「Mariscos a La Plancha」

Grilled seafood on a hot steel plate. Fresh, beautiful colors and an incredible flavor!

I guess almost every typical cuisine from all around the world has some type of hot plate grill as a cooking tool … but somehow I associated this specific grilled seafood recipe the most with Spanish cuisine. I fell in love with this particular version of the dish, so let’s talk today about seafood a la plancha!

In Spanish language, planchas are a type of flattop grill made of a round and thick plate of metal. You can cook simultaneously many ingredients at different temperatures because the scorching heat is mainly at the centre of the plate. This cooking tool was heavily inspired by the Aztecs, who used to cook corn dough with a circular clay griddle.

The meaning of A la plancha comes then from the method of cooking with a griddle/hot plate without direct fire. A la plancha style allows high-temperature searing and not much smoking. That structure helps keeping the ingredients on the top slightly crispy outside while sealing in the juices… The insides will be rare and super tender. Yum.

The main difference between this and other similar recipes is the seasoning mix of parsley, paprika, garlic, lemon and olive oil. This fragrant combination grants the dish some great visuals and a delightful flavor!

1. 200g of assorted seafood: shrimp, squid, octopus, clams, lobster
2. 2tsp of smoked paprika
3. 4 garlic clove, chopped
4. 6tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
5. bunch of fresh parsley
6. Juice of 1 lemon
7. Salt and black pepper

1. Clean and prepare the seafood.
2. Combine the seasonings in a bowl. If you are using clams, split the seasonings proportionally.
3. Combine the seasonings with the seafood, except the clams.
4. Using a hot iron plate or a large frying pan, cook the clams until they open. Combine the remaining seasoning mix with the clams.
5. Grill the remaining ingredients until done.
6. Drizzle the mixture with olive oil and serve the dish.

This is a simple recipe but in order to have the best results, fresh ingredients are fundamental.

A la plancha is a high-temperature and quick cooking method, so careful to not overcook your seafood! For instance, grill your shrimp until it turn pink with a slightly brown shell, scallops should be removed when they start to look opaque.