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Christmas Fare Try some festive seafood recipes from Star Seafoods

Daniel McCarthy of Star Seafoods discusses a difficult year and his chef Zbigniew Blaszchak shares some seafood recipes for you to try at home.

Daniel McCarthy of Star Seafoods in county Kerry tells of the changes he and colleagues had to implement this year because of Covid, and fast. His chef, Zbigniew Blaszchak also shares a couple of tasty seafood recipes for you to try this Christmas:

IT WAS SCARY, there’s no other word for it. When Covid-19 struck, most of the 350 hotels and restaurants we supply closed overnight, leaving our 40 staff and a fleet of delivery vans virtually idle.

Like so many businesses, we had to think and fast. It’s like being caught in a whirlwind when your long-established business base is gone, literally overnight.

We had already set up an online shopping facility but it was slow, so when Covid-19 shocked us to our shoelaces and we knew we were going to have to really get behind this, get the word out and got it organised and working well; online shopping was going to have to be our lifeline.

And so it has proved to be. So much in fact that we now deliver to homes throughout the country and have garnered a very loyal base of some 10,000 customers countrywide, for which we are eternally grateful.

Our fleet delivers salmon, hake, cod as well as crab, scallops and juicy prawns. Obviously, with most of the country in lockdown for a considerable time this year, the interest in home cooking grew, and with that the need to try new things, such as seafood.

Changing our model like this has saved us, to be honest, and in fact, it has given us a whole new business base. We’re delighted with how it’s going and the most important thing is that we are getting constant repeat custom.

From sea to door

Once the fish has landed it is brought straight to our state of the art factory in Kenmare where it is filleted, iced and packed and from there delivered in our special refrigerated vans for delivery.

If there is anything businesses have learned from 2020 it’s this – in order to survive we have had to reimagine, rejig and reinvent; Star Seafoods has done that and it’s working well.

We’re now on a mission to make fish eaters out of the Irish population; fish and seafood are so versatile, easy and fast to cook, full of goodness, it’s practically impossible to mess up – what’s not to love.

Our chef, Zbigniew Blaszchak is a great man for the scallops, he’d eat them for breakfast and has a lovely easy Scallop Gratin which could make a lovely elegant starter for Christmas Day perhaps, and for people on the go, there’s our Honey Roasted Salmon Baguette which you could eat for breakfast… our version of the ubiquitous breakfast roll. Zbigniew has shared his recipes below. Enjoy, and Happy Christmas to you all.

Zbigniew’s seafood recipes

Scallop Gratin

star-seafoods-scallops-photo-tony-gavin-18112020 Tony Gavin Tony Gavin

Ingredients

700 grams of scallops

1/2 cup white wine

20 grams of flour

20 grams of butter

1 cup liquid made up with the white wine (reserved from cooking) and 150ml cream

salt and pepper, to taste

2 slices of white bread

10 grams parsley

Method

  • Poach the scallops in the white wine for 1-2 minutes.
  • In another pan, melt the butter, then stir in the flour until it fully dissolves.
  • Slowly stir in the wine and 150ml of cream into the melted butter and add in salt and pepper to taste before adding back in the scallops.
  • Place your slices of bread with parsley into a blender and blend.
  • Place your scallop and sauce mixture into a ramekin or if you want to be fancy a scallop shell, top with breadcrumbs and grill until golden brown.

 Honey Roasted Salmon Baguette 

star-seafoods-salmon-roll-photo-tony-gavin-18112020 Tony Gavin Tony Gavin

Ingredients

Salmon Fillet 800g

Feta cheese 200g

Garlic butter 50g

Cheddar cheese 50g

Spinach 200g

Large baguette

Honey

Method

  • Spread the honey and garlic butter over the salmon fillet, wrap in tin foil and bake in the oven at 200°c for 25 minutes.
  • Bake feta cheese in the oven at 200°c for 8 minutes until golden brown.
  • Boil the spinach for 3-5 minutes and drain.
  • Hollow out the baguette using a spoon.
  • Mix the cooked salmon, spinach and feta cheese in a bowl.
  • Fill the baguette with the mixture and cut into smaller rolls.
  • Sprinkle the cheddar cheese over the baguette and oven bake for another 3 minutes at 200°c until golden brown.
  • Serve immediately and enjoy!

Zbigniew Blaszchak is chef and Daniel McCarthy is MD of Star Seafoods in Kenmare, Co Kerry. For more, see starseafoods.ie.

