Do you agree with us that seafood tastes the best when they’re cooked and served right after being caught? It is even more wonderful if combined with a weekend camping trip with your family!
For you, here are the simplest ways to cook seafood on the beach. They are fast, easy to try, and require little preparation. Read on!
Steam
Preparation:
- A sealed pan/ bamboo steamer/chamber/sealed pot with an inner rack
- Freshwater (for cooking)
- A mini gas stove
- Flavorings (optional)
Best for: Lobster, crab, shell-on shrimp, clams, mussels, octopus, and fish
Steaming is a popular naked cooking method that bolds the natural characteristics of seafood.
You’ll need to pour a small amount of water into the pan or pot. Place a rack inside the cookware, then lay seafood on the rack. If you want to eliminate or decrease the fishy smell, add some herbs, spices, butter, or aromatics based on your preference.
Next, close with an airtight lid and cook on medium heat.
Each kind of seafood requires a specific amount of time to be completely cooked.
Simmer
Preparation:
- A cookware with an airtight lid
- Freshwater
- A gas stove
- Aromatic vegetables, spices, herbs, and lemon (optional)
Best for: Shellfish, such as shrimp, clams, lobsters, octopus, and crabs
Boiling and simmering are two simple moist heat cooking methods that can accentuate the subtle texture and flavor of seafood.
Our team prefers simmering seafood because it is easy to control the temperature. Plus, its gentler approach can preserve the food’s delicate textures – unlike boiling. You can add some aromatic spices to make the dish tastier.
Simmered seafood is usually served with corn, carrots, onions, or potatoes.
Roast/Bake
Preparation:
- A sheet pan
- Cooking oil
- A portable gas oven
- Nut crusts, bread crumbs, paprika, spices, lemon, and herbs (optional)
Best for: Fish, clams, mussels, lobsters, and scallops
This simple cooking method is a great way to bring out the unique flavors of seafood and usually leaves nice browning marks on them.
Some people like to add spices, herbs, or sprinkle paprika on the surface to enhance the dishes’ fragrance and color. The others love eating roasted seafood with nut crusts and bread crumbs to add extra texture and flavors.
If you intend to roast fish, cutting them into reasonably small pieces will help them cook faster. Remember to score in the thick parts of the fish to ensure they are not undercooked.
Roasting method:
Clean raw seafood. Preheat your oven at 125-130˚F in three minutes while prep seafood and place them on a sheet pan.
Add aromatic spices if wanted. Sprinkle/brush a layer of cooking oil on the food surface. Place the pan in the oven, close the lid, and roast at an appropriate degree of temperature.
Broil/Grill
Preparation:
- A portable gas-powered broiler or grill
- Salt
- Clean kitchen towels
- Cooking oil
- A knife
- A thermometer
- Seasoning spices and aromatic vegetables (optional)
Best for: Fish, scallops, lobsters, and shrimps
Broiling and grilling have a similar cooking process that involves intense direct heat. The biggest difference between these methods is the heating source.
The heating source is above when broiling and is below when grilling.
While grilling and broiling are two simple ways to cook seafood on the beach, they are considered to be healthier than other cooking methods (such as baking).
The reason is grilling and broiling doesn’t require any added fat. Moreover, grilling allows the fat of the food to drip away when cooking. To know which of these two methods is perfect for your dishes, consider the heat source, size, and delicacy.
Some bonus tips to have tastier broiled/grilled seafood dishes:
Always preheat the broiler/grill before laying seafood on the grates
For big fish, cut it into fillets with uniform thickness for an even cooking process
Clean the flesh or meat before seasoning
A simple way to season seafood (especially fish) is to sprinkle some salt on the surface and let it sit for 15-30 minutes, then pat dry before grilling/broiling.
To check whether the food is completely cooked, use a thermometer for large fish or the touch method for small fillets.
Bonus: Simple Seafood Sauce Recipe
The flavors of your seafood dishes will be doubled if they’re served with an appropriate sauce. You can prepare the sauce at home and pack it for the beach. It’s very easy and simple to try:
Ingredients:
- 1 small garlic clove
- ¼-tablespoon smoked paprika
- ¼-tablespoon Tabasco sauce
- 2-tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1-tablespoon lemon juice
- 2-tablespoon tomato sauce
- 1 cup (300g) whole-egg mayonnaise
Instructions:
Crush garlic clove. Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl until it becomes a smooth paste. Season. Transfer the mixture into a mason jar, close, and pack it.
Conclusion
Aside from the four simplest ways to cook seafood on the beach, there are some other options, such as pan-frying. But we don’t mention it here because this method is time-taking and requires a lot of cooking oil, which requires more to pack and is not good for your health as well.
Poach is another cooking method that we exclude from this list because it requires too much time for cooking.
Whichever method you intend to use, always remember to clean the raw food, cookware, and cooking equipment before getting started. That’s all for this article! Thanks for reading.
