Italian Shrimp and Calamari Salad

Ingredients

• Seafood and vegetables

  300 g raw shrimp

  peeled, deveined and TAILS REMOVED; raw edible weight; thaw in refrigerator if frozen

• 300 g raw squid tubes

  fully cleaned, skin and cartilage removed; tube-only edible weight, no tentacles; cut into 1 cm rings

• 150 g celery stalks

  trimmed edible weight; thinly slice crosswise

• 100 g carrot

  peeled edible weight; cut into short thin matchsticks

• 15 g fresh flat-leaf parsley

  leaf and tender-stem weight; finely chop, all mixed in

• Lemon dressing

  30 g extra virgin olive oil

  all retained in dressing

• 50 g fresh lemon juice

  strained juice, no seeds or zest

• 4 g garlic

  peeled edible weight; finely grate

• 3 g fine table salt

  all in dressing; none in poaching water

• 1 g ground black pepper

  all in dressing

• Poaching water (discarded)

  2000 g water

  2 litres plain drinking water; discarded after poaching, not part of retained nutrition

Directions

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. 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.

12. 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.