flipLatin Quarter Seafood Platter
Latin Quarter Seafood Platter
Why this dish? She shared meals in the brasseries of the Latin Quarter with fellow composers and musician friends; the seafood platter, laid out to celebrate a premiere—perhaps at the Opéra—brings together her Nordic love of the sea and her Parisian life.
An iced platter of oysters, shrimp, and shellfish, with lemon and buttered rye bread, to peel and pick at for hours in good company. The conversation meal par excellence.
A premiere means months of tension released all at once, and you need something long to come down. So we sit, order the big platter, and shell—it's slow, it's chatty, and it's exactly what you need after the concentrated silence of writing. I kept from Finland this need for the sea on the plate; my Parisian friends taught me to make it last. A squeeze of lemon, well-buttered rye bread, and we remake the world until closing time.
- •Oysters — as many as you like (iodine centerpiece)
- •Shrimp and whelks — according to guests (variety of textures)
- •Lemons — several (bright acidity)
- •Rye bread and demi-sel butter — generous (accompaniment)
- •Crushed ice — a thick bed (presentation and freshness)
Latin Quarter Seafood Platter
An iced platter of oysters, shrimp, and shellfish, with lemon and buttered rye bread, to peel and pick at for hours in good company. The conversation meal par excellence.
Why this dish? She shared meals in the brasseries of the Latin Quarter with fellow composers and musician friends; the seafood platter, laid out to celebrate a premiere—perhaps at the Opéra—brings together her Nordic love of the sea and her Parisian life.
A premiere means months of tension released all at once, and you need something long to come down. So we sit, order the big platter, and shell—it's slow, it's chatty, and it's exactly what you need after the concentrated silence of writing. I kept from Finland this need for the sea on the plate; my Parisian friends taught me to make it last. A squeeze of lemon, well-buttered rye bread, and we remake the world until closing time.
Ingredients (period version)
- Oysters — as many as you like (iodine centerpiece)
- Shrimp and whelks — according to guests (variety of textures)
- Lemons — several (bright acidity)
- Rye bread and demi-sel butter — generous (accompaniment)
- Crushed ice — a thick bed (presentation and freshness)
Ingredients
- Fresh oysters — 6 per person (iodine centerpiece)
- Cooked pink shrimp — 200 g (firm texture)
- Cooked whelks — 200 g (chewy texture)
- Lemons — 2 (acidity)
- Rye bread — half a loaf (accompaniment)
- Demi-sel butter — 100 g (accompaniment)
- Shallot + wine vinegar — for mignonnette sauce (oyster condiment)
- Crushed ice — a large platter (presentation)
Method
- Prepare a mignonnette: finely minced shallot mixed with a little wine vinegar and cracked pepper; refrigerate until needed.
- Spread a thick bed of crushed ice on a large platter.
- Shuck the oysters at the last moment and nestle them on the ice; arrange shrimp and whelks around.
- Add lemon wedges, serve with rye bread, demi-sel butter, and the mignonnette.
- Place the platter in the center of the table and let everyone help themselves, unhurriedly.
How it was made : The seafood platter has been an institution of Parisian brasseries since the 19th century, designed for sharing and long meals. Composers and artists of the Latin Quarter would prolong discussions and celebrations there. The shallot mignonnette is the classic oyster condiment.
The contemporary twist : Stack the platter in tiers and name it after a marine work—a tribute to *L'Amour de loin*, a sea crossing between two shores.
Sources : Tradition of Parisian brasseries (seafood platter)
Kaija Saariaho · Charactorium
