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Gone Fishing

Seafood dishes from around the world

By Rasma RaistersPublished 3 years ago 10 min read
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Gravlax

Europe

Scandinavia

Gravlax is a Scandinavian dish that includes raw, salt-cured salmon traditionally seasoned with dill. The dish originated with fisherman who used to bury the salmon rubbed with salt, sugar, and dill above the line of high tide allowing it to ferment.

Today gravlax is cured under refrigeration. The name comes from two words - grav meaning buried and lax referring to salmon.

Lutefiisk

Norway

Lutefisk is prepared from dried whitefish that has been treated with lye giving it a gelatinous consistency. Both the Norwegians and the Swedes claim it as their dish. However, it is also prepared in Finland and the US particularly the state of Minnesota.

Once cooked the lye treated fish is served with boiled potatoes, mashed green peas, melted butter, and pieces of fried bacon in Norway. A side of white sauce in combination with boiled potatoes and green peas is traditional in Finland and Sweden.

Lokikeitto

Finland

Lokikeitto is a creamy Finnish salmon soup called laxsoppa in Sweden. The soup is prepared with chunks of salmon fillet, diced potaoes, and carrots cooked in a buttery broth with fish stock and cream. It is a comforting winter dish seasoned with dill and served with buttered rye bread or lemon wedges.

Kipper

England

Kipper is a traditional British breakfast dish that consists of a whole herring halved and gutted and seasoned with salt and cold-smoked over wood chips. This makes for a very delicious and highly nutritious dish that was created by John Woodger, a fish processor in 1843.

The salt used with the kipper keeps the fish from going bad and the smoke makes it shrink and compress the flavors, Traditionally kippers are eaten on toasted bread with butter for breakfast but can also be added to sauces, quiches, and omelets.

Plateau de Fruits de Mer

France

Plateau de Fruits de Mer translated to plate of fruits of the sea. It is a traditional French dish that is a combination of various seafood served on a platter, usually over crushed ice. The typical kinds of seafood used are shrimp, mussels, lobsters, crabs, clams, and oysters that can be either cooked or raw.

Traditionally the seafood is eaten chilled on a large serving platter. Lemon wedges accompany sauces like mignonette, mustard, and cocktail.

Sole Meuniere is a classic French seafood dish made with fillet of sole, lightly breaded in plain flour and pan fried in butter. When the fish is cooked lemon juice is added to the pan and cooked until all the flavors are combined. The sole is seasoned with salt, pepper, and chopped parsley.

Even though fillet of sole is usually used some like to use the whole fish. Meuniere is the technique of cooking ingredients in brown butter and lemon juice or lightly coating the ingredients in flour before frying.

Kibbeling

The Netherlands

Kibbeling is a popular Dutch street food that consists of fish pieces dipped in batter and deep fried in hot oil. It is served with dipping sauces like garlic, remoulade, ravigote, or whiskey. In the Netherlands it is usually eaten as a snack but can be eaten for dinner accompanied by French fries, a fresh salad, and sauce.

Karbanatky

Czech Republic

Karbanatky is a universal term which refers to traditional Czech and Slovak patties. The patties are prepared with minced pork, beef, or chicken or they can be based on different vegetables, fish, soy, lentils, oats, or cheese.

The patties also include onions, garlic, and spices. Then they're shaped into thick, round patties, breaded and pan-fried until crispy and golden brown.

Bakliaros

Greece

Bakliaros is a term that refers to cod fish and in Greece it means golden, crispy cod fritters. The dish is prepared with pieces of cod dipped in a thick batter and fried.

The fritters are served as a meze dish eaten as an appetizer and accompanied by a thick, garlic sauce. Cod fritters are mostly associated with a celebration that commemorates the Annunciation of Virgin Mary and the War Of Independence every year on March 25.

Rabas

Spain

Rabas or fried squid are usually the main part of a seafood tapa on the Cantabrian coast. The dish is prepared by slicing the squid into strips or rings and then lightly dipping them into batter or breading and frying until they're crispy, The dish is lightly seasoned with salt and when served drizzled with lemon juice.

