International Supper Club: A Seafood Feast from Monaco
This week was so fun, and I feel so dang sophisticated after my week-long exploration here. I get three questions all the time about this project:
“Why did you decide to do this?” (See my answer here)
“What has been your favorite meal so far?” (Thailand, for lovie dovie reasons and also curry is freaking divine)
“How do you decide which meal to cook? Just Google it?” (No. See #1)
So, for Monaco, I had a hard time finding cuisine that’s on the everyday dinner table because Monaco doesn’t really…have….that…so much.
Fun facts:
Monaco is the second-smallest nation in the world just after Holy See (i.e. Vatican City).
..but, it’s the second-most densely populated country.
It’s been ruled by the House of Grimaldi since 1297. TWELVE NINETY-SEVEN. Same fam the whole dang time.
After the Nazis invaded and the war ended, things became tres glamorous when Prince Rainier III married Grace Kelly. Their son runs things now.
It takes about an hour to walk across Monaco. It’s smaller than Central Park at .78 square miles.
French is most commonly spoken, they have the largest police force globally and are among the most wealthy nations in the world. Over 12 thousand millionaires call Monaco home (as of May 2019.) That means about 1/3 of their densely populated mass of humans are millionaires.
Even though Monaco is very well-known for their casinos (hello, Monte Carlo), Monaco residents aren’t allowed to gamble there.
Monaco has the highest average life expectancy in the world at 85.8 years old.
Given the cultural profile, as I was looking for a nice family dinner, I instead found a bellyful of extravagant seafood dinners and wine selections. Being right on the French Riviera, they are swimming (literally) in some of the best seafood in the world. So, what better to serve and honor Monaco, than a seafood feast?!
To answer a question from above, I get most of my direction from highly-rated restaurants, cafes, pubs, and bars and scour their menus. I read reviews of locals, travelers and watch the banter back-and-forth in the comments about what is traditional or what has changed over the years.
So, this week, I looked into the many restaurants and cafes lining the French Riviera that serve these millionaires every day and created what I think is a delicious homage to the cuisine of Monaco. Click the link above to check out one of the most inspiring restaurants I found, that helped me shape this recipe the most. Dig deep in your pocketbooks, because this one ain’t cheap.
Enjoy, mes amis!
Monaco-Inspired Seafood Feast
Start by making a bouillabaisse (sounds like boo-ee-yuh-base) and simmer in some gorgeous Mediterranean seafood. #whogaveuspermission
I built this recipe from the ground up starting with Julia Child’s recipe, obviously, but made some changes based on some things I read on menus offered on the Monaco coastline.
Notes:
I used fresh fish, so if you use frozen, it may affect cooking times, so plan for that. Also, I cooked everything shell-on, which I regret. The shrimp were wonderful, but it was some time before we could peel and eat, especially the next day. So, the ingredient list below recommends shrimp, out of the shell and deveined even though I cooked with shell-on.
The lobster tail especially, and maybe crab legs, require a tool. We have an old stolen one from Joe’s Crab Shack for crab legs, you can use shears for the lobster tail, or you can buy one like a proper adult human here.
This is the dutch oven I have and heavens! It’s at a crazy low price right now. I have never experienced the problems the low star-rating guests have posted, so I guess it’s a gamble? Any enamel-coated cast iron is your friend. Le Creuset is, of course, gorgeous and I also use the Staub we received as a wedding gift.
2 tablespoons butter
1 leek, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 jalapeno
3 cups vegetable stock
¾ c French white wine (we had several bottles leftover from our wedding, this is what I used and it was FAB)
4 lobster tails
2 haddock fillets
2 crab leg clusters
4 scallops
12-14 large shrimp, tails and veins removed
In a large pot (I use a dutch oven, I told you about it earlier) heat the butter over medium-high then add the leek, garlic, and Jalapeño. Sauté for about 5 minutes.
Once that mix has softened, pour in the vegetable stock and wine then bring it all to a slow simmer.
Add the fish and bring the pot to a boil. Cook for about 8 minutes, or until lobster tails are red, shrimp is pink and the broth is fragrant.
THAT’S IT. Enjoy it, savor it and drink up the broth full of healthy fats and fat-soluble vitamins. For the two of us, it made one filling bowl for dinner and another for lunch.
TIP: If you save some for lunch, as I mentioned above, take all meat out of the shells so that you don’t have to get your hands all fishy and wet at work. I hope you feel FANCY and EXQUISITE while wiping broth from your chin, knowing you’re eating as the Monégasque do.
Santé!
