Fried Seafood Platter

SEAFOOD PLATTER

Steps:

• Fill a large platter with crushed ice. Place the seafood and lemons artfully on top of the ice. Serve with the sauces.
• Combine all the ingredients and serve with the seafood.
• Place the shallots, vinegar, and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook uncovered for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Add the pepper and herbs and serve with the raw oysters.

THE SAMPLER PLATTER

Steps:

• First, combine the cornmeal, flour and salt together and mix. This is the breading mixture that will cover all the seafood items on the sampler. Put the milk in a container and have ready to dredge the seafood.
• Heat a deep-fryer or large pot with enough oil to deep fry to 350 degrees F. When ready to begin cooking, dip the fillet into the milk and then lightly hand bread using the breading mixture. Carefully slide the fillet into the oil and fry until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Raise the fish from the oil and transfer a perforated pan to remove the excess oil.
• Repeat the same procedure with the other seafood. For the shrimp, oysters, scallops and clam strips, dip each into the milk and then lightly hand bread. Use a shaker basket to remove excess breading. Fry until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the seafood from the oil and transfer a perforated pan to remove the excess oil.
• For the stuffed crab, carefully drop right into the deep-fryer and fry until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the seafood from the oil and transfer a perforated pan to remove the excess oil.
• To serve, place the flounder fillet, stuffed crab, shrimp, scallops, oysters and clam strips on a large plate. Then serve with desired sides.

FRIED SEAFOOD PLATTER RECIPE

Steps:

• Line 1 baking sheet with a kitchen towel and another with paper towels. Using a mandoline with the waffle-cut attachment, cut each potato as thinly as possible, turning it 90 degrees after each pass to create a waffle pattern. Carefully place the potato slices in a bowl of cold water. Transfer the slices to the towel-lined baking sheet and blot dry. In a deep fryer or a large saucepan over medium heat, pour in oil to a depth of 2 inches and heat to 375 degrees on a deep-frying thermometer. Working in batches, fry the potato slices, turning once, until golden and crispy, 2 to 3 minutes. Using tongs, carefully transfer the potato chips to the paper towel-lined baking sheet and season with sea salt. Reduce the oil temperature to 365 degrees. Preheat an oven to 200 degrees. Line 1 baking sheet with parchment paper and another with paper towels. In a large bowl, combine the flour and cornmeal and stir with a fork until well mixed. Pour the buttermilk into a wide, shallow bowl. Working in batches, dredge the cod, scallops and shrimp in the buttermilk and then in the flour mixture, shaking off any excess, and place on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Working in batches (do not overcrowd the pan), fry the cod until golden brown and crunchy, about 3 minutes. Transfer to the paper towel-lined baking sheet and season the fish with sea salt, then keep warm in the oven. Repeat the process with the scallops, frying them for 3 to 4 minutes. Finally, fry the shrimp for 2 to 3 minutes. Serve the fish immediately with the potato chips, tartar sauce and lemon wedges. This recipe yields 4 servings.