OCEAN BASKET’S GARLIC BUTTER SAUCE
150 g (±5 oz.) margarine/butter (preferably Rama)
250 ml (1 cup) fresh cream
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon Aromat/fish spice
¼ teaspoon parsley
1 teaspoon Portuguese spice
2 – 3 fresh chopped garlic

Melt margarine/butter in a pot. Add the cream, lemon juice and other spices.
Do not allow the sauce to come to a boil as it will over cook. Simmer until it thickens.
Pour over cooked prawns/half-shell mussels/fish/steak and top with chopped parsley and lemon wedges on the side. Serve hot with spicy rice and crispy chips
Photo: Rina Watkins

VIR DIE KREEF
Sny kreef middeldeur en kry kole reg.
Baste kreef mildelik met sous en plaas vleis kant op rooster braai 3 minute.
Draai kreef om en baste weer met sous. Braai nou 6 minute.
Baste weer met sous as jy opdien.
Foto en resep: James Gillespie

Tweede foto:  Arushka Bothma‎
Prawns wat ek gemaak het. Die sous is die ocean basket sous op die blog.
Het die prawns skoongemaak en dermpie uitgehaal.
Bietjie laat lê in gesmelte botter, bietjie vars suurlemoensap en garlic & herb spice.
Gaar gemaak in wok met bietjie botter en toe lekker sousie opgegooi!

GARLIC PRAWNS WITH PEPPERCORNS
700 g fresh whole prawns, peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons oil
4-6 cloves garlic
2 coriander roots
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 small carrot, shredded
1 small white cabbage, shredded
salad leaves, for garnishing
Seasoning Ingredients:
1 tablespoon fish sauce
½ teaspoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
9 tablespoons water

Prepare the prawns – peel, devein but leave the tail intact.
Shred the carrots and white cabbage and place on a serving plate.
Using the mortar and pestle, pound the garlic, coriander roots and black peppercorns into a paste.
In a wok, heat 2 tablespoons of oil on medium-hot heat and fry the paste.
Lower the heat to medium-low heat and add the seasoning ingredients.
Taste and adjust accordingly.
Once you are happy with the taste, bring up the heat to medium high.
Add the prawns to the wok and fry till all the sauce is absorbed into the prawns.
Place on prepared serving dish and enjoy.
Source and photo: Louise Venter

ELANA SE SEEKOS PAELLA
Braai die volgende saam:
1 rooi ui
1 groen soetrissie
1 rooi soetrissie
bietjie olyfolie
1 teelepel knoffel
Ekstra bestanddele:
paar stukkies salami (eintlik chorizo wors)
1 ½ teelepel borrie
2 teelepels paprika
1 ½ koppie rou rys
1 koppie witwyn
paar takkies vars tiemie
750 ml of meer as nodig hoenderstock
calamari ringe, seekosmengsel en shrimps
halfskulp mossels
sout en peper na smaak
vars gekapte pietersielie
suurlemoen wiggies

Voeg so paar stukkies salami (eintlik chorizo wors) maar kon nie kry en braai weer paar minute. Voeg die borrie en paprika by. Sit die rou rys by en roer deur. Giet die witwyn by en paar takkies vars tiemie en laat so minuut kook. Voeg daarna so 750 ml of meer as nodig hoenderstock stadig by en laat kook tot rys net net gaar is. Voeg die calamari ringe, seekosmengsel en shrimps by en vir paar minute laat kook tot sag is en heel laaste die halfskulp mossels. Kook nog paar minute tot mossels gaar is. Draai  die plaat af en laat staan vir ruk om te rus. Geur met nog sout en peper. Strooi net voor opdiening vars gekapte pietersielie oor en suurlemoen wiggies.

Resep en foto:  Elana Koch

PERI PERI AND CHEESE PORTUGESE STYLE PRAWNS

Genoeg lang korrel rys porsies per persoon voor af gaar gemaak want prawns word baie gou gaar
200 gr Prawns per persoon
(gevriesde prawns vir ons binnelanders)
prawns
Peri peri na smaak
Knoffel na smaak
Botter om prawns in gaar te maak
Pietersielie
paprika en gevulde olywe
Gerasperde sterk chedar kaas na smaak ( ek gebruik so 50 gr per porsie, 2 teelepels koekmeel opgelos in n half koppie water ( verdun sous soos nodig indien te styf met water room of melk)
Roer braai prawns, peri peri en knoffel in botter tot pienk oor lekker hoe hitte – prawns moet nog kraak onder tande nie dood gaar)stel hitte af na laagste stelling Voeg kaas en meel en water mengsel & pietersielie by roer tot sous verdik . Bedien met rys en garneer met n skudsel paprika en gevulde olywe. ek voeg glad nie sout by prawns, laat gaste self by voeg na smaak

Bron: Tessie Pretorius
Foto: Tessie Pretorius

LEKKERSTE CALAMARI

Vat jou calamari ringetjies en gooi dit in n bak met water waarin 4 eetlepels koeksoda geroer is. Laat die daarin lê vir so 3 – 4 ure. Hoe langer dit lê hoe sagter is dit. Haal dan uit en spoel dit baie goed af met kouewater. Vat nou klein pakkie selfrasing meel en gooi daarby 2 tl sout en halwe potjie vis speserye , maar die Robertsons maak. Meng deur. Gooi calamari ringetjies daarin en druk meel met hande goed vas. Bak dan in deepfryer verkieslik in baie warm tot crispy. As nog sout kort strooi sommer so oor warm calamari in bak. Ek maak n geelrysie daarby. Tartar sous of suurlemoensap of smelt botter met knoffel daarin en gooi oor. Jy sal jou calamari nooit weer anders maak nie.

Resep: Maureen Jansen van Rensburg

ANDRE’S CRAB SHRIMP TUNA AND MANGO SALAD
Crab sticks 400 g shredded or sliced
Shrimp cleaned 400 g
Tin tuna drained
Can mielies drained
Few tablespoons mayonniase
Clove garlic and ginger crushed
Chopped chilli
Cilantro

Mix together add salt and pepper.
Finally add one mango chopped into pieces.
Don’t mash mango or mix too much..
Enjoy

Recipe and photo: Andre Arendse

HOW TO CLEAN MUSSELS
Farm-raised mussels are thankfully quite clean to begin with and don’t require the rigorous individual scrubbing-under-water that wild mussels do, but you’ll still have to give them a quick once over.

STEP 1: RINSE AND SCRUB AS NECESSARY
Place your mussels in a colander or bowl in the sink and run them under cold water. Rinse them to get rid of any debris or seaweed on their outer shells. If you feel any muddy spots, rub them off under the water, but you’re very unlikely to with farm-raised mussels.

STEP 2: DEBEARD
Mussels attach themselves to stable surfaces using thin, sticky membranes referred to as “beards.” Again, most farm-raised mussels will come debearded already, but the odds are good you’ll find a couple of stubborn beards left over.

When you find one, grasp it between your thumb and forefinger and pull it downwards towards the hinged-end of the mussel shell. Pull firmly until it comes out and discard. If you have trouble gripping the beard with just your fingers, a dry paper towel can help.

STEP 3: CHECK FOR DEAD ONES
Mussels, clams, and other bivalves tend to gape open when they’re dead, but not all gaping mussels are dead yet. Some of them are just relaxing (or perhaps stressing, if it’s possible for bivalves to do such a thing).

If you happen to spot any gaping mussels in your bowl, you can check for signs of life by picking them and squeezing them a few times or knocking them with another mussel, clack clack clack. The mussel should slowly close itself back up. If it doesn’t, you’ve got a dead one on your hands. Toss it in the trash and move on with your life.

And that’s it! Your mussels are ready to cook in any number of recipes.

Oh, and for the record, you can go ahead and ignore the conventional wisdom that a mussel that doesn’t open after cooking shouldn’t be eaten.

Elize de Kock:   If you leave mussels in water they die, only rinse them under running water.

DENZY’S CREAMY MUSSELS WITH SMOKED CHICKEN
INGREDIENTS
500g shell Mussels
2 smoked chicken breast cut in slices
2 cups fresh cream
1 onion
1 packet white onion soup
1 cup milk
1 spoon butter
1 cup white cheddar
1 spoon fresh thyme
1 cup white wine
Salt and Pepper
METHOD
Fry onions in a pot with butter till soft and thyme and wine and cook out the alcohol of the wine now add milk,mix together cream and white onion soup and add to the pot,stir together and then add the mussels and smoked chicken & cheese and let simmer for 10 mins.add little milk if sauce is to thick.finish with salt and pepper & chopped parsley.Enjoy
Source and photo: Denzel Koenana

VARS MOSSELSOP
½ ui
6 knoffel huisies
60 mossels (vars), skoongemaak en gekook tot oop
1 Royco Gourmet soup seafood a la cream
1 pakkie wit uie sop
1 koppie room
2 koppies water of melk

Braai uie en garlic met botter.
Gooi mossels by en braai vir so 5 min (ek het 50 uit die skulp gehaal en 10 in die skulp gelos)
Gooi suurlemoensap sap by na smaak.
Meng die room en melk en soppoeiers saam en meng in by uie mengsel.
As dit te dik is, meng nog melk by tot die dikte reg is vir jou smaak.
Voeg sout en peper na smaak.
Laat 20 min prut.

Ek het hierdie resepie gehalveer maar nogsteeds 60 mossels gebruik en het ongeveer ‘n Liter sop gemaak.
BAIE BAIE LEKKER!

Foto: Benhet Nieuwenhuis
Resep geplaas deur Benhet Niewenhuis

PRAWNS IN THAI RED CURRY SAUCE
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 shallot, chopped
1 – 3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste, depending on spice preference
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 cup coconut milk
½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 kg prawns, cleaned and devained
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1½ teaspoons sugar
3 carrots, julienned
fresh coriander
spring onion
Garnishes:
thinly sliced shallots, raw or fried
coriander
roasted chopped peanuts
lime wedges
chopped spring onion

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and chopped shallot and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the curry paste and curry powder and cook for another 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add the coconut milk, chicken broth, fish sauce, and sugar. Stir everything together, scraping up any curry paste that has stuck to the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. Add coriander and white parts of spring onion. Add carrots and prawns and simmer for 5 minutes.
Serve with jasmine rice or steamed buns

Source and photo: Charleen Nieuwenhuizen