Chilled Seafood Salad With Herbed Olive Oil And Sea Salt

CHILLED SEAFOOD SALAD WITH HERBED OLIVE OIL AND SEA SALT

Steps:

• Remove flaps from squid sacs if attached, reserving them, and cut sacs crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick rings. Cut reserved flaps into 1/4-inch-thick strips and halve tentacles lengthwise if large. Remove tough muscle from side of each scallop if necessary.
• Have ready a large bowl of ice and cold water. In a large saucepan of boiling salted water cook shrimp 1 minute, or until pink and just cooked through, and transfer with a slotted spoon to ice water to stop cooking.
• Add scallops to boiling water and cook at a bare simmer 2 minutes, or until just cooked through. Transfer scallops with slotted spoon to ice water to stop cooking.
• Add squid to boiling water and cook 20 to 30 seconds, or until just opaque. Drain squid in a colander and transfer to ice water to stop cooking.
• Drain seafood well in colander and transfer to a bowl. Chill seafood, covered, until cold, at least 2 hours, and up to 1 day.
• Make herbed oil:
• In a blender blend together herbed oil ingredients on high speed 1 minute. Pour oil through a fine sieve into a bowl, pressing hard on solids, and discard solids. Herbed oil may be made 2 days ahead and chilled, covered. One hour before serving, toss seafood with lemon slices and lemon juice. Divide seafood among 12 bowls and drizzle with herbed oil. Sprinkle salads with sea salt and serve additional sea salt on the side.

CHILLED ITALIAN SEAFOOD SALAD

Steps:

• For the calamari: Combine the calamari and buttermilk in a large glass container. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Drain and rinse. Transfer to a mixing bowl and set aside.
• For the Venetian vinaigrette: Combine the vinegar, garlic, lemon zest and juice in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk in the oil slowly to emulsify. Once thickened, whisk in the parsley, cilantro, oregano and scallions. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate in an airtight container until ready for use (or up to 48 hours).
• For the court bouillon: Place 12 cups cold water, the celery, carrot, onion, parsley, thyme, bay leaves, chili, lemon and black peppercorns into a large stockpot fitted with a fine mesh colander attachment. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Poach by placing the calamari and the shrimp into the colander and simmering until the calamari is firm and the shrimp is pink, about 3 minutes. Remove to a mixing bowl and set aside. Poach the clams until the shells open, 4 to 6 minutes.
• Transfer the clams to the already poached shellfish, discarding any unopened shells. Add the sliced tomato to the shellfish. Toss with two-thirds of the vinaigrette, season and refrigerate until chilled, about 10 minutes.
• For the salad: Gently toss the arugula and fennel in a large mixing bowl with the remaining vinaigrette to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a large serving dish. Arrange the marinated seafood atop the salad. Garnish with the diced tomatoes, scallions, lemon wedges and fennel fronds around the platter.

ITALIAN SEAFOOD SALAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, whisk together lemon zest, juice, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and garlic. Whisk in oil and chopped parsley.
• Meanwhile, in a large pot, bring 4 quarts water, 6 tablespoons sugar, and 1/4 cup salt to a boil. Add squid and blanch until just tender, 30 seconds. Using a slotted spoon or a spider, transfer squid to an ice bath to stop cooking. Once cool, drain squid and lay on paper towels to dry; transfer to bowl with dressing.
• Return water to a boil. Add shrimp, stir once, cover, and remove from heat. Let stand 3 minutes; using a slotted spoon, remove to a plate to cool slightly; pat dry and transfer to bowl with squid. Return water to a boil and add mussels, reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer until mussels open, 3 to 5 minutes (discard any unopened mussels). Drain and transfer to a plate to cool. Remove all but 10 mussels from their shells and add to bowl with seafood. Reserve mussels in shell for serving.
• Toss dressed seafood with fennel, bell pepper, celery, crab, and parsley leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately, with reserved mussels and lemon wedges, or store, covered, in the refrigerator, for up to 8 hours.