Croquetas de bacalao

Croquetas de bacalao are Spanich fritters made with cod. Usually they are made with a bechamel base or used with mashed potatoes. Both of these options are well-seasoned and mixed with cooked, flaked salt cod and shaped into a desired form.

The croquettes are coated in breadcrumbs and fried to a golden brown.

Arroz de bacalhau

Portugal

Arroz de bacalhau is a Portuguese dish prepared with salt cod, rice, sauteed onions, garlic, olive oil, tomatoes, peppers, water or vegetable stock and white wine.

Some variations include cooked red beans while other prepare the dish with the salt cod rice mixture along with leeks, garlic, olive oil and onions, The dish is usually garnished with chopped cilantro and black olives. It is eaten as a main course or as an accompaniment to Portuguese-style fish fillets.

Polvo a Lagareiro

Polvo à Lagareiro is a classic Portuguese dish and the name lagareiro means to use a cooking style that has many varieties. The fish is roasted or grilled with extra virgin olive oil. Using different seafood can include boiled octopus, cut into pieces, grilled and brushed with olive oil. The dish is topped with a combination of garlic, coriander, lemon juice, and salt. It is usually served with small roasted unpeeled potatoes.

Midye dolma

Turkey

Midye dolma is a popular Turkish street food that is prepared with mussels filled with an aromatic blend of rice, herbs, nuts, and spices like pine nuts, raisins, saffron, black pepper, cinnamon, red pepper flakes, parsley, and dill. When eating midye dolma the top shell is gently broken and lemon juice is squeezed over the filling. Typically the filling is eaten using the loose shell as a spoon.

Oyster omelet

Asia

China

Oyster omelet has its origins in the city of Chaozhou in the Fujian region of China. This is the signature dish of the Hokkien people - Chinese diaspora in Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

Oyster omelet is prepared with small oysters that are combined with potato starch and egg batter. A dash of spicy chilli sauce can be mixed with lime juice to give the dish more flavor.

Sabo Zushi

Japan

Sabo Zushi is a pressed sushi variety that includes a sushi rice base topped with marinated mackerel fillet covered in a thin, layer of kelp. The sushi is wrapped in bamboo leaves. The dish is also known as Kyoto-style pressed sushi and is the city's signature dish.

Kakiage

Kakiage is a tempura variety using flour and water and sometimes egg yolks to create a light coating and make it a crispy snack. Kakiage is a combination of thinly sliced vegetables like carrots, onions, lotus roots, and sweet potatoes along with small pieces of seafood. It can be eaten on its own or accompanied by dipping sauces and even used are a topping for noodles or rice.

Kinilaw

The Philippines

Kinilaw is a Filipino appetizer that is prepared with raw, cubed fish in a vinegar dressing. It is garnished with onions, ginger, chilli peppers, and garlic. The fish should be washed in vinegar, not soaked to that the pink flesh turns white and a bit opaque. Usually eaten as an appetizer it can also be a finger food and is traditionally accompanied by an alcoholic beverage.

Canh chua

Vietnam

Canh chua is a popular Vietnamese soup from the Mekong Delta region. It is a combination of three flavors - sour, sweet, and savory. The soup is a combination of seafood like eel, shrimp, snakehead, or catfish, tomatoes, okra, pineapple, tamarind, bean sprouts, and fresh herbs.

Traditionally it is served with rice vermicelli noodles or a side of steamed jasmine rice. The soup can also be made with water, spinach, chicken, bamboo shoots, mustard greens, pork, or beef.

Ikan bakar

Indonesia

Ikan bakar is a popular Indonesian and Malaysian dish prepared with barbecued fish. Other seafood can be used like squid, cockles, and clams. The name of the dish translated in Malaysian to burnt fish.

The fish has to be marinated before grilling to maintain its moisture. The marinade is usually prepared with chilli paste, soy sauce, turmeric, galangal, and other seasonings. The dish is traditionally served with dipping sauces like sambal belacan and sambal kecap.

Fried clams

North America

New England

Fried Clams are usually served at clam shacks all over New England. They are a delicious appetizer prepared with the clams dipped in milk and corn flour and deep-fried. Usually whole soft shell clams are used for fuller flavor.

