This type of salad is popular in Italian cuisine and no wonder! It's a glorious, tasty, and fancy looking salad, not difficult to prepare and a special treat to eat either during Christmas Eve celebrations or during Christmas Day celebrations.
The salad contains lots of steps but it's not difficult to make. The best way to go about preparing it is to have all the ingredients ready and take it a step at a time. My list is given in the order that the ingredients should be prepared, from the ones that take the longest to the ones that should be made as the salad is ready to be served.
I hope you enjoy my version of Italian seafood salad.
Ingredients:
for the seafood:
1 1/2 pounds (16- to 20-count) peeled and deveined shrimp
1 1/2 pounds scallops
1 pound cleaned fresh calamari
2 pounds fresh mussels
for the salad:
1 fennel bulb sliced crosswise into thin strips
4 celery stalks, chopped
1 shallot, peeled and chopped
green and black olives drained and rinsed
a handful of caper berries drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon capers, drained and rinsed
fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, about half a bunch, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped dill
freshly ground black pepper to taste
lemon slices for serving
some olive oil for topping the salad before serving
- for tenderising the calamari:
- 2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
- 2 teaspoons of sugar
- juice of one lemon
for the poaching liquid
3 bay leaves
3 cloves garlic cut in half
peel of one lemon
1 red onion peeled and cut into quarters
3 stalks of celery with leaves, cut the celery into large chunks
a few stems of parsley
a few stems of thyme
about 10 peppercorns
1 cup white wine
2 cups clam juice
for the salad dressing
about 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 cloves garlic, chopped well
Grated zest of 1 lemon
juice of two lemons
juice one lime
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
some of the poaching liquid
- for those who find calamari to be a little tough, there is a way to tenderise it prior to cooking so that it has a softer taste. Tenderising the calamari will have to be done first as it takes the longest. Prepare it about three to four hours before you begin cooking the salad.
- Place the cleaned, washed, uncooked calamari into a bowl that has a lid.
- Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of bicarbonate of soda on top of the calamari.
- Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of sugar on top of the calamari.
- Finish up by pouring the juice of one lemon over the bicarbonate and the sugar. The mixture will begin to fizz.
- Gently shake the bowl to mix the ingredients. Cover and store in the refrigerator for about three to four hours.
- When time is up, remove the bowl from the refrigerator and rinse the calamari which by now will be tenderised and ready to cook.
- Once rinsed, set the calamari aside as you prepare the mussels.
for the mussels:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 sprigs parsley
a sprig of thyme
one cup of white wine
small pinch of sea salt
a small amount of freshly ground black pepper
Scrub the mussels clean and remove any beards protruding from their shells. Discard the mussels with opened or broken shells. Soak the good mussels in cold water for about fifteen minutes. This will clean off any remaining sand. Rinse them once or twice more and prepare to steam them.
Into a large saucepan heat the two tablespoons of olive oil along with the two tablespoons of butter.
Add the chopped onion and the chopped garlic. Sauté for about two minutes.
Add the parsley, thyme, and wine.
Bring the wine to a boil, add the mussels and sprinkle a small pinch of sea salt and a little black pepper over the mussels.
Cover the saucepan and let the mussels steam for about four minutes. Once they have opened, remove the saucepan lid, allow the mussels to cool, then remove them from their shells. Discard the shells, place the mussel meat into a bowl and set the bowl aside.
The broth remaining in the pan can be added to the poaching liquid that will be used for the rest of the seafood.
making the poaching liquid:
Add all the ingredients for the poaching liquid into a large Dutch oven. You may also want to add the liquid leftover from cooking the mussels.
Bring to a boil and add the seafood in turns:
Wash the shrimp and add it, let cook for three minutes, then remove to a bowl and let cool.
Wash the scallops and add them to the liquid. Let cook for three minutes, then remove to a bowl and let cool.
Make sure the calamari is washed well and add it to the poaching liquid. The calamari will be sliced into rings once it's cooked and has cooled to the touch. Let cook for three minutes, then remove.
Use the poaching liquid to cook any other seafood you may want to add. This can include a lobster tail or lobster claw meat, or shelled clam meat which is readily available around Christmas time. You could add salt cod or fresh cod as well.
If eating this salad for Greek Lent, it will not always be appropriate to include cod. Shellfish is a safe bet but check with a religious calendar to find out if bony fish is allowed.
All the seafood should be removed from the poaching liquid and allowed to cool. Do not overcook it. Three to four minutes maximum cooking time per type of fish is perfect.
preparing the salad vegetables and the salad itself:
The list for the salad vegetables is given above. Mix all of them well. Mix all the seafood and combine it with the vegetables. Toss gently.
prepare the salad dressing:
So easy to do! All the ingredients are given in the ingredients list. Have them ready and combine all of them except for the parsley and dill. Whisk them well and your salad dressing will be ready!
lemon slices for serving!
Pour the salad dressing on top of the seafood salad. Mix and keep in the refrigerator for about four hours or overnight. The salad is to be served cold.
When ready to serve, place the salad onto a decorative platter, add the parsley and dill, toss and serve accompanied by lemon slices. Pour some extra virgin olive oil on top of the salad just before serving.
