TV Dinners – Rick Stein’s Seafood Gratin

First let me just clarify that no, Rick Stein has not started making super convenient microwave meals, rather he has a fantastic new TV show – Rick Stein’s Secret France on BBC2. If you have been keeping up with Rick over the years (and you should have!), you will know he is passionate about France and its superb cuisine. I am a big fan of his style and always found his recipes to have real heart and are simple to follow and create in your own kitchen. To prove this I saw him make a seafood gratin which looked absolutely delicious, so for the benefit of showing you that, yes you can make this at home, I followed the recipe only I halved the ingredients as I was only going to be serving two of us. You will find a link to the recipe at the end of this post, I did have a couple of differences with Rick Stein's Seafood Gratin, but in line with his instructions:

Instead of prawns I had some beautiful fresh langoustine. I blanched them for about 3 minutes in salted boiling water then removed them into ice cold water keeping the pan of liquor. After they had cooled I peeled them placing the shells into a pan along with a splash of oil and the roe from my scallops. I fried them for about 7-8 minutes to get the flavours going then added the stock along with half an onion and a good hit of salt and pepper. I let that gently simmer down for about 40 minutes until it had reduced by about half. Once strained this became my stock for the recipe.

I then followed Rick’s instructions to the letter and my I have to say it was well worth it. This is a rich and warming dish which truly sings “comfort food” which each delicious mouthful. I will be making Rick Stein's Seafood Gratin again, you can use any seafood or (something I so want to try) why not replace the seafood with big chunks of ham and ham bone stock. So don’t just watch cooking shows, get involved. Especially when you have a talent like Rick Stein showing you how. Rick Stein’s Secret France is currently airing on BBC2, catch up on iPlayer. The accompanying book is available in store and online now. Find the recipe HERE Remember to tell me if you have tried a recipe from a TV shows which you have made again and again. Michael Robinson