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    Mute Joe Hill
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    Jan 29th 2015, 7:46 AM

    It is just a shame that the Journal is buying into that sensationalist crap like the trashy tabloids. Unnecessarily panicking the elderly & vulnerable with misleading headlines like this. ‘Country Gripped’ in the headline, followed by ‘May get some snow or sleet’.
    Cop on to yourselves lads.

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    Mute Tony Skillington
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    Jan 29th 2015, 7:53 AM

    +10

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    Mute Vannin
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    Jan 29th 2015, 8:24 AM

    I blame Michael Fish with his 1987 gaff, all forecasts since then have erred on the side of caution.

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    Mute Gis Bayertz
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    Jan 29th 2015, 8:47 AM

    Exactly, Joe. Right now, Meath is gripped by rain!

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    Mute Jane Alford
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    Jan 29th 2015, 11:57 AM

    Snow here in Meath. All depends on where you are.

    4
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    Mute Lesley Barclay
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    Jan 29th 2015, 7:18 AM

    Don’t believe it for a second.
    They use these new warnings too much and have lost their meaning.
    I will believe it when I actually see snow where I live……

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    Mute CitizenSmith©
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    Jan 29th 2015, 7:20 AM

    So we do you listen to the weather forecast then, just stick you head out the window.

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    Mute Tony Skillington
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    Jan 29th 2015, 7:53 AM

    Ohh I don’t know Lesley…there was a report of a snowflake in Longford there yesterday…I’m surprised it didn’t set off a red alert..

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    Mute poisonivy
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    Jan 29th 2015, 8:05 AM

    I think they prefer to er on the side of caution because if they decided “ah sure it probably won’t snow anyway let’s not issue a warning” and then if the weather did turn bad and people were hurt or worse then you’d all be complaining you weren’t warned. After all all it takes is one patch of black ice on one bad bend on one country road for someone to lose their life. If the warnings make people think and take it a bit easier on the road it might save even just one life and sure that’s the whole point.

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    Mute Vannin
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    Jan 29th 2015, 8:17 AM

    The point is it doesn’t make people take it easier on the roads, all that happens is you step out side in your winter woolies and think “no snow, no ice… forecast wrong AGAIN (sigh)” jump into car and vrooom off you go

    31
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    Mute poisonivy
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    Jan 29th 2015, 8:30 AM

    I never said it would make everyone take it easier…just the smart ones.

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    Mute Vannin
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    Jan 29th 2015, 9:06 AM

    Smart drivers ha ha ha ha ha ha

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    Mute Vannin
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    Jan 29th 2015, 9:06 AM

    Ha ha ha ha

    3
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    Mute Vannin
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    Jan 29th 2015, 9:07 AM

    Ha ha

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    Mute Vannin
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    Jan 29th 2015, 9:09 AM

    Sorry poison, couldn’t help myself

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    Mute Uncle Mort
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    Jan 29th 2015, 11:16 AM

    Met Eireann are considering doing personalised forecasts for some of the dummies with a little location device for those journal readers who are not sure if they living in any of the following mentioned in the warning ” Connacht, Dublin, Kildare, Laois, Longford, Louth, Wicklow, Offaly, Westmeath, Meath, Donegal, Clare, Kerry and Tipperary.”
    Here’s a handy tip. The photo from the Gardai shows snow in the Dublin Mountains. The photo of Daragh above in thejournal.ie office show no snow. Hope this is of help.

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    Mute Mick Stafford
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    Jan 29th 2015, 7:53 AM

    I call the dog in first thing in the morning
    - if wet… Raining
    - if dry… Not Raining
    - if white… Snowing
    - if fluffy… Windy
    - if contrary… Hungry

    Simples!

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    Mute monkeysocks
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    Jan 29th 2015, 8:03 AM

    Ice ‘grips the nation!’ Are these stories some kind of in-joke?

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    Mute damien
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    Jan 29th 2015, 7:56 AM

    These weather warnings are just a joke at this stage

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    Mute Mike Johnston
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    Jan 29th 2015, 7:32 AM

    Lots of snow here in cavan at the moment.

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    Mute Techguy.ie
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    Jan 29th 2015, 7:54 AM

    Same here near virginia 3 inches fell overnight and its just started snowing heavy again

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    Mute Martin Byrne
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    Jan 29th 2015, 7:31 AM

    It’s hard to believe met eireann weather warnings.I’d belive yer man in Donegal before them.

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    Mute Philip Kenna
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    Jan 29th 2015, 7:54 AM

    Who ??…Wee Daniel?

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    Mute Philip King
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    Jan 29th 2015, 8:24 AM

    It’s the media not the met

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    Mute thejournaltroll
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    Jan 29th 2015, 7:29 AM

    Wolf! Wolf! Wolf!

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    Mute Dee M
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    Jan 29th 2015, 7:43 AM

    Felt sorry for my ten year old who was convinced he’d have no school today after the weather man told him it would snow. Think he’s on his fourth Chorus of “let it Snow” thanks mister weather man.

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    Mute Ian Bevan
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    Jan 29th 2015, 7:45 AM

    Yellow snow warning…..hmmmmm…I have always warned people about that!!

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    Mute Ben Redline
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    Jan 29th 2015, 7:43 AM

    I’m now convinced Met Eireann forecast the weather by linking their finger and holding it in the air! Every single warning has been wrong so far.

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    Mute Ben Redline
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    Jan 29th 2015, 7:46 AM

    *licking – predictive text designed to make you look stupid. (Certainly achieving it with me)

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    Mute Jo Mullins
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    Jan 29th 2015, 8:17 AM

    Snow in carrickmacross schools closed

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    Mute Josephine Carroll
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    Jan 29th 2015, 7:46 AM

    Snowing in Dundalk

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    Mute Gus Sheridan
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    Jan 29th 2015, 9:34 AM

    Irish weather unlike countries further south is very difficult to predict.In Spain and Portugal you can forcast 2 weeks ahead with a good chance of being right.Ireland however has so many different variables being at the edge of the Atlantic will always be difficult

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    Mute Damien Cahill
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    Jan 29th 2015, 9:20 AM

    And it changes to cm instead of inches to make it seem bigger ! I think I’ll try that too ! :)

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    Mute Liam Byrne
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    Jan 29th 2015, 7:56 AM

    Snowing on and off in Mullingar, but nothing to write home about.

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    Mute Keith Cahill
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    Jan 29th 2015, 10:04 AM

    It’s January, not July, what are people expecting?

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    Mute Cllr Brendan Ferron
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    Jan 29th 2015, 9:21 AM

    I would have more faith in a tarot card reader than I would in the Met office, they get it wrong more than they get it right!

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    Mute Gus Sheridan
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    Jan 29th 2015, 9:35 AM

    I blame Sinn Fein!

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    Mute BoringMcKay
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    Jan 29th 2015, 7:59 AM

    Snow way?

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    Mute Siobhán O'Brien-Murphy
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    Jan 29th 2015, 8:27 AM

    Ysee I read this crap and worry I won’t be able to drive from kerry up the country tomorrow .its hardly gonna be like new York,is it?

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    Mute Paulpablo Boland
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    Jan 29th 2015, 9:46 AM

    What do these clowns get paid for?? We all should get paid for just doing the lottery….by this reckoning.

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    Mute Eileen Moloney
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    Jan 29th 2015, 8:19 AM

    Very windy in tralee

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    Mute little jim
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    Jan 29th 2015, 9:34 AM

    What colour is it?
    Quick, I may need to panic!

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    Mute Elaine Ward
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    Jan 29th 2015, 11:00 AM

    There should be a set of alerts to deal with our weather obsession. Yellow alert – you’ll hear about it just on weather forecast and from shop workers. Orange alert – you’ll hear about it on facebook, every second article online etc. red alert – your mammy rings you to tell you to leave work early if you have to – rather than drive in blizzards

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    Mute Moira Green
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    Jan 29th 2015, 10:03 AM

    Not one flurry this morning in Dublin, though the forecast was saying snow right now at 7am. Got outside, not even wet.

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    Mute Michael Looney
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    Jan 29th 2015, 11:02 AM

    Met Eireann muppets again!! Learn how to read the dials you morans!!

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    Mute Jake Race
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    Jan 29th 2015, 9:05 AM

    Organge. Phew. I was worried about the yellow snow.

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    Mute Michael Sands
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    Jan 29th 2015, 5:06 PM

    Grips it where and it is not July yet lol.

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    Mute Caroline Broadhurst
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    Jan 29th 2015, 12:57 PM

    Well they have added Tipperary, what a laugh, a little covering on the Knockmaeldowns and a little more on the Galtees, but nothing drastic, I would be more bothered about the biting wind so!!!

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