'd prefer to prepare your own choice of seafood for the barbecue or grill. The same service is also available from Gannet Fishmongers in Galway, and Mourne Seafood in Co Down.
The Irish Times Magazine columnist and chef JP McMahon suggests we be a little bit more adventurous when chosing fish to barbecue. You can read his simple instructions for barbecued sardines here.
Donal Skehan’s barbecue seafood platter with piri-piri sauce has lots of variety, and can be cooked either on a barbecue or on a hot griddle pan indoors. “Whether you choose to use a variety of seafood or just fish fillets, this same method works every time,” Skehan says. “The piri-piri sauce can be stored in a jar in the fridge for up to a week or two, but be sure to cover the top with a slick of extra virgin olive oil to seal it before covering with a lid. Scallops and crab claws are also a nice addition here.”
Barbecue seafood platter with piri piri sauce
Serves four
Ingredients
For the seafood
5 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, finely grated
1 red chilli, finely chopped
A good handful of parsley, finely chopped
A good handful of coriander, finely chopped
300g clams, cleaned and prepared
250g mussels, cleaned and prepared
8 prawns
8 langoustines
6 baby squid, cleaned and prepared
Juice of 1 lemon
Sourdough bread, to serve
For the piri-piri sauce
1 large red onion, peeled and sliced in half
2 vine-ripened tomatoes, halved
3 garlic cloves
4 long fresh chillies
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for griddling
2 thyme sprigs
1 tsp smoked paprika
Method
To make the piri piri sauce: Place a griddle pan over a high heat while you toss the onion, tomatoes, garlic and chillies in a little oil. When the pan is smoking hot, add the vegetables and char them on all sides until softened and caramelised.
Transfer to a food processor along with the vinegar, olive oil, thyme and paprika and process until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
To cook the seafood: In a large mixing bowl, combine the oil, garlic, chilli and half the chopped herbs. Add the seafood and toss to combine.
With a hot griddle pan, or over a high heat on the barbecue, cook the marinated seafood. Cook for two-three minutes either side, or until cooked all the way through and the mussel and clam shells have opened completely.
Transfer to a serving platter, top with the rest of the herbs and serve with piri piri sauce and sourdough bread.
