Spice Up Your Summer With These Simple Seafood Recipes

This may not have been the summer any of us had planned, and maybe you’re stuck at home when you should be enjoying a holiday right now. If so, all is not lost: you can still treat yourself to some delicious seafood.

For many people, seafood is something to be eaten as a treat in restaurants or on holiday. Often this is because it can seem a little intimidating to cook with. While we agree that seafood is certainly a treat, we also think it’s something that can be eaten at home as both healthy and delicious. And it doesn’t have to be intimidating either – we’ve handpicked some meals from our Recipe Page that we think are ideal summer meals, and they’re all quite straightforward.

So even if you are stuck at home this summer, these seafood meals will be a taste of holiday meals by the sea. They’re also ideal for sharing with friends and family. And if nothing below takes your fancy, check out the rest of our Recipe Page, which contains loads of great ideas for all sorts of different species that are covered by the ASC Standards, meaning you can look out for the ASC logo to make sure you’re also rewarding responsible farmers with your meal. Everyone’s a winner!

Prawn and Vegetable Skewers

It wouldn’t be summer without a barbecue! The beautiful thing about these skewers is that you can, of course, use any vegetables you like, and it’s sure to be delicious. And if you live in a country where the weather is a little less predictable, there’s always the oven grill.

Keep an eye out for ASC certified shrimp so you can reward responsible shrimp farmers. Shrimp farming is a vital part of many Southeast Asian economies and provides a livelihood to many thousands of men and women, but it can have negative impacts if done irresponsibly – for example, antibiotics can be overused, making them less effective for humans, or mangrove forests can be cleared to make way for farms, causing untold damage to biodiversity and speeding up coastal erosion. Fortunately, both of these things are prohibited by the ASC Shrimp Standard, which also contains requirements around water quality, workers’ rights, and community relations.

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Seabream Fillets with Tomato Sauce

The beauty of this recipe is its simplicity – not only is it easy and quick to prepare (just a couple of minutes cooking each for the sauce and the fish), it also allows the natural flavour of the seabream to take centre stage.

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Mediterranean Roasted Seabass

This recipe takes a little longer, but it’s just as easy to prepare – a simple dressing, some roasted tomatoes and potatoes, and of course the seabass itself, which again can take centre stage as it is seasoned with just salt, pepper, and rosemary.

Both seabass and seabream are covered by the ASC’s Seabass, Seabream, and Meagre Standard. These fish are mostly farmed in the Mediterranean, especially in Greece and Turkey – which is exactly where the first two farms to be certified against this standard were located. Among other things, ASC certified seabass and seabream farmers must ensure they protect biodiversity around their farms, use responsibly sourced feed, manage diseases effectively, and monitor their energy use and emissions.

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Thai Shrimp

Shrimp has been an essential part of the cuisine of Thailand, and many other countries in Southeast Asia for many centuries, and with recipes like this you can see why. Again, this shrimp can either be fried or grilled on a barbecue, meaning it’s versatile as well as delicious.

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If you make any of these recipes, or any recipe of your own, with ASC certified seafood, you’re doing your bit to drive up standards in aquaculture, and encouraging more farmers to manage their farms in an environmentally and socially responsible way. Don’t forget to share your creations with us on Twitter or Facebook!