Christmas is one of those few times of year it feels right to have a starter at home and I can’t think of a better one to serve than a ‘proper’ shellfish cocktail. Far more exciting than your standard prawn cocktail! It is a special day and worth spending a bit extra than normal, so get down to your local fishmonger and ask for crab, prawns, lobster tails and brown shrimps - the quality will be immensely better than any supermarket. The fishmonger is the most likely place to get your hands on Irish and British seafood, which in my opinion is some of the best the world has to offer.
When cooking seafood at home, it is important to salt your water generously. Don’t be alarmed - the cooking water should be as salty as seawater. The flavour of the seafood really shines through if salted properly, so make sure to measure this out in the right quantities.
It is totally fine to make the seafood cocktail mix in advance to save yourself the last minute panic - you will have enough going on with a full roast on the go and it only really needs to be assembled at the last minute. Be sure to add a generous amount of Tabasco into the cocktail sauce for a kick.
Click here for a step-by-step guide to make the shellfish cocktail Richard serves at Bentley's
