Italian seafood salad, the classic cold fish starter
Italian seafood salad with octopus, squid, prawns and mussels, boiled and dressed cold with celery, lemon, parsley and olive oil. A fresh summer starter to make ahead.
Are you looking for the classic Italian seafood salad, the fresh and fragrant one that opens summer lunches without weighing you down?
Then this recipe is for you. I’ll walk you through, step by step, how to make a seafood salad with octopus, squid, prawns and mussels, boiled and then dressed cold with celery, lemon, parsley and a good olive oil. It is an elegant yet honest cold fish starter that brings everyone together and puts the taste of the sea on the table.
The beauty of this dish is that you prepare it calmly and ahead of time, and it has at least three real advantages: it is naturally gluten free, it is served cold so it does not keep you tied to the stove at the last minute, and it always makes an impression when you have guests. Cooking each shellfish and mollusc separately is the key: each one has its own timing, so nothing turns rubbery.
One detail that makes the difference: let the octopus cool in its own water so it stays tender, and keep a few mussels in the shell aside to garnish the plate. If you cannot find clams, you can simply leave them out without changing the spirit of the recipe.
Keep the salad covered in the fridge and let it take on flavor for at least an hour, even better from the day before. Take it out a few minutes before serving and finish with a drizzle of raw oil and a scattering of fresh parsley.
Ready? Let’s make the Italian seafood salad.
Steps
- Clean the seafood: gut the octopus and squid, remove the octopus eyes and beak and rinse everything under running water. Purge and clean the mussels and clams.
- In a pot with water, bay leaf, celery, carrot, a little white wine and vinegar, boil the octopus for 40-50 minutes until tender. In the last minutes cook the squid for about 5 minutes and the prawns for 1-2 minutes, then drain and cool.
- Separately, open the mussels and clams in a covered pan over high heat, then shell them, keeping a few whole for decoration. Strain the liquid if you want to use it.
- Cut the octopus into 2-3 cm pieces and the squid into rings. Combine all the seafood in a bowl with thinly sliced celery and carrot.
- Dress with lemon juice, oil, salt, pepper and chopped parsley. Toss and let it rest in the fridge for at least an hour before serving.
Helpful tips
The octopus stays tender if cooked over gentle heat and left to cool in its own water: do not rush it.
Do not overcook the prawns and squid: just a few minutes, otherwise they turn rubbery.
Dress it cold and let it rest in the fridge: the flavors blend and the dish improves.
It can be made the day before: handy and excellent as a summer starter or cold dish.
Average nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 220 kcal
- Carbohydrates
- 4.0 g
- Sugars
- 1.0 g
- Protein
- 30.0 g
- Fat
- 9.0 g
- Saturated fat
- 1.5 g
- Fiber
- 0.0 g
- Sodium
- 480 mg
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