Aromatic basmati rice infused with a rich prawn stock and a vivacious scent of ceylon cinnamon, cloves and green cardamom all swaddle this luxurious take on a simple, mildly spiced pilaf. A pilaf is completely different from a biryani. The pilaf is a lightly spiced rice dish that is usually accompanied by gravy and other side dishes whereas a biryani is one where the meat is layered with par cooked basmati rice and cooked together. Most biryanis are also more heavily spiced and are the star dish in a wedding banquet. Despite this dish being a simple pilaf, I used lobster, mussels, tiger prawns to create a spectacular one pot dinner party. Just imagine the reactions of your guests when you remove the lid of your beautiful Le Creuset pot to reveal the succulent seafood and the fragrant embrace of the spiced rice. It is sure to excite any seafood lover. By using just prawns, this could can also easily be scaled down to become an everyday dish. Either ways, it is such an aromatic and welcoming pot of comfort. The perfumed, seafood flavoured rice alone is enough reason for you to make this dish. Simply sensational, if I may say so myself!

One of my pet peeves is overcooked, chewy lobster and prawns- such a ridiculous waste of beautiful seafood that should instead have been bursting with the natural sweetness and flavours of the sea. And when the main ingredients are already flavourful, it almost seems blasphemous to overwhelm them with too many spices and what nots. So in a moment of greed and an epiphany over my kitchen sink after a night of straining a batch of my rich prawn stock ,I thought why not create a light pilaf that highlights the gorgeousness of good seafood using this stock, which I then was desperately squeezing every ounce out from.

It is not often that I have such well formed sentences as thoughts, especially in the dead of the night, and so I took it as a sign from the Gods of Gastronomy. First, the choice of spices that form the foundations of this dish. As with any indian-inspired pilaf, ghee fried red onions are a must and to add a subtle sweet, woody note – ceylon cinnamon (true cinnamon), sweet, bitter and peppery notes from cloves and floral, sweet and pungent taste of green cardamom. The combination of these sweet and strong flavours complement and contrast nicely with the seafood, especially the prawns and lobster. If you’re unable to the different seafood varieties I’ve used here, fleshy tiger prawns are equally as sumptuous. I chose seafood according to their sizes so that they’ll cook evenly together. For this reason, I cut the lobster tail in half.

Pilaf and Le Creuset French Oven Cooking tips

I soak the basmati rice in water for about 45-60 minutes to allow the grains to fluff up perfectly when cooked and this also reduces their cooking time. The seafood is added right almost at the end so that they cook in the residual steam of the pilaf. The tight, heavy lid of my Le Creuset Oval French Oven ensures that most of the moisture from the rice remains sealed so that even after you lift the lid to  quickly arrange the seafood, there’s enough moisture from the rice and the seafood to perfectly cook all the seafood. A final drizzle of prawn stock around the edges ensures there is sufficient moisture all round. You could use any Le Creuset French Oven to achieve perfectly cooked, fluffy rice grains and prawns.If you’ve followed my Instagram stories, you’ll know that I use my Le Creuset French Ovens to cooked all my pilafs and biriyanis as I’ve noticed that the bottom never gets burnt even though the dishes are slow cooked on the stove top over low flame for a long time. Their lovely colours and excellent heat retention makes them perfect for serving during a dinner party. I simply adore how festive my Ultimate Seafood Pilaf looks in my Cherry Red Oval French Pot!

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