Top 10 seafood recipes

Add a touch of sophistication to your dinner party with a seafood dish. Here are our favourite crab, prawn, mussels, crayfish, cuttlefish and goodness knows what else recipes.

Seafood pasta

A fresh fish pasta on the table in 15 minutes? Surely not! Chef Romilla Arber serves mussels, monkfish tails and prawns in a fragrant sauce made from white wine, shallots, cream, garlic, chilli, lemon zest and fresh parsley (pictured above). Tie it all together with linguini and black pepper.

Quick crab linguini

A super speedy seafood dish from Dermot O’Leary, which requires very little effort indeed. You’ll need linguini, chilli and garlic puree, white crab meat, a little butter and fresh basil for this main meal, which will be ready and on the table in 15 minutes. Serve with crusty bread and butter.

Shrimp gumbo

Mark Hix's take on the southern US favourite comes with a blast of spice and a healthy dose of vegetables mixed in with fat, juicy prawns, white wine and black pepper. A great pick-me-up when you're feeling tired, and you can add extra veg as you choose to make the mix go further.

Cheddar and crab tart

An indulgent all-butter Cheddar cheese and crab tart from Nathan Outlaw. It’s very simple to make and requires only pastry, eggs, cream, cheese, white and brown crab meat, and tarragon and spring onions for flavour. Bake until golden brown, then serve with a seasonal salad and crusty bread.

Malaysian seafood curry

A corker of a curry, including soft shell crab meat, mussels, cockles and baby squid, cooked in Malaysian spices. You’ll also need coconut milk to cook your rice in, and you must remember to scrub your mussels and cockles free from grit before using. It’s a tricky recipe, but well worth mastering.

Crayfish macaroni cheese

A poshed-up macaroni cheese recipe from The Hairy Bikers. Combine spicy pork and seafood with a creamy cheese sauce, a touch of paprika, and a crisp gratin topping. If the pasta is cooked before the sauce is ready, simply drain in a colander and toss with a little oil.

Cuttlefish with meatballs and peas

Chef Rick Stein on his one-pan seafood dish:  “I’ve used mostly cuttlefish, a seafood that is still very good value for money. I find that minced chicken and pork meatballs and the cuttlefish go well together. This dish isn’t always garnished with prawns but I love the colour they add.”

Devilled crab cakes

It's important to strike the right balance between crabmeat and potato when making crab cakes, but the Gladwin brothers reckon they've hit the right ratio with their recipe. A pinch of cayenne pepper and a drop of Worcestershire sauce adds a unique twist to the flavour. Serve with fresh lemon and a garnish of roughly chopped dill.

Grey mullet with mussels

Roasted garlic and oregano work beautifully in this fish stew from Mitch Tonks, who describes oregano, his favourite herb, as “evocative of the Mediterranean and the smells of grilling fish and meat that fill the air on summer evenings…” Allow one grey mullet per two people.

Nasi lemak and sambal prawn

This dish holds close to two classic Malaysian dishes – Prawn sambal and Nasi Lemak. The great thing about both is their ease to prepare and cook, resulting in great pleasure to eat. The sauce, if too thick, can be loosened with a little more water or coconut cream. Finish with freshly chopped coriander.

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