Cooking
The scallops were placed directly above the fire in the shells to cook. With the butter, garlic and parsley ones all the ingredients were added in the shell from the start. The nduja was added as they began to sizzle in the butter and cook. The apricot bbq sauce was also added as a baste as they started to cook.
As the scallops cook they will take on solid white colour rather than opaque, they can be turned in the shell as the bottoms in the shell will take colour, the bbq sauce will caramelise therefore, a further coating is added towards the end of the cook. The nduja will melt and the fat in the salami will separate and combine with the cooking juices.
The scallops will take around 8-10 minutes to cook through depending on how hot the fire is, however, keep an eye on hotter and cooler areas of the fire and move them around with a set of tongs to get an even cook to each shell. Don’t be concerned if a few stick to the shells or the sauce burns slightly around the edges as the scallops themselves will be fine in this time. Serve these immediately in the shell on a large platter.
For the langoustines place a saucepan with the butter, garlic and parsley on the edge of the fire to melt and have a basting brush on hand.
The langoustines again were placed directly above the fire firstly legs down and stretched out over the fire to give and even cook. Again, look for hotter and cooler spots across the fire and move them around to suit. Leave for 2-3 minutes until they begin to char on the edges then turn onto their backs, at this point baste with the melted butter garlic parsley.
The fire will flare up with the fat dripping onto the fire however, this will subside but be careful to move them around with tongs if excessive flames continue in one spot. Cook for another 2-3 minutes before serving on a large plate with a final baste.
The oysters were cooked in the shell, with a little butter added. These, like the scallops will change colour from opaque to a solid colour and plump up when cooked. As mentioned above these can be opened then cooked or cooked in the closed shell then opened which for some will be easier to do although they will be hot. If you like oysters then you can add whatever your favourite accompaniment is for them, these were left ‘au naturel’ for a taste of the flames.
I also had a whole sea bream therefore, this was added to this cook and made it a real feast. Again this was a simple cook direct over the fire. The trick here as with any fish on the bbq is to leave it long enough for it skin to release itself from the cooking surface without sticking however, I would recommend a decent fish slice which will help lift the fish for turning. The skin will protect the flesh during cooking giving a lovely crispy wood charred finish and flavour, if you love fish it’s hard to beat over live fire.
This cook was epic with the amount and range of seafood cooked however, elements of this can be used to give a taste if wood fired seafood at any time of the year. If you love your fish I would encourage anyone to try some of these as just the smells, sounds and excitement of cooking with live fire is great fun and in this case with something great to eat at the end!
Bill
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