Insalata di Mare

The story

Insalata di Mare is rooted in Coastal regions throughout Italy. Insalata di mare is a broad Italian coastal preparation rather than a single recipe belonging to one town. It brings together gently cooked shellfish and seafood, usually dressed with olive oil, lemon and parsley, with the exact mixture changing according to local catch and season. It is famous for tasting clean and maritime rather than heavy. The key is cooking each type of seafood only as long as it needs, then using a bright dressing that supports squid, prawns, mussels or octopus without masking them. Seafood salads are common in coastal antipasti and are especially at home in festive meals and summer dining. They express a practical regional principle: when seafood is fresh, preparation should preserve its texture and natural sweetness.

Ingredients

• Main
• 200 g cleaned octopus600 g cleaned octopus
• 83.33 g squid250 g squid, cleaned and sliced
• 83.33 g raw prawns250 g raw prawns, peeled
• 0.33 piece celery stick1 celery stick, finely sliced
• 0.33 piece carrot1 small carrot, finely diced
• 0.33 piece garlic clove1 garlic clove, lightly crushed
• 1.33 tbsp olive oil4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 0.67 tbsp lemon juice2 tbsp lemon juice
• 0.33 tbsp white wine vinegar1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 5 g flat-leaf parsley15 g flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 0.33 tsp sea salt1 tsp fine sea salt
• to taste to taste black pepperblack pepper

Method

1. Cook octopus

   Simmer octopus gently in salted water until tender.

   Look for: A knife should slide in with slight resistance. Tip: Let it cool in the water. Avoid: Boiling hard toughens octopus.

2. Cook squid

   Blanch squid for 60–90 seconds until just opaque.

   Look for: Squid should be tender and springy. Tip: Short cooking is key. Avoid: Overcooking turns it rubbery.

3. Cook prawns

   Poach prawns for 2 minutes until pink.

   Look for: Prawns should curl and turn pink. Tip: Drain immediately. Avoid: Do not leave them in hot water.

4. Cut seafood

   Slice octopus into bite-sized pieces and combine all seafood.

   Look for: Pieces should be similar in size. Tip: Keep it neat. Avoid: Large chunks make uneven bites.

5. Dress

   Whisk oil, lemon, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper; toss with seafood and vegetables.

   Look for: Dressing should taste bright and savoury. Tip: Remove garlic before serving if strong. Avoid: Do not drown the seafood.

6. Rest

   Rest 30 minutes, then add parsley.

   Look for: Flavours should settle without tasting tired. Tip: Serve cool, not icy. Avoid: Adding parsley too early dulls it.

Nutrition

per serving

Estimated from the exact ingredient measures in the recipe text. Validate with your preferred nutrition calculator before publishing.