Mediterranean Seafood Salad

ITALIAN SEAFOOD SALAD

Steps:

• Fill a large pot with 3 quarts of water and add the Old Bay seasoning and 1 tablespoon of salt. Bring to a boil, add the shrimp, lower the heat, and simmer for 3 minutes, until just firm. With a skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer the shrimp to a large bowl. Leave 2 cups of the poaching liquid in the pot and discard the rest.
• Add the wine to the poaching liquid and bring to a boil. Add the scallops, lower the heat, and simmer for 2 minutes, until just cooked. With the skimmer, transfer the scallops to the bowl with the shrimp. Bring the poaching liquid back to a boil, add the calamari, and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, until just cooked. Be careful not to overcook any of the seafood or it will be tough! With the skimmer, transfer the calamari to the bowl.
• Bring the poaching liquid to a boil again, add the mussels, cover, and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes, until all the shells have opened, discarding any that don't open. Turn off the heat and set aside until the mussels in the broth are cool enough to handle. Remove the mussels from the shells and add to the bowl. Add 12 of the shells to the seafood and discard the rest. Set aside 1/2 cup of the poaching liquid, discarding the rest. Drain the seafood in a colander and put it all back into the bowl.
• For the dressing, heat the olive oil in a medium (10-inch) saute pan over medium heat. Add the garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute. (Be careful: Overcooked garlic will be bitter.) Add the tomatoes and cook over medium heat for 2 more minutes. Add the reserved poaching liquid, the limoncello, lemon zest, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper and cook for 1 more minute. Pour the sauce over the seafood and toss gently. Add the fennel and parsley. Cut a lemon in half lengthwise, cut it thinly crosswise, and add it to the salad. Toss gently to combine and cover with plastic wrap. Chill for at least 3 hours or overnight.
• To serve, sprinkle with 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, and the juice of the remaining lemon. Taste for seasonings and serve cold or at room temperature.

MEDITERRANEAN SEAFOOD SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, and place pasta in a large bowl. Stir in crabmeat, celery, and olives. Mix in mayonnaise, Catalina dressing, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and Dijon. Stir in Cheddar cheese, cover, and chill at least 1 hour.

MEDITERRANEAN GREEK SALAD

Steps:

• In a large salad bowl, toss together the cucumbers, feta cheese, olives, roma tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, 2 tablespoons reserved sun-dried tomato oil, and red onion. Chill until serving.

MEDITERRANEAN SHRIMP SALAD IN A JAR

Steps:

• Cook orzo according to package directions. Drain; rinse with cold water and drain well. Combine orzo with Greek vinaigrette and herbs., In each of four 1-qt. wide-mouth canning jars, divide and layer ingredients in the following order: orzo mixture, shrimp, artichokes, red pepper, green pepper, red onion, Greek olives, feta cheese and arugula. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Transfer salads into bowls; toss to combine.

MEDITERRANEAN SHRIMP SALAD WITH CANNELLINI BEANS

Steps:

• Bring a medium size pot of water to a boil with the juice of 1 lemon plus the reserved lemon halves, white wine, fresh dill sprigs, bay leaves, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, and peppercorns. Add the frozen shrimp to the pot and turn off the heat. Poach the shrimp in the liquid until they turn pink and are cooked through, then strain and discard the lemons, bay leaves, peppercorns and dill sprigs. Set aside to cool.
• Meanwhile, combine the olive oil, lemon zest and juice of the last lemon, champagne vinegar, garlic, whole grain mustard, half of the chopped dill, and remaining teaspoon kosher salt and the freshly ground pepper in a small bowl or glass jar with a lid. Whisk or shake well.
• Add the shrimp and beans to a large bowl and toss with half of the dressing then let sit to absorb the flavors for 10 minutes or so. Add the arugula, halved tomatoes, and red onion and toss with more dressing to taste. Season with more kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste and sprinkle with more fresh dill. Serve chilled.

MEDITERRANEAN SHRIMP AND ORZO SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the orzo until tender. Drain, rinse under cold water, drain again and transfer to a large bowl. Add the tomatoes, feta, 1/4 cup oil, dill, cucumbers, onions, lemon zest and juice, and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper.
• Sprinkle the shrimp with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp to the skillet and cook, stirring, until the shrimp are no longer pink, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and sprinkle the shrimp with a little lemon juice. Add the shrimp to the orzo and toss. Taste the salad and season with more salt and pepper if desired.

MEDITERRANEAN SALAD WITH SHRIMP

Steps:

• Thaw shrimp, shell and remove tails. Heat oil in skillet, add garlic and hot pepper flakes. Saute shrimp until opaque. Set aside in serving bowl.
• Combine all salad ingredients. Toss with dressing (use purchased dressing, or try one of many excellent 'Zaar choices). Serve immediately, topping with shrimp.
• You may want to reduce the amount of dressing used, or put less salt in if making from scratch - the olives and feta add saltiness.
• Grilled shrimp are very nice.

MEDITERRANEAN SHRIMP SALAD

Steps:

• Prepare your Shrimp- I know that shrimp can come in a can, but please do not use canned shrimp for this salad. I buy fresh shrimp right at the Seafood counter of my local grocery and in this case, to make it easy, buy the peeled and deveined shrimp. Toss a little bit of olive oil and about a 1/2 a tablespoon of butter right in your pan and saute your shrimp till cooked. The shrimp turn the glossy uncooked color to white once ready. Do not overcook. My shrimp took approximately 6 minutes to saute. [mv_img id="7412"]
• Put shrimp in fridge to cool down
• Chop your veggies - First you need to peel your avocados and then chop down your avocados and tomatoes into bites. You can really adjust the level of bite you like to tiny bits or large chunks. I like to change it up depending on what I am serving this salad for. If its a side salad, i like the smaller bits of veggies but if I am serving as a meal, I like bigger bites[mv_img id="7413"]
• Pull your shrimp out of fridge and remove tails. You can easily slide tails off if you pay attention with how they are on and this reserves a lot of shrimp meat. If you cut the tales off, you are missing extra shrimp. It doesn't take too long to take the tails off, just a few extra minutes.
• Chop your shrimp down into bites, I usually cut each shrimp into 3 pieces[mv_img id="7414"]
• In a separate bowl, add your lemon juice, olive oil and spices
• Combine your veggies and shrimp into one bowl
• Pour your olive oil mixture of your salad and stir
• Add optional fresh cilantro- I would not add dried herbs to this salad
• Season with salt and pepper[mv_img id="7415"]

MEDITERRANEAN SHRIMP ORZO SALAD

Steps:

• Cook orzo according to package directions. Drain; rinse with cold water and drain well., In a large bowl, combine orzo, shrimp, vegetables, olives and herbs. Add vinaigrette; toss to coat. Refrigerate, covered, until serving.