Saturday, 17 April 2021

About Guernsey - Seafood




Hello my lovelies! 


So summer is here (ish) and with it comes lazy days of sitting out in the garden, often enjoying an extended lunch in the sunshine.

And my summer lunch of choice is one that centres around seafood as the main event - is there a better way to enjoy eating out al fresco other than with tasty morsels of bounty plucked fresh from the sea?

Living on an island we are spoilt for choice when it comes to fresh seafood, though my holy trinity of treasures from the sea is and will always be crab, lobster and prawns. 


Firstly, although this one is not an al fresco dish per se, let’s just put this one out there anyway.  

Crab Fettuccine. 

I must include it in pole position as it is one of my all time fave ways to eat crab.  And it’s TP’s too!

The sauce includes all the naughties, cheese, cream and brandy, so this is a dish definitely best saved for a special occasion. 

You can find my recipe for 

Crab Fettuccine  

by following the link above. 




My first crab sandwich of 2021.
I prefer to make it with white bread, it somehow works better for me.   TP choses to disagree.  I usually win.   

I serve the crab sprinkled with salt and white pepper, a smidgeon of vinegar and a little mayo, not too much as it will overpower the beautiful sweetness of the crab, and I don’t want that do I?!



A beautiful seafood platter served for the grannies on Mother’s Day this year. 


I like making a Lobster Newberg dish occasionally but as it is rather rich, my preference is to eat lobster cold and more au natural.
Find my delicious Lobster Tarragon recipe HERE


Crab sandwiches are easy to eat out in the garden, but going slightly upmarket, this is also a simple yet fancy way to enjoy crab al fresco.  
Serve it in tall glasses layered with salad. 
Find my 


Crab cakes are easy to rustle up. 
Find my recipe for


As well as the colour of the bread, I have a firm view that crab sandwiches should be washed down with a mug of coffee.
My rigid rules on how certain foods should be served infuriates TP!

The crab sandwiches seen above seem to have been made with both brown and white bread - looks like I had to find a compromise with TP on this day!


This was a rare event when I had a few crab cakes left over from the previous day, so I served them cold with other goodies from the sea. 
Find out about

Let’s finish off with a peek at these beauts in their raw state. 


Cooked lobster. 

During lockdown last year our local fishermen were unable to land their catches in France, a lucrative market for them. 
Instead their catches were sold locally.  A fisherman living nearby would sell his lobster and crab catch of the day from his front lawn.


My son would occasionally leave a ready-cooked treat on my wall - we were socially distancing at the time. 
He knows how to bring a smile to this old pensioner’s face!


Cooked spider crabs.  
We tend to buy our crab and lobster ready picked, in bags or tubs.  We’re lazy. 


Cooked chancre crab. 


Chancre crab is my preference. 
I find the chancre crab meat is slightly sweeter, juicier and flakier than the spider crab.  And bigger claws equals more crab meat!

So for me, as you can see here, my idea of summer dining is to sit outside with some simply prepared fresh crab, lobster or prawns ... or all three!


What’s your preferred food for a summer meal?


Hugs, Mary x. 

8 comments:

  1. This land lubber actually makes crab cakes-they are pretty easy and delicious. I would love to try your Lobster Tarragon but think I can only get frozen lobster tails. I’m stuck in a health situation where I can’t eat sugar or carbs;pre-diabetic. That throws out a lot of normal stuff.
    As far as our favorite summer meals-anything I can grill!
    Take care and here’s to good summer eating.

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    1. Love that you make crab cakes! It will work with the lobster tails, Terri, it’s lobster cut up into a dressing. Sorry that you’re having to restrict some of the naughty stuff but you’ll be better for it, health-wise. You’d better forget the tartlets for pudding on my lobster meal menu!
      Wishing you many happy summer days grilling, maybe some jumbo prawns would be nice to throw on your barbie.
      Hugs x.

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  2. oh my gosh this seafood looks so delicious!!! Makes me crave for lobsters and prawns. And thank you for sharing your crab fettucine recipe!

    Life is a Shoe

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    Replies
    1. Glad you enjoyed my feast and hope you’ve tried out the recipe, it’s a delicious dish.
      Hugs x.

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  3. I love crab too but cannot eat lobster - a very bad experience a few years ago put me off it forever!
    Your recipes do look very inviting. Just right for the warmer weather xxx

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    Replies
    1. Oh sounds a bad experience 😱🤢. Hope you get some inspo for some nice easy summer meals up in IoM.
      Hugs x.

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  4. It all sounds totally delicious,and looks wonderful Mary. I love the sound of the Crab Fettuccine and the Crab Sundaes. I've yet to eat any crab here in Cornwall. Maybe tomorrow?
    xxx

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    1. Oooh Vronni, I hope you got to eat some crab in Cornwall, the crab texture there is very similar to ours, guess because we’re linked through that little stretch of sea. And I hope you’ve had a wonderful holiday there.
      Hugs x.

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