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Recipe Detail Page
Chilled Seafood Tower
Holiday 2019
A luxurious seafood tower is celebratory and easy. Everything but shucking the oysters can (and should) be done ahead of time. That means when it’s time to eat, there’s little to do but sit down and enjoy. If you’re pressed for time, ask your grocery store to steam the lobsters for you—many will. If steaming at home, the lobsters will take about 10 minutes, the shrimp about 8, the mussels 4 to 5 minutes, and the clams, depending on their size, 4 to 10 minutes. Langoustines, if you can find them, make a Christmas-worthy addition, too. If Pernod isn’t part of your bar collection, substitute with 2 tsp (10 mL) chopped tarragon.
Serves 6
POMEGRANATE GINGER MIGNONETTE
⅓ cup (80 mL) white wine vinegar
2 tbsp (30 mL) pomegranate molasses (see TIP)
1 tbsp (15 mL) finely grated ginger
1 large shallot, finely chopped
¼ tsp (1 mL) coarsely grated black pepper
Salt to taste
PERNOD MAYONNAISE
⅓ cup (80 mL) grape-seed or canola oil
½ cup (125 mL) mayonnaise
1 tsp (5 mL) Pernod
ORANGE MISO BUTTER
¾ cup (175 mL; 1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter
1 tbsp (15 mL) freshly squeezed orange juice
1 ½ tsp (7 mL) white miso
1 tsp (5 mL) finely grated orange zest
2 live lobsters, each 1 ¼ lb (565 g), steamed and chilled
1 lb (455 g) mussels, steamed and chilled
2 lbs (905 g) clams, steamed and chilled
12 oysters, freshly shucked
2 to 3 lbs (905 g to 1.36 kg) pre-cooked, thawed king crab or snow crab legs
6 colossal (12 to 15 per lb) shrimp, in their shells, steamed and chilled
2 small lemons, cut into wedges
Tabasco
1 To prepare the mignonette, whisk together vinegar and pomegranate molasses. Gather the ginger in a fine-mesh sieve and press over a bowl to extract ginger juice. Measure 1 tsp (5 mL) and add to vinegar mixture; discard solids and any remaining juice. Stir in shallot and pepper; season to taste with salt. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
2 For the Pernod mayonnaise, slowly drizzle oil into mayonnaise while beating constantly with an electric mixer. Stir in Pernod, cover and refrigerate for up to 1 week.
3 For the orange miso butter, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and let cook until solids have turned light brown and smell nutty. Immediately remove from heat and strain through a cheesecloth-lined sieve over a small heatproof bowl (butter may be prepared to this point, covered and refrigerated indefinitely). When ready to serve, warm butter in a small saucepan over low heat, then whisk in orange juice, miso and zest.
4 To assemble and serve, remove the tails from the lobsters and cut in half lengthwise. Remove claws (reserve bodies for making stock if desired; otherwise, discard). Remove 1 half-shell from each of the mussels and clams; shuck oysters.
5 Line a large serving platter or tiered serving stand with ice and arrange all seafood overtop. Garnish with lemon slices and tuck Tabasco amongst seafood. Serve with trio of sauces, lobster crackers, picks and forks, encouraging guests to use the mignonette with the oysters and to dunk the remaining seafood into the mayonnaise or butter.
TIP
Pomegranate molasses is a specialty product available at Middle Eastern grocers. It’s easy to make at home if you can’t find it. Simply combine a 473-mL bottle of unsweetened pomegranate juice with ¼ cup (60 mL) sugar and 2 tsp (10 mL) lemon juice in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and reduce to ⅔ cup (150 mL). Store unused molasses covered in fridge for a month.
Serves 6
