Italian Seafood Salad
This Seafood Salad, is an amazing Italian appetizer that everyone will love. Made with shrimp, mussels, calamari fresh vegetables and good quality olive oil. Perfect served as an appetizer or side dish along with a slice or two of Italian Crusty Bread! Make this your new go to Appetizer.
If someone asked me what was my favourite antipasto/ appetizer was, then this seafood salad would be one of my top five. Sometimes I think the perfect supper would be just 3 or 4 amazing appetizers such marinated mushrooms or an grilled eggplant caprese or how about some pizza rollups?
Filled with all the best seafood, shrimp, calamari and mussels, tossed with carrots, celery, olives fresh Italian parsley and olive oil.
Recipe Ingredients
- Calamari – squid
- Mussels
- Shrimp
- Celery
- Carrot
- Olives
- Parsley
- Olive Oil – good quality extra virgin olive oil
- Lemon Juice – or zest if you prefer
- Salt to taste – depending on how salty the seafood is
How healthy is a seafood salad?
Choosing seafood salad over meals that are red meat based is a healthier choice, because of the lower fat content, it can also have a positive effect on your cholesterol levels.
How to make a Seafood salad recipe
In a large pot of boiling water, boil the sliced calamari, then remove to a separate medium – large bowl with a slotted spoon. Keeping the pot of boiling water add mussels and cook, remove to the same bowl with the calamari, add the shrimp to the boiling water and boil, remove to the same bowl.
Drain the fish in the medium-sized bowl a second time just to remove excess liquid and let cool. Add the chopped celery, grated carrot, chopped olives, chopped parsley , olive oil and lemon juice. Gently mix to combine well. Chill to combine the flavours.
Before serving, add a little more olive oil and salt if necessary, you could also add some extra chopped fresh parsley. Some people like a drizzle of Balsamic vinegar or extra lemon juice.
Just make sure you let it sit for a few hours to get all those amazing tastes mingling. If you can wait long enough over-night would be even better, but we couldn’t wait! We dove right in!
What to serve with Seafood Salad
It can be served as an appetizer or even main dish, serve it with your favourite Italian bread or buns, or even as lettuce wraps or fill halved avocados if you like. You could probably add some al dente pasta and make it a seafood pasta salad! Serve it with crackers or even a simple tossed salad. A nice bottle of white wine won’t hurt either!
What other types of seafood can you use?
Besides, shrimp, mussels, calamari or cut up halibut you could use a mild white fish, crab meat, clams, lobster meat, scallops or even octopus. Be sure to use the freshest seafood. Use taste, touch and smell to determine this. It should never smell off or have an extremely strong fishy smell. If it is sticky or very slimy it isn’t good either.
How to store Italian Seafood Salad
Store any leftovers in an airtight container it will keep for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. I don’t recommend freezing it, because the seafood could have been previously frozen and it shouldn’t be refrozen, plus with the addition of the chopped celery and carrot, they would probably become soggy rather than stay crunchy.
More Italian Fish dishes
So if you do plan on serving a few appetizers this Italian Seafood Salad would be a perfect choice. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. Buon Appetito!
Italian Seafood Salad
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups cleaned and cut calamari
- 1½ cups mussels (without the shell I used frozen mussels)
- 1¾ cups small shrimp cleaned (I used frozen shrimp)
- 1 stalk celery chopped
- 1 medium carrot grated
- 5-6 black olives chopped
- ¼ cup Italian parsley chopped
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1-2 pinches salt (taste before serving add if needed)
Instructions
- In a large pot of boiling water, boil for approximately 40-50 minutes the sliced calamari until tender, remove to a separate medium-sized bowl with a slotted spoon.
- Keeping the pot of boiling water add mussels and cook 3-6 minutes, remove to the same bowl with the calamari and add the shrimp to the boiling water and boil or 3-6 minutes, remove to the same bowl.
- Drain the fish in the medium-sized bowl a second time just to remove excess liquid and let cool. Add the chopped celery, grated carrot, chopped olives, chopped parsley , olive oil and lemon juice. Gently mix to combine well.
- Refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours to combine flavours.
- Before serving add a little more olive oil (3-4 tablespoons) and salt if necessary, you could also add some extra chopped fresh parsley. Some people like a drizzle of Balsamic vinegar or extra lemon juice. Serve with crusty Italian bread. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Updated from April 3, 2015.
I made it and it was delicious. Please don’t cook calamari so long. I got a thick calamari steak and cooked it until done, which took 3 minutes.
Hi Inge, thanks, glad you enjoyed it. Take care!
Do fresh shrimp really need 10 minutes in boiling water?
Hi Cheryl, mine took 10 minutes yours might take less, keep your eye on them and when they are tender remove them from the boiling water. Let me know how it goes. Take care!
Can the seafood salad be frozen as it does not have mayonnaise?
Hi Jo, that should be fine without mayonnaise. Freeze in a freezer safe bag or container.
Seafood and salad sounds great for appetizer! And this dish is really mouthwatering. The combination of the different seafood and veggies sounds amazing and it looks very delicious.
Thank you it is the appetizer that always goes first. Have a great day.
I’ve surprisingly never made a seafood salad before. Thanks for the idea – I have to try it!
Hi Thalia, thanks hope you enjoy it! Happy Easter.