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Grilled Seafood Salad

This is a beautiful dish, which I discovered on vacation with my family in Capri. Every year, we visit the same hotel—Hotel Quisisana—on this beautiful island in southern Italy. The region is rich in seafood, which they use for everything from antipasti to entrées. Some of the seafood can be a bit exotic for most American palates, especially squid. But don’t be afraid of it: You can buy squid that’s already cleaned from your fishmonger, and all you need to do is rinse, grill, and slice. Just like chicken. (Okay, not really just like chicken, but the steps are the same.)

Recipe information

  • Yield

    4 main-course servings

Ingredients

1/2 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon chopped fresh marjoram
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 1 lemon)
1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
12 ounces sea scallops
12 ounces cleaned squid, bodies only
1 (15-ounce) can white cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
3 ounces arugula leaves (about 6 cups)
2 carrots, peeled and cut into thin strips (approximately 2 inches long)
1/2 yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips (approximately 2 inches long)
1 large head of radicchio, leaves separated

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a small, heavy skillet, heat the oil over a medium flame. Add the garlic and herbs, and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Cool to room temperature, then whisk in the lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Set the dressing aside.

    Step 2

    Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for medium-high heat or preheat a ridged grill pan over a medium-high flame. Pat the scallops and squid dry with paper towels, then brush them with 2 tablespoons of the dressing and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Thread the scallops onto skewers and grill the scallops and squid until just cooked through, turning once, about 2 minutes per side. Cool completely. Remove the scallops from the skewers and cut the squid crosswise into 1/4-inch-wide rings.

    Step 3

    In a large bowl, combine the beans, arugula, carrots, and bell pepper. Toss with enough dressing to coat. Season with more salt and pepper to taste.

    Step 4

    Place 1 large or 2 medium radicchio leaves on each of 4 plates. Spoon the bean salad into the radicchio cups, and top with the scallops and squid. Drizzle the remaining dressing over and serve.

Reprinted with permission from Everyday Italian: 125 Simple and Delicious Recipes by Martha Stewart Living Magazine. Copyright © 2005 by Giada De Laurentiis. Published by Crown Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved. Giada De Laurentiis is the star of Food Network's Everyday Italian and Behind the Bash. She attended the Cordon Bleu in Paris, and then worked in a variety of Los Angeles restaurants, including Wolfgang Puck's Spago, before starting her own catering and private-chef company, GDL Foods. The granddaughter of movie producer Dino De Laurentiis, