Belize has a long coastal zone, add to that the fact that we have the largest and longest coral reef in the western hemisphere and the second in the world and it becomes easy to see why we have an abundance of marine life and seafood in Belize.
This wealth of aquatic variety is most notable in our cuisine, many of our favourite dishes have some sort of seafood involved and it is common to see fresh seafood at restaurants all over the country.
For this segment we will explain one of our favourite recipes, which is also remarkably easy to make, it is called the Fruti de Mare or Fruit of the Sea, it is very versatile and so easy to do at home you will wonder why you haven't done it already.
Ingredients:
- Shrimp
- Conch
- Snapper (or your choice of fish)
- Squid
- Scallops (optional)
- Muscles (optional)
- Minced garlic
- Heavy cream
- White Wine (Chardonnay)
- Parsley
- Salt
- Black Pepper
- Fettuccini
The optional items are for a more international flare, however, in Belize these two can be a bit harder to acquire but it is easy to use substitutes such as lobster, or octopus which are plentiful here.
Preparation:
- Seafood - clean and shell the shrimp and conch to get it ready for cooking.
- Fish - Scale (if whole) and fillet.
- Fettuccini - place it for 8-10 minutes into a pot of boiling water, once complete you drain the pasta and add salt and a light amount of olive oil to taste.
Cooking:
- Once completed you begin to make the rest of the dish, saut� the garlic then add shrimp, conch, fish, squid and optional ingredients if desired.
- Once the medley saut�ed add the heavy cream to the mix keep it cooking.
- Add white wine intermittently throughout to taste followed by salt, black pepper, and parsley.
- Make sure everything is cooked to your liking and by this time you will have a heavenly aroma rising from the pan that you will find hard to ignore.
- Once complete serve and enjoy your seafood delight! See easy!