Italian Shrimp and Calamari Salad
An Italian-style insalata di mare with separately poached shrimp and calamari, crunchy celery and carrot, and lemon-parsley dressing. Twelve illustrated steps, served chilled.
This simplified insalata di mare uses two types of seafood: peeled shrimp and cleaned squid tubes cut into rings. Each is poached separately so it can be lifted out as soon as it is cooked. Celery and carrot stay raw for crunch, while lemon, olive oil, garlic and parsley provide a light dressing.
The recipe makes four starter portions and is deliberately limited to 12 illustrated steps. Related vegetable preparation and final additions share steps to keep the method within that limit. Allow about 1 hour 30 minutes, including rapid cooling and at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator. This is an Italian-style variation, not a claim that every regional seafood salad uses the same ingredients.
Why you’ll love this recipe
Cooking shrimp and calamari separately avoids holding the quicker piece in the pot while waiting for the other. Rapid cooling stops residual cooking and prepares the seafood for a cold salad. The lemon-and-oil dressing coats the drained seafood without a mayonnaise base, and adding crisp raw vegetables after cooling keeps their texture.
Before you start · Equipment
Kitchen scale, separate seafood and vegetable boards, sharp knife, citrus juicer, fine grater, small dressing bowl, whisk, 3 litre saucepan, slotted spoon, fine-tip instant-read thermometer, two shallow heatproof bowls, larger ice-water tray, clean covers and refrigerator thermometer.
Everything you’ll need.
Get your ingredients ready, then follow the quantities in the recipe below.
See ingredient amounts
This guide describes the original 4 starter portions. Use the recipe card for amounts adjusted to your chosen yield.
An Italian-style seafood starter
This simplified insalata di mare uses shrimp and calamari rather than a large mix of shellfish. Crunchy celery, carrot and parsley accompany a lemon-and-oil dressing; there is no mayonnaise or pasta.
Keep the preparation separate
Raw seafood stays on its own board and in separate covered bowls. Ready-to-eat vegetables, dressing and cooked seafood need clean tools and containers. Thaw frozen seafood in the refrigerator.
Cook each seafood on its own
Calamari and shrimp can finish at different speeds. Poach them in separate batches and lift out as soon as each is fully cooked. A thermometer and the stated opacity cues matter more than a fixed timer.
Cool outside an ice bath
The ice water surrounds the bowls; it does not touch the seafood. Shallow layers and a short ice bath cool efficiently without diluting the salad. Keep cold once cooled.
Toss without extra toppings
The measured parsley goes through the salad, while garlic, salt and pepper go in the dressing. There are no reserved lemon wedges, extra herbs or additional oil to change the ingredient totals.
Serve chilled and keep the cold chain
Chill the dressed salad until cold throughout. The 24 hour leftover recommendation is a cautious home-storage choice, not a shelf-life test. Never leave seafood sitting out beyond the stated time limits.
About the ingredients
- Shrimp
Weigh 300 g raw edible shrimp after peeling, deveining and removing the tails. Raw and already-cooked shrimp are not interchangeable in this poaching method.
- Calamari
Use 300 g raw fully cleaned squid tubes, cut into 1 cm rings. Tentacles, skin, cartilage and innards are excluded from the weight and photographs.
- Crunchy vegetables
All 150 g celery and 100 g peeled carrot remain raw. Cut thinly so they are pleasant alongside tender seafood. No salad greens or tomatoes are added.
- Lemon dressing
All 30 g oil, 50 g lemon juice, 4 g garlic, 3 g salt and 1 g pepper are retained. The poaching water is unsalted and discarded. Lemon does not make raw seafood safe.
- Parsley and serving
All 15 g chopped parsley is mixed in, not an extra unmeasured garnish. Four starter portions include the entire dressing. Contains crustacean shellfish and molluscs.
How to make Italian Shrimp and Calamari Salad
Prepare seafood and vegetables separately. Add oil, lemon and seasonings to a dressing bowl. Poach calamari and shrimp separately in plain water, drain and cool rapidly in shallow bowls over an external ice bath. Combine with vegetables, parsley and dressing, chill, then serve four starters.
1. Prepare the seafood
2. Prepare the vegetables and aromatics
3. Add the olive oil
4. Add the lemon juice
5. Add garlic, salt and pepper; whisk
6. Heat the poaching water
7. Poach the calamari separately
8. Poach the shrimp separately
9. Cool the cooked seafood quickly
10. Combine seafood, vegetables and dressing
11. Cover and refrigerate
12. Serve four chilled starter portionsWatch How To Make It
chefzelish.com
Italian Shrimp and Calamari Salad
An Italian-style insalata di mare with separately poached shrimp and calamari, crunchy celery and carrot, and lemon-parsley dressing. Twelve illustrated steps, served chilled.
Ingredients
0 / 11 readyIngredient amounts for 4 starter portions
Seafood and vegetables
Lemon dressing
Poaching water (discarded)
Let’s make it.
