Grilled Seafood Cocktail Recipes

Steps:

• Soak the dried chiles in 1 cup hot water for 5 minutes.
• Shuck the oysters; reserve the liquor.
• In a blender, combine 2 oysters (save the rest for another use), 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the oyster liquor, the tomatoes, roasted red pepper, lime juice, sriracha, rice vinegar, garlic, onion, cumin seed and 1 bunch of the cilantro. Puree until smooth. Chill for 1 hour.
• In a bowl, toss the scallops and shrimp with some salt and the oil. Grill over high heat for about 2 minutes; don't cook the scallops beyond medium (140 degrees F). Remove to a rack set over a small sheet pan and freeze for 10 minutes before moving to refrigerator to chill completely.
• Slice the shrimp into 1/2-inch pieces. Slice the scallops in half horizontally and cut into 1/2-inch dice.
• Ladle some of the chilled tomato mixture into four martini glasses. Divide the seafood among the glasses. Top with more tomato mixture. Garnish with chives, cilantro, avocado and tortilla chips. Serve with more tortilla chips.

Steps:

• Combine the first 7 ingredients in a bowl, and season with pepper, to taste. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• Heat a grill pan or grill to medium-high.
• Dress the shrimp with extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper, to taste, and smoked paprika. Skewer the shrimp onto metal skewers, to ease in turning them, and grill until the shrimp are opaque and firm, about 7 to 8 minutes. Pile the shrimp on a serving platter, and drizzle with the sauce or pass the sauce at the table.

Steps:

• Cut along the back about 1/4-inch deep through the shell of each prawn to remove the vein. Put prawns in a shallow, non-aluminum baking dish.
• In a small bowl, whisk together citrus oil, onion, garlic, cilantro, and lemon juice. Pour over prawns, cover, and let marinate, refrigerated, 1 to 4 hours.
• Preheat grill or broiler.
• When ready to cook, thread prawns on skewers and discard marinade. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and grill or broil, turning once, until just done, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Shrimp can be served warm or at room temperature. They are delicious on their own or with Citrus Aioli.
• Cook's Note: Leaving the shells on the prawns protects them from drying out during cooking. This method works so well that I use it often when preparing shrimp or prawns for salads, pasta, pizza, and sandwiches. Simply reduce the cooking time if they will later be cooked more, for instance as part of a sauce or pizza topping. Peel shrimp after they come off the grill.
• 2 cloves garlic
• Coarse salt
• 1 cup prepared mayonnaise
• 2 lemons, zested
• 1 lemon, juiced
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Using a mortar and pestle, or on a cutting board, finely mash the garlic cloves with a pinch of salt.
• In a bowl, mix the garlic paste with remaining ingredients and serve. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.