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Shrimp and Calamari Salad with Crispy Vegetables
Shrimp and Calamari Salad with Crispy Vegetables is a very easy and fresh Italian seafood salad, rich in flavors, textures and colors.Insalata di Mare (Seafood Salad) is a classic of Italian cuisine. Of course, there are many variations under this name. For example, the classic octopus and potato salad is a seafood salad.It depends on the type of fish used and the vegetables combined. We give you a very simple seafood salad recipe, with few but really delicious ingredients, which is great both cold and hot.
Ingredients
- 600 g calamari 1 ⅓ pound
- 400 g shrimp ~ 1 pound
- 2 lemons
- 2 carrots
- 2 celery stalks
- salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon parsley chopped
- black pepper freshly ground, to taste
- 50 ml olive oil ~3 tablespoons, extra virgin
Instructions
- Bring about 2 liters (8 ½ cups) of water to a boil in a pot. Add half a tablespoon of coarse salt and the juice of one medium lemon. When the water comes to a boil, add the cleaned calamari and wait 3 minutes for it to come back to a boil.
- At the end of the 3 minutes, add the shrimp and cook for 1 to 2 minutes maximum. Drain and set aside. (READ NOTE BELOW)
- Prepare the vegetables. Wash the carrots and celery. Peel and remove the strands.
- Cut the celery into rounds and the carrots into sticks that are not too thin so that they remain crisp.
- Cut the squid into fairly thin rings. You can cut the shrimp into two or three pieces or leave them whole. It depends on your preference and the size of the shrimp.
- Combine the fish and vegetables in a bowl. Choose a large bowl so you can easily toss and mix the seafood salad.
- Season with extra virgin olive oil and the juice of a medium lemon. Mix thoroughly.
- Add a little salt, pepper and chopped fresh parsley. Mix again. I recommend preparing the salad at least one hour in advance and keeping it in the refrigerator. This gives the fish a chance to marinate in the dressing, making it even more flavorful and tender.
Notes
BEFORE YOU START! You can use fresh or frozen calamari and shrimp. If you use frozen fish, remember to defrost it in the refrigerator for a few hours before using it.
You can buy already cleaned calamari and shrimps or ask your fishmonger to clean them for you. Sometimes, however, you may need to clean the squid and shrimp yourself before cooking them. If this is your case, read carefully the paragraphs after the recipe instructions, "How to Clean Calamari" and "How to Clean Shrimp".
We start to show you how to make this seafood salad assuming that CALAMARI AND SHRIMPS ARE ALREADY CLEANED.
STEP 1# NOTE: Cooking time is very important. Calamari should take about 5 minutes to cook in boiling water. Of course, this depends on the size of the calamari, which can be very large. We used medium sized squid (about 12-15 cm/4-6 inches without tentacles). Prick the calamari with a fork and check the tenderness of the flesh. If more minutes pass, the squid meat will tend to harden. To regain its tenderness, you will have to cook it much longer (at least 40 minutes) and lose its flavor. For shrimp, cooking for 1-2 minutes is really enough.
Nutrition
Serving: 100gCalories: 355kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 45gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 511mgSodium: 224mgPotassium: 863mgFiber: 3gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 5331IUVitamin C: 39mgCalcium: 146mgIron: 2mg
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