Seafood platter with boiled prawns, crabs and griddled prawns
The Christmas Eve seafood platter, made at home: langostino prawns and velvet crabs boiled in water as salty as the sea, prawns seared on a hot griddle with coarse salt, with lemon, mayonnaise and bread. It also works with prawns alone, or with a brown crab or spider crab instead of the velvet crabs.
- 40 minTime
- 16 minHands-on
- 4Portions
- ≈ €7.40per portion
- 590kcal per portion
Ingredients for 4 portions
- 150 gSalt, coarse, for the cooking water
- 2Bay leaves
- 800 gWhole crab, 4 live velvet crabs
- 1 kgShell-on prawns, large, raw (langostinos)
- 500 gShell-on prawns, raw, for the griddle
- 1 tbspOlive oil
- to tasteSalt, coarse, for the prawns
On the side
- 2Lemons, in wedges
- 1 ¼ dlMayonnaise
- 250 gBread
Method
- Bring about 2.5 litres of water to the boil in a large pan with the coarse salt and bay leaves; it should be as salty as seawater. Set out a bowl of iced water.
- Put the crabs into the boiling water. When it comes back to the boil, cook them for 10 minutes. Lift them out and leave to cool, shell side down.
- Bring the water back to the boil and add the langostinos. As soon as it boils again, cook them for 1–2 minutes, until pink. Transfer them to the iced water for 2 minutes, then drain.
- Heat a griddle or large frying pan until very hot and brush it with the oil. Lay the prawns on it, sprinkle with coarse salt and cook for 1–2 minutes per side, until pink and lightly charred.
- Arrange the crabs, boiled langostinos and griddled prawns on a large platter and serve with lemon wedges, mayonnaise and bread.
The cost is estimated from average prices in Spain (MAPA – Panel de Consumo Alimentario en Hogares (Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación), 2026-07).
