Seafood Operetta

Otherwise known as Zarzuela de Mariscos, this Operetta of Seafood was quite a culinary experience, although we didn't really hear any music playing while we ate our dinner. Maybe others would be more vocal in singing its praises!

The first step in this recipe was to make one of the critical ingredients - Coruñesa Sauce. And the first step in that recipe was to figure out where to buy whole blue crabs. Every Sunday we pass a fish market on the way to church. When we drove by it on our way to a picnic one Friday, we stopped and went inside. Unfortunately, they were out of blue crab that day. Phone calls to our local grocery stores led to a bunch of negative answers as well. However, we finally found them in stock at the International Market in the neighboring town.

You can see how they got the name of Blue Crab, can't you? After steaming them, though, they became a nice bright orange.

The two crabs weighed just over one pound, and yielded 3 1/2 ounces of crab meat, which we stuck in the freezer until time to make the sauce.

Salsa Coruñesa

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 3 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce
• 2 blue crabs, shelled and cut up in small pieces
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 quarts water
• 1/8 teaspoon yellow food coloring
• 1/2 cup white wine*
• 1/4 cup brandy*
• 1 teaspoon Pernod*
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon white pepper

Melt butter and olive oil in a large saucepan. Sauté the onions, celery, carrots, and garlic. Add tomato sauce, crab, paprika, and flour. Stir well, then add water. Boil gently for 30 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve. Add the remaining ingredients to the liquid. (We reserved the vegetables to add to a soup later.) Makes about 10 cups. Note that this is not a thick sauce at all, it's more like a broth.

With the sauce all ready, you can move on to the main event.

Operetta of Seafood

• 1/4 cup olive oil (1 tablespoon would be plenty!)
• 6 medium-sized scallops
• 6 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/2 medium-sized lobster tail, shelled and cut into 1/2 to 1" pieces
• 2 tablespoons brandy
• 1 cup Coruñesa Sauce (see above)
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream

Heat oil in a large skillet and add the scallops, shrimp and lobster. Sauté 3 minutes. Add the brandy and flambé. (Light on fire!) Add the sauce and simmer for one minute, then add the cream and simmer for another minute. Serve over pasta or rice.

The leftovers from the first night

Technically, this makes one serving, so we doubled it. However, we also made two meals out of it, so the above ingredients really serve two. We served it over some leftover spaghetti noodles the first night. The second night I added a few more scallops (leftover from the opened package), thickened the sauce with a bit of flour, and served it over rice. I preferred it that way, although Wayne liked the original presentation. We're looking forward to making some soup out of the remaining sauce!

Although we finished off the seafood bits, there was still some sauce. Combining that with some leftover ham, carrots and peas, and stirring in lots of Mozzarella cheese and cooked pasta, made another delicious meal.

*Non-Alcoholic Substitutes:

White Wine – Water, chicken broth, vegetable broth, white grape juice, ginger ale, white grape juice.

Brandy – Water, white grape juice, apple cider or apple juice, diluted peach or apricot syrups.

Pernod - Lemon juice with crushed fennel seed, star anise, or even a piece of orange peel (which you'd discard before eating). Note that Pernod is an anise-flavored liqueur from France, which lends a licorice-y flavor to whatever it's added to. It has a particular afffinity with seafood dishes.