Ingredients:
1 bag of frozen calamari, thawed (or about one pound of fresh)
1/2 pound of crab/lobster meat
1 pound of medium shrimp (cooked)
half of the bulb of fresh sweet anise (optional)
red peppers in oil (about 1 piece, just to add color)
handful of olives (your choice)
3 sticks of celery
cup of each fresh parsley and basil, chopped
4 tablespoons of white champagne vinegar
1/2 cup of olive oil (more if desired, based on the weight of seafood used)
2 cloves of garlic
juice from half a lemon
salt and pepper
Clean calamari and chop into small pieces, tails to short pieces, bodies to rings. In a large pan bring water to boil, add salt and throw in calamari for just a 30-45 seconds – cooks al dente. Fish them out and throw in ice bath to chill instantly. This way they stay nice a crisp, instead of overcooked chewy style.
In the salad bowl mix chopped celery, chopped crab/lobster meat, cooked shrimp, finely chopped anise (or use mandolin to get thin slices), chilled pieces of calamari rings and tentacles, chopped red peppers, celery sticks cut into thin rings and sliced olives.
Dressing:
In a food processor mix garlic, parsley and basil leaves. Pulse and start adding olive oil, lemon juice and vinegar while processor is running. Season with salt and pepper if desired. You can taste and sweeten a slightly, if desired. Mix with the salad, toss everything together and serve chilled.
Wine pairing suggestion:
To match this delicious seafood salad, I picked delicious Italian white wine from Veneto, made by Inama family – Soave Classico “Foscarino”. The complexity of this wine totally blended with the salad and together created a symphony of lovely flavors….
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