Once upon a time "seafoods" just meant oysters, prawns, crabs and lobsters to most people. But these days, largely thanks to influences from Europe and Asia, a large range of shellfish, crustaceans and other creatures are appearing in our fishmarkets: scallops, mussels, pippies, abalone, "Balmain bugs", squid, octopus, cuttlefish and more are all becoming more and more popular. In this section of the book you'll find good recipes for a wide range of seafoods, and at the end three recipes which are really "seafood extravaganzas", using several different kinds of seafoods: Doyle's Paella, Seafood Bonanza and Peking Firepot.
The most important thing to remember when cooking seafoods is not to overcook. The flesh is delicate and needs to be cooked quickly and removed from the heat straight away -not simmered until it is tough and stringy. And don't overpower the fresh, delicate flavour of shellfish and crustaceans by using strong sauces and seasonings-the natural subtle taste of the fresh seafood will carry the dish, if you let it.
Fish selection
Shellfish selection
| Balmain bugs | Crab | King Prawns |
| Lobster | Mussels | Octopus |
| Oysters | Scampi | Scallops |
| Squid |
Basic cooking with fish
| Cooking with Fish |
