Seafood on the BBQ

We often tend to eat them cold with a good mayonnaise or homemade aioli and yet seafood is so good cooked... especially on the barbecue! Shrimps, mussels, lobster, squid, scallops: our tips for cooking seafood with Kokko.

Shellfish with their shells

Delicious on the barbecue, shrimp, prawns and grilled lobster will taste much better if cooked with their skin on. This way they will keep all their juices inside and will not dry out. Moreover, spices, aromatic herbs, sauces etc. in which you have marinated them beforehand (from a few hours to one night before cooking as they are fragile products) will spread better in the flesh. For uniform cooking of small crustaceans, the skewer is ideal!

For lobster, lobster or jumbo shrimp, simply cut them in half, season as desired and cook them on the barbecue grill on the shell side. When the flesh is no longer translucent but slightly pearly, turn them over and leave them to cook for barely 2 minutes on the embers. The idea is simply to mark them and give them the delicate notes of "grilled" because by cooking mainly on the shell side, the flesh is not attacked by the embers.

In addition, whether fresh or frozen shellfish are chosen, care is taken to ensure that they are raw and have not been cooked beforehand.

Our shellfish recipe ideas with Kokko :

Grilled shrimps with ginger

Skewers of prawns and mullein sausages

Grilled lobster

Shellfish in indirect cooking

Before cooking your shellfish, don't forget to drain them in salt water to remove sand and impurities. If this tedious step is not your cup of tea, you should know that mussels are often sold under vacuum in supermarkets or fishmongers. They are cleaned and just need to be rinsed before cooking them.

The good news is that shellfish don't need much to be delicious. To cook them in Kokko, we opt for a cast iron plancha griddle that is placed on the cooking grid. It is left to heat up well before possibly frying a few onions in a drizzle of olive oil, why not diced ham or chorizo, garlic, herbs and/or peppers. Once the baking tray is hot, put the shells on and close the lid for a few minutes to allow the heat to spread evenly throughout the interior. Reopen the Kokko and continue cooking with the lid open. If you want to deglaze your shells, almonds, prawns, mussels: this is the right time because the alcohol may evaporate. Stir regularly and when most of the shells are open, they are ready to be eaten!

Find our recipe idea :

Mussels with small vegetables

Barbecue skewers of mussels and tomatoes

Squid or squid grilled on the barbecue

The squid - or squid - has the particularity that it can be easily stuffed if bought whole. On the barbecue, it is one of the best ways to enjoy it. If you've never tried it, we'll explain how to do it. Go to your fishmonger to choose some nice squid that you will have cleaned by your fishmonger. After having passed them underwater and dried them with a cloth, prepare your stuffing.

Kokko unveils its home-made recipe! For 4 large squid, mix :

- The heads and tentacles of the 4 squid cut into small pieces

- About fifteen slices of chorizo cut into small cubes

- A large sliced white onion

- A crushed clove of garlic - About ten small shrimps cut into small pieces

- A small bunch of coriander Sprinkle this mixture with a little olive oil and lemon juice, add pepper and salt (lightly because the chorizo is already light enough!).

Before stuffing the squid, so that they cook faster on the barbecue and do not make the squid rubbery or too dry, Kokko's trick is to put them in the microwave for 3 to 5 minutes to soften them. Once cooled, the squid can be stuffed with this mixture. To close them and prevent them from opening during cooking, seal the opening with a toothpick.

On the cooking side, place them on a very hot grill, taking the precaution of brushing lightly the squid on each side. When they show a nice golden colour on each side, they are ready!

Other recipe ideas to vary the pleasures:

Grilled squid stuffed with fresh herbs and sheep's cheese

Grilled squid and parsley

Squid stuffed with vegetables

Feel like continuing the meal with seafood? Our tips for making a success of fish on the barbecue.

Posted in: The Kokko lover's diary