Chilled Seafood Tower
A chilled seafood tower with shrimp, crab, lobster and oysters, plus classic cocktail sauce, warm cowboy butter and chipotle remoulade. Prep ahead, then assemble over nugget ice just before serving.
Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 12 fresh oysters raw, in the shell
- 1 pound cooked shrimp
- 1 pound fresh mussels raw, in the shell
- 12 small fresh clams raw, in the shell
- 6 medium lobster claws
- 3 medium lobster tails
- 6 medium king crab legs
- 6 ounces smoked salmon
- 1 cup dry white wine
- ice
- lemon wedges
- Fresh Dill, chopped
Classic Cocktail Sauce
- 3/4 cup Ketchup
- 1/4 cup prepared horseradish
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon anchovy paste
- 1 teaspoon TABASCO® or to taste
Cowboy Butter Sauce
- 1 cup Ghee or clarified butter
- 4 cloves Garlic
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsely, chopped
- 1 tablespoon Fresh Chives, chopped
- 1 teaspoon Fresh Dill, chopped
- 1/8 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- 1 teaspoon TABASCO® Green Pepper or to taste
Chipotle Remoulade Sauce
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup sour gerkin pickles
- 1 teaspoon capers
- 1 tablespoon Fresh Chives, chopped
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons anchovy paste
- 1 clove Garlic
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsely, chopped
- 1 teaspoon TABASCO® Chipotle or to taste
Instructions
- Allow all frozen seafood to thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
- Make sauces the night before to allow the flavors to combine.
- Combine all Cocktail Sauce ingredients together and mix well. Store in a jar or covered container in the refrigerator.
- In a small food processor, combine Remoulade ingredients. Pulse to combine. You want it to have a texture like a tartar sauce, do not process until smooth. Store in a jar or covered container in the refrigerator.
- In a small skillet, heat all ingredients for the Cowboy Butter for 2-3 minutes over medium to allow the garlic to cook and flavors to infuse. Store in a jar or covered container in the refrigerator, reheat just prior to serving.
- Oysters, Cooked Shrimp and Smoked Salmon will be prepared just before serving, keep them in the fridge.
- Scrub the clams and mussels and remove the mussel beards. Discard cracked shells and live shellfish that do not close when tapped. Cut crab legs at the joints, and check whether your crab and lobster are raw or already cooked before choosing a cooking method.
- Cook different seafood types in separate batches. For clams and mussels, bring the wine to a boil in a covered pot with a steamer basket; add water as needed to maintain steam without boiling dry. Add the shellfish once the pot is steaming, cover, and steam for 4–9 minutes, following CDC guidance. Discard any shells that do not open fully.
- Cook raw lobster and raw crab until the thickest meat reaches 145°F; timing depends on the size and cut. Already-cooked crab or lobster does not need the same cooking time—follow the package directions. Do not rely on one eight-minute timer for a mixed pot of seafood.
- Cool cooked seafood promptly using a clean ice bath, drain well, and refrigerate in covered shallow containers. Prepare it up to 24 hours ahead and keep chilled until assembly.
- Fill your 3 tier tower with ice. Arrange chilled (cooked seafood) and sauces.
- If serving raw oysters, shuck them close to serving and arrange on their own leakproof dish over ice. Add lemon wedges and fresh dill. Keep the raw shellfish separate from cooked seafood and serve the cowboy butter warm.
Notes
Use your favorite combination of seafood; serving amounts and cooking times vary with the size and whether it is purchased raw or already cooked. Allow additional time for thawing and chilling. Keep seafood at 40°F or below over ice, and refrigerate promptly. Discard seafood left above refrigerator temperature for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour when the air temperature exceeds 90°F. Nutrition varies widely with your seafood choices and how much sauce is served, so a single nutrition calculation is not provided.