Fried catfish

Alabama

Fried catfish or southern fried catfish is a traditional fish specialty from the south. Catfish fillets are soaked in buttermilk and then rolled in cornmeal and deep-fried. The cornmeal crust gives them a nice crispness.

Fried catfish are usually served with cornmeal dumplings or hush puppies, tartar sauce, coleslaw and fried pickles. It is a popular Southern fish dish available in eateries all over the South.

Crab cakes

Maryland

Maryland Crab Cakes are prepared with crab meat, mayonnaise, eggs, bread crumbs, milk, and seasonings. The best choice of crab is the blue crab. Crab cakes are usually accompanied by French fries, coleslaw or macaroni salad.

The dish was first prepared by Native American and is one of the first dishes adopted by the Chesapeake Bay region settlers.

Fried oysters

West and Southeast USA

The technique of frying oysters is traditionally associated with the West and the Southeast. After being shucked the oysters are dipped in batter and optionally coated in breadcrumbs and seasonings. Then they are fried until crispy and golden. The batter can be made with buttermilk making for a lighter coating.

Frogmore stew

South Carolina

Frogmore stew doesn't include frogs and it is really not a stew. It is a traditional low country South Carolina dish that is prepared with fresh shrimp and freshly shucked yellow corn which are boiled along with potatoes, crabs, or sausages.

The dish comes served on paper plates along with a cold beer or similar beverages.

Crawfish boil

Louisiana

Crawfish boils begin in Louisiana in the season of Lent before Easter. To prepare you need a large pot and a heater, water, vegetables, seasoning, and crawfish. The crawfish are place in the pot with vegetables and fruit like lemons, garlic, onions, celery and potatoes with frozen corn added later to cool down the boil. Sausages and mushrooms can also be added according to preference.

Oysters Rockefeller

New Orleans Louisiana

Oysters Rockefeller is a popular American appetizer. It consists of oysters served on half-shells and topped with butter sauce, bread crumbs, and various green herbs lik parsley. The oysters can be broiled or baked.

This appetizer was created in 1899 in America's oldest family-run restaurant Antoine's in New Orleans. Jules Alciatore, the original owner's son adapted his father's signature dish Escargot Bourguignon by replacing snails with oysters. The original recipe is a closely guarded secret of the restaurant.

Enchildas de camaron

Mexico

Enchiladas de camaron is a popular Mexican dish that is prepared with fried tortillas filled with shrimp and corn, onions, chillies, tomatoes, and coriander. The tortillas are rolled and are especially popular in the North Pacific and Gulf regions of Mexico. They can be garnished with crema Mexicana, avocado slices and grated cheese.

Aguachile

Aguachile is a dish from the Mexican state of Sinaloa. It is a type of Mexican ceviche that is a combination of fresh raw shrimp, cucumber, red onion, lime juice, and water-pulverized chillies.

Usually it is served right after coating the shrimp in lime juice and accompanied by avocados and tostados. The beverage of choice is beer or tequila.

Sopa de caracol

Central America

Honduras

Sopa de caracol is a one of the most notable dishes in Honduran cuisine. The dish is prepared with pieces of conch cooked in coconut milk along with conch broth, cassava, plantains, and spices like coriander, garlic, and chilli. For added flavor vegetables can be added like onions, carrots, and finely diced tomatoes.

The dish is popular all through the Caribbean particularly on the islands of the Bahamas and Jamaica.

Cerviche de pulpo

South America

Peru

Cerviche de pulpo is a kind of ceviche made with octopus. It is commonly found along the Peruvian coast. The appetizer is prepared with raw octopus pieces combined with diced onions, lime juice, cilantro, oil, salt, and hot chilli peppers. It can be served with green plantain chips.

Chupe de camarones

Chupe de camarones is a popular Peruvian shrimp chowder. It is prepared with fish stock, fresh shrimp, onions, eggs, milk, cheese, garlic, and yellow potatoes. Variations include rice, beans, carrots, and peas.

The dish is traditionally served in deep bowls and garnished with parsley. The dish is also known as chuwa misa meaning deep bowl and was prepared before the 16th century.

cuisine
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About the Creator

Rasma Raisters

My passions are writing and creating poetry. I write for several sites online and have four themed blogs on Wordpress. Please follow me on Twitter.

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