Quick Seafood Gratin in Air Fryer – Delicious Appetizer
A refined and quick appetizer with seafood in creamy sauce and golden crust, cooked in Air Fryer.
Steps
- 1
Preheat Air Fryer to 180°C (350°F).
- 2
Divide mixed seafood evenly among four ramekins. Add cooking cream, minced garlic, salt, and pepper.
- 3
Sprinkle grated cheese and breadcrumbs on top.
- 4
Cook in Air Fryer for 10 minutes, until top is golden and bubbling.
Shopping list
300g mixed seafood (shrimp, scallops, mussels), 20 cl heavy cream (about 3/4 cup), 1 garlic clove, 40g grated cheese (about 1/4 cup), 1 tbsp fine breadcrumbs, salt and pepper
Recipe story
In the 18th century, at the royal courts of France, chefs invented sophisticated gratins to impress the nobility, combining fresh seafood with a creamy sauce and a golden crust. This modern recipe, reinterpreted for the Air Fryer, preserves the essence of those lavish banquets.
Ingredient Secrets
Black pepper
Known as 'black gold' in antiquity, pepper was so valuable that it served as currency and tribute. In the Middle Ages, Venetian merchants controlled the pepper trade, and individual peppercorns were often counted. Legend has it that when Alaric, king of the Visigoths, demanded tribute from Rome, he included 3,000 pounds of pepper.
Sea salt
Sea salt, extracted from ocean waters by evaporation, was one of the most precious goods of antiquity, used both as food and as currency. In ancient Rome, soldiers were paid with salt, which is the origin of the word 'salary'. Salt roads connected entire civilizations, and in the Middle Ages, salt was so valuable it was called 'white gold'.
Garlic
Native to Central Asia, garlic was already known in ancient Egypt, where it was given to slaves to boost their strength. In ancient Greece, athletes consumed it before competitions, and in Rome, legionaries considered it essential for courage. During the Middle Ages, it was used to ward off vampires and the plague.
Cloves
Cloves, the dried buds of the exotic Syzygium aromaticum tree, were one of the most prized spices of the ancient world, often called 'aromatic gold'. In the Middle Ages, Venetian merchants controlled the clove trade, bringing them from the Maluku Islands, the only place they grew, and selling them at exorbitant prices in Europe.
Mint
In ancient Rome, mint was so valued that students wore wreaths of its leaves to stimulate their minds, and guests received fresh sprigs as a sign of hospitality. Legend has it that the goddess Minerva transformed the nymph Mentha into a fragrant plant, giving birth to mint.