- Preparation
Prepare the seafood
Use 300 g raw peeled, deveined, tail-off shrimp and 300 g fully cleaned squid tubes. If frozen, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and drain. Slice the tubes into 1 cm rings; no tentacles are used. Keep the shrimp and squid in separate covered bowls at 40°F(4°C) or below until cooking. Wash hands and clean all raw-seafood tools and surfaces before preparing ready-to-eat ingredients.
- Preparation
Prepare the vegetables and aromatics
Wash and dry the celery, carrot, parsley and lemon. Slice 150 g trimmed celery thinly; peel and cut 100 g carrot into short thin matchsticks. Chop 15 g parsley and grate 4 g peeled garlic. Squeeze and strain 50 g lemon juice. Keep each ingredient separate, using a clean vegetable board. Measure the oil, salt and pepper.
- Lemon dressing
Add the olive oil
Pour all 30 g extra virgin olive oil into a clean small dressing bowl. Do not use additional cooking or finishing oil.
- Lemon dressing
Add the lemon juice
Pour all 50 g strained fresh lemon juice into the oil. There are no lemon wedges or extra juice added at serving.
- Lemon dressing
Add garlic, salt and pepper; whisk
Add the measured 4 g grated garlic, 3 g salt and 1 g ground black pepper to the dressing bowl. Whisk until dispersed, then set aside. Parsley goes into the salad later, not into this bowl.
- Poach and cool
Heat the poaching water
Pour all 2 litres plain drinking water into a 3 litre saucepan and bring to a gentle boil. Do not salt it. Prepare two clean shallow heatproof bowls and a larger tray of ice and cold water for the later cooling stage. The ice-bath water stays outside the food bowls.
- Poach and cool
Poach the calamari separately
Add the squid rings to the gently boiling water. Return to a gentle simmer and cook for about 2–4 minutes, depending on thickness, until opaque and firm throughout. Check a thick piece with a suitable fine-tip thermometer for 145°F(63°C); timing alone is not the endpoint. Lift out with a clean slotted spoon, drain thoroughly and spread in the first shallow bowl. Keep the poaching water for the shrimp.
- Poach and cool
Poach the shrimp separately
Return the water to a gentle simmer. Add all shrimp and cook for about 2–4 minutes, until the thickest parts are firm, pearly and opaque, with no grey translucent centre. Check a large shrimp for 145°F(63°C) using a suitable thermometer. Lift out with a clean slotted spoon, drain and spread in the second shallow bowl. Discard all poaching water; never pour it over the ready-to-eat salad.
- Poach and cool
Cool the cooked seafood quickly
Stand the two shallow seafood bowls in the external ice-water tray. Keep water below their rims and completely out of the food. Turn the seafood with a clean spoon for about 10–15 minutes until no longer warm, refreshing the ice as needed. Do not leave a deep bowl cooling on the counter for hours; refrigerate promptly.
- Assemble and chill
Combine seafood, vegetables and dressing
Transfer all cooled drained shrimp and calamari to a clean salad bowl. Add the prepared celery, carrot and ALL 15 g chopped parsley. Whisk the dressing again, pour in every bit and toss gently to coat. No lettuce, tomato, olives, capers, mussels, octopus or additional garnish is included.
- Assemble and chill
Cover and refrigerate
Cover the bowl and refrigerate at 40°F(4°C) or below for at least 30 minutes, until the seafood is chilled throughout. Allow longer if needed. Keep the total unrefrigerated time within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F(32°C), including preparation and serving. Lemon juice does not replace cooking or cold storage.
- Assemble and chill
Serve four chilled starter portions
Toss once more, then divide all seafood, vegetables and dressing equally among four small plates. Serve cold straight from the refrigerator. Keep covered leftovers at 4°C or below and use within 24 hours as a cautious home-storage recommendation, not a validated shelf life. Bread and additional sides are outside this recipe and nutrition estimate. Discard portions left out beyond the time limits.
Nutrition per serving
1 of 4 equal starter portions, including all vegetables and dressing. Estimates may vary with ingredients and brands.
- Calories
- 211 kcal
- Protein
- 22.6 g
- Carbohydrates
- 8.1 g
- Fat
- 9.5 g
- Saturated fat
- 1.5 g
- Fiber
- 1.5 g
- Sugar
- 2 g
- Sodium
- 798 mg
Checked 10/18/2026. Values are per the serving described above, regardless of recipe yield.
Notes from the kitchen.
Helpful tips
25 minutes preparation, about 20 minutes water heating/poaching and 45 minutes cooling/chilling. Seafood size and refrigerator conditions can extend the timing.12 illustrated steps.
Make it your own
Use raw tail-off shrimp and fully cleaned squid tubes. Pre-cooked seafood, octopus, mussels or tentacles require a different method. Contains crustaceans and molluscs.
Storage & freezing
Keep at 4°C or below, use leftovers within 24 hours as a cautious untested recommendation. Total unrefrigerated time under 2 hours, or 1 hour above 32°C. Lemon does not replace proper cooking.
At the table
Four equal starter portions include all oil, dressing and vegetables. Poaching water and external ice bath are discarded. Bread and extra sides excluded; no measured cooked serving weight claimed.
A little something delicious.
Keep this recipe close for the next time the craving strikes.
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