Seafood Bonanza

For Thanksgiving I was in charge of making one side dish and I decided to make something that's a little less than traditional - seafood.  I invented this dish and after telling my mom about it, she requested the recipe. I decided to post it here to share it with everyone.

As with all my recipes, I don't ever measure anything, so my quantities are approximations.

Ingredients:

1 pound shrimp (I used pre-cooked and pre-peeled because it was cheapest, but use whatever)

1 pound scallops (I used bay scallops - once again because it was cheapest)

1/2 a pound fish (I used cod - feel free to use more than 1/2 a pound)

5 celery stalks

1 pound frozen peas

1 can crab meat (the size of a tuna fish can)

1 can baby corn

1 can water chestnuts

1 can bamboo shoots

2 cups milk

1 teaspoon fish sauce

2/3 cup whipping cream

2/3 cup half and half (use all cream or all half and half as desired - I just had some of each on hand)

2 teaspoons paprika

1 tablespoon golden curry powder

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/2 teaspoon ginger powder

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon soy sauce

salt (to taste)

pepper (to taste)

oil or margarine

chicken bullion cube

Directions:

The secret for lots of oriental dishes (and this definitely has an oriental flavor) is to prepare the different ingredients separately and then put them together at the very end.  That said, you can prepare the following ingredients in any order you like.

Celery - Put the bullion cube in a small pan with about 3 cups of water and turn on medium heat.  Let the bullion dissolve.  Slice the celery into bite-sized pieces and boil in the bullion water until they are soft but still have a little bit of crunch left in them.

Scallops - Put the scallops in a small pan and allow to cook all the way through.  I did this on medium-low heat and just left them while I prepared everything else.  You probably don't need any oil/margarine, but you might want a little bit.

Shrimp - Peel if necessary (I always leave the tails on, but you don't have to).  Cook just like the scallops.

Fish - Cook with a little oil/margarine (I used olive oil) and allow to cook all the way through.  I put a little paprika on mine while it was cooking.  Try to leave it in the oil/margarine until it's completely cooked on one side and flip it only once.  After the fish is cooked, allow to cool and then break it into bite-sized pieces.

Vegetables - Put all the canned vegetables (drain really well before hand) and the frozen peas into a pan and allow to heat evenly on medium heat.  You may need a little tiny bit of water in the bottom of the pan but try to keep things as liquid-free as possible.

Sauce - The sauce takes the longest so you may want to start this first.  Put the milk in a large pot and put it on medium heat.  Add the fish sauce, soy sauce and all the spices (except salt and pepper) and stir until everything is very well dissolved.  Stir in the cream/half and half and the canned crab meat.  Let the pan simmer uncovered until the sauce has thickened to the consistency of a thin gravy.

When all your separate ingredients are prepared, add them all directly to the sauce and stir in.  Add salt and pepper to taste (or, as I do, salt each of the individual ingredients to taste as you are making them).

Serving:

You can serve your Seafood Bonanza anyway you like, but I elected to serve mine in a trazoid bowl with a wooden spoon.  Make sure you serve it soon after it is done because it's a dish best eaten warm.  It is also a great dish to eat over white rice.

Here's a picture of the finished product.