Grilled Seafood With Tomato Caper And Olive Vinaigrette

GRILLED SEAFOOD WITH TOMATO, CAPER AND OLIVE VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Prepare grill for cooking. (If grilling seafood right after pizzas, mound live coals in center and add enough new briquets to evenly cover bottom of grill. Allow them 15 to 20 minutes to heat up.)
• Plunge live lobsters headfirst into an 8-quart pot of boiling salted water. Cook, covered, 4 minutes from time they enter water (lobsters will be only partially cooked) and transfer with tongs to a colander to drain and cool.
• Twist tails off each lobster and break off claws at body, discarding body. Halve tails lengthwise (including shells) with kitchen shears and lightly crack claws. (Do not remove tail or claw meat from shells.)
• Put clams in a disposable aluminum pie plate and drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil.
• Snip shells of shrimp down center of backs with kitchen shears, from wide end down to last tail section, and devein.
• Pat lobsters, shrimp, scallops, and fish dry, then brush with remaining 4 tablespoons oil and season with salt and pepper.
• Put lobster claws and tails (cut sides up), shrimp, and clams (in pie plate) on rack of grill, 5 to 6 inches over glowing coals, and cover grill. Cook, turning once, until just cooked through, about 5 minutes for claws (liquid will bubble at open ends), 5 to 6 minutes for tails and shrimp (meat will be opaque), and 6 to 8 minutes for clams, or until opened (discard any unopened ones).
• Transfer as cooked to a platter and keep warm, covered.
• Put scallops and fish in center of rack and cover grill. Cook, turning once, until just cooked through and meat is opaque, about 4 minutes for scallops and about 12 minutes for fish. Transfer with a large metal spatula to platter.
• Mound bulgur salad in center of 8 plates and arrange seafood on top and around it. Spoon over some vinaigrette (serve remainder on the side) and sprinkle seafood and bulgur with pine nuts.

TOMATO SAUCE WITH CAPERS AND VINEGAR

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a medium heavy saucepan. Add the onion. Cook, stirring often, until tender, about five minutes. Stir in the garlic. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomatoes, basil sprig, capers, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stir and reduce the heat. Simmer 10 to 15 minutes until cooked down and very fragrant. Remove the basil sprig. Stir in the vinegar, the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and the optional parsley or basil. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve hot or cold.

ROASTED OR GRILLED WHOLE FISH WITH TOMATO VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Rinse fish with cool water and pat dry. Season generously on both sides with salt and pepper. Season the cavity with salt and pepper. Tuck thyme, rosemary and parsley sprigs in cavity of each fish. Add fennel fronds, basil leaves and lemon slices. Drizzle olive oil on both sides of fish, then place on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Leave at room temperature. (May season and refrigerate fish up to 2 hours in advance. Bring to room temperature before cooking.) Heat oven to 450 degrees.
• Make the vinaigrette: Put shallot in a small serving bowl. Add vinegar and a good pinch of salt. Leave to steep 5 minutes, then whisk in olive oil. Season tomatoes with salt and pepper and spoon them into the olive oil mixture. Add basil and stir gently. Leave at room temperature.
• Place fish on top shelf of oven and roast, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes, until fish is firm when probed and flakes at the thickest part. Take from oven and let rest 5 minutes. To serve, use a small knife, soup spoon and spatula to remove top fillets. Pull spine away to reveal bottom fillets. Transfer fillets to a platter or individual plates. Spoon a little tomato vinaigrette over each portion and pass the rest at the table.
• Alternatively, if you are grilling the fish, prepare a bed of hot coals. Make sure the grill is cleaned with a wire brush and lightly oiled. Lay the fish directly on the grill and cook for 7 to 8 minutes. Do not attempt to turn fish until the skin has browned and crisped or it will stick. Carefully turn fish and cook for another 7 to 8 minutes, until fish is firm when probed and flakes at the thickest part. To serve, proceed as in Step 3.

TOMATO, CAPER AND OLIVE VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Whisk together lemon juice and mustard. Add oil in a slow stream, whisking until emulsified. Stir in tomatoes, olives, capers, and salt and pepper to taste.

GRILLED SEA SCALLOPS AND TOMATOES WITH OLIVE VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• In a blender blend olives, roasted pepper, garlic, mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, with salt and pepper to taste until smooth. With motor running, add 3 tablespoons oil in a stream and blend vinaigrette until emulsified.
• Discard small tough muscle from side of each scallop if necessary and in a small bowl toss scallops with remaining tablespoon oil and salt and pepper to taste.
• Heat a well-seasoned ridged grill pan over high heat until hot and grill scallops until just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Transfer scallops to a plate and keep warm. Grill tomatoes over high heat until tender and lightly charred, 1 to 2 minutes on each side.
• Toss arugula with half the vinaigrette and divide between 2 plates. Top arugula with scallops and tomatoes and serve with remaining vinaigrette if desired.