Grilled Seafood Salad
Insalata di Mare
Region: Italy
Category: Seafood-Grilled
Season: Summer
Difficulty: Labor Intensive

This is quite an appetizing preparation, although it's labor intensive and requires your attention since all the seafood requires different cooking times.  After grilling, the shrimp are a startling orange, the squid is golden, the octopus is lavender, the clams white and the mussels yellow.  It's all very beautiful and tastes even better.  Both squid and octopus are usually sold already cleaned.  For turning purposes and the fact they require different cooking times, it's easier to skewer the shrimp, the tentacles of the squid, and the squid bodies.

[photo: Clifford A. Wright]

Yield: Makes 6 servings
Preparation Time: 2:30 hours

1 fresh octopus (about 2 pounds) or baby octopus, cleaned if necessary

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

24 mussels, scrubbed and bearded just before cooking

24 littleneck clams, scrubbed

24 small squid (about 2 pounds), cleaned

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Four to eight 10-inch wooden skewers

24 medium shrimp in the shell

1 to 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1. Put the octopus in a pot and cover with cold water and the vinegar.  Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer, covered, until the octopus is firm and the skin a deep purple, about 1 1/2 hours for a whole octopus of 2 pounds and 45 minutes for baby octopus.  Drain and wash well in cold water.  Peel off the skin and push out the “beak” at the center where all the tentacles meet if that hasnt been done already.

2. Prepare a hot charcoal fire or preheat a gas grill for 15 minutes on high. 

3. Stir 1/2 cup olive oil, garlic, and parsley together.  Save a couple of pinches of chopped parsley to garnish the serving platter later.

4. Place the whole precooked octopus on the grill and cook, basting with the olive oil mixture, until golden brown with crusty lavender edges,  8 to 10 minutes.  Remove and cut-up the octopus into bite-size pieces (leave the baby octopus whole).

5. Place the mussels and clams on the grill and close the cover.  Grill until the shellfish open, 20 or less for the mussels and up to 40 minutes for the clams.  They will all open at different times so it's best to keep a close eye on them, especially the jussels which can overcook and whither easily.  Remove from the grill and cool.  Remove the shellfish from their shells and set aside.

6. Brush the squid and their tentacles with the olive oil mixture, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and place on the grill.  Cook, turning and basting with the olive oil mixture, until golden, about 20 minutes.  Remove, cool, and slice into rings.

7. Skewer the shrimp in their shells and brush with the olive oil mixture.  Place on the grill and cook on one side for 8 minutes.  Remove, lightly crush with a mallet or rolling pin, and grill until golden orange, another 8 minutes.  Remove the skewers and shells.  Set aside.

8. Toss all the seafood in a large bowl with the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil and lemon juice to taste and add salt and pepper to taste.  Arrange all the seafood attractively on a platter and sprinkle the reserved parsley on top.  Serve at room temperature.

Variation: 

Note: 

Posted: 01/02/2007