Today I have the good fortune to launch yet another delicious item on QVC from my friends at Anderson Seafoods. This time, it’s not fresh fish (although you can see their full assortment of fresh (never frozen) fish on their website at any time), but a medley of delicious seafood, including shrimp, wild caught bay scallops, squid rings and wild Alaskan cod! I’ve been busy cooking this seafood up in a number of ways and there are so many things I love about this seafood medley.
First of all is its versatility. I’ve made pastas, stews, fried appetizers, a pot pie, and even a salad with the mix, but you could also make tacos or fajitas, throw it onto a pizza, and of course grill it up in a grill basket to accompany just about anything. I love the versatility of this seafood and how quickly you can put a great meal together using it as the main ingredient.
Secondly, it’s such a quick fix! In no more than two minutes of cooking time, everything is cooked up and ready to be served. It’s great when you need to put dinner together quickly and the end result is delicious and special - not your everyday quick fix!
I also love the size of all the pieces of seafood. Squid cooks very quickly and the shrimp, bay scallops and cod pieces are the right size to accompany the squid. Together all the different seafoods are complimentary to each other and sized appropriately not only for each other, but also for eating. They are the perfect bite-size.
Last, but definitely not least, is the convenience of this medley. When making a seafood dish, you often have to go and buy all the different seafoods separately. Depending on how they are sold (shrimp in one pound bags, for instance), you may have to buy more than you need for a particular dish. Anderson, on the other hand, offers the medley in one-pound bags with the four different types of seafood making up roughly 25% of that pound. Having a pound or two of this in the freezer is a cook’s safety blanket - they defrost quickly, cook quickly and can make an impressive last minute meal!
Interested? You should be!
Quick and Easy Seafood Pasta with Black Pepper and Lemon
Serves 2 to 4
Ingredients:
- ½ pound dried spaghetti
- 1 pound Anderson Seafoods’ seafood medley, thawed, well drained and patted dry
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 lemon, zest and juice
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
- Bring a large stockpot of salted water to the boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions.
- While the pasta is cooking, pre-heat a large sauté pan or skillet over medium-high heat. When the pasta has only 2 minutes of cooking time left, add the olive oil to the skillet and toss in the seafood medley. Cook, tossing regularly, for 1 minute and then remove the skillet from the heat.
- Drain the pasta, reserving ½ cup of the pasta liquid. Transfer the drained pasta to the skillet and add the lemon zest, herbs, salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Toss well and add lemon juice and more olive oil to taste. Add a little pasta water if necessary to loosen the pasta and seafood.
Click for recipes for Seafood, Chorizo and Corn Salad; Salt and Pepper Fried Seafood; Seafood Potpie with Puff Pastry Top; Seafood Stew with Fennel, Tomatoes and Potatoes.