Description
Ina Garten’s seafood salad brings Mediterranean flavors to dinner tables with fresh ingredients. Crisp vegetables and tender seafood create a light, zesty meal perfect for summer gatherings when you want something elegant and refreshing.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 pounds fresh mussels
- 1 pound sea scallops, halved crosswise
- 1 ½ pounds (16- to 20-count) peeled and deveined shrimp
- 1 pound cleaned fresh calamari, sliced crosswise in ½-inch-thick rings
- 1 ½ cups dry white wine
- ½ cup good olive oil
- ½ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, lightly packed
- 4 tsps minced garlic (4 cloves)
- 3 plum tomatoes, seeds and pulp removed and medium-diced
- 1 small fennel bulb, trimmed, cored, and thinly sliced crosswise
- ½ cup limoncello liqueur
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
- 2 lemons
- Grated zest of 1 lemon
- 2 tsps dried oregano
- 1 tbsp Old Bay seasoning
- ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Poaching Preparation: Fill a large pot with water, seasoning with Old Bay and salt to create a flavorful poaching liquid.
- Seafood Cooking Sequence: Systematically poach shrimp, scallops, calamari, and mussels in the seasoned liquid, carefully transferring each type of seafood to a mixing bowl after precise cooking times. Extract mussel meat and reserve 12 decorative shells.
- Liquid Reduction: Strain and reserve 120 milliliters of the poaching liquid, ensuring seafood is thoroughly drained.
- Aromatic Dressing Creation: In a sauté pan, warm olive oil and bloom garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes to release their essential oils. Add diced tomatoes, reserved poaching liquid, limoncello, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper, simmering briefly to harmonize flavors.
- Salad Assembly: Gently coat the seafood with the warm dressing, carefully integrating thinly sliced fennel and chopped parsley. Incorporate lemon slices and refrigerate for a minimum of 3 hours to allow flavors to meld.
- Final Preparation: Before serving, season with additional salt and pepper, squeeze fresh lemon juice, and adjust flavors to taste. Serve chilled or at room temperature, presenting the seafood salad with a vibrant, Mediterranean-inspired profile.
Notes
- Seafood Selection Matters: Choose fresh, high-quality seafood from a reliable fishmonger to ensure the best flavor and texture in your salad.
- Precise Poaching Technique: Cook each seafood type separately to prevent overcooking and maintain individual texture, creating a perfectly tender result.
- Flavor Infusion Strategy: Allow the salad to marinate for at least 3 hours to develop deep, complex flavors that blend the seafood with the aromatic dressing.
- Serving Temperature Tip: The salad tastes best when served chilled or at room temperature, allowing the delicate seafood and herb notes to shine through.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Appetizer, Snacks
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 450 mg
- Fat: 25 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 20 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 10 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 25 g
- Cholesterol: 150 mg