BARBECUE AL MARE

Forget the meat, sausages and flank steak we love: they are always expected.

This weekend, we are entertaining, but the barbecue has taken on a new character.

Scallops, langoustines, grilled shrimp skewers, salt-baked fish... the list is extensive, and the accompaniments follow the same rhythm.

Oysters with seaweed butter, shrimp with Sicilian lemon and a whole fish to share.

The first course is an oyster served still warm, with seaweed butter melting inside the shell. There is plenty of time for conversation before we sit down, while the shrimp skewers begin to make the rounds.

Inspiration comes from vacations and deserves a place in the repertoire of anyone who loves to entertain. From Rosewood St. Barths to the grills at Belmond Taormina, we traveled as far as Las Ventanas al Paraíso, in Los Cabos, gathering memories of the perfect seaside barbecue.

Seafood skewers, which can alternate between squid rings, octopus, shrimp and vegetables, are passed around to share. For the sides, alongside a good salad, we imagined baby potatoes with bottarga.

TO START

Oysters with seaweed butter

In our interpretation, we added one more tip: you can also serve nori to bring a subtle taste of the sea, and always include Sicilian lemon wedges on the side for delicate acidity.

Ingredients

- Fresh oysters
- Softened unsalted butter
- 1 sheet of crushed nori
- Zest of 1/2 Sicilian lemon
- Salt to taste
- Coarse salt for serving

METHOD

1 To make the seaweed butter for the oysters, combine softened unsalted butter with one sheet of crushed nori and the zest of half a Sicilian lemon. Taste before adding salt.
2 Open the oysters with an oyster knife, preserving the liquor and the deeper half of the shell, then divide the butter among them.
3 Place them on the grill, open side up, over steady coals. Cook through until the flesh turns opaque.
4 Serve immediately, resting the shells on a bed of coarse salt on the platter.

The salt will keep each oyster in place.

This is where our Barbecue Collection enters the scene, in a perfect al mare mix.

The contents we are talking about and you may not have seen it yet.

BARBECUE AL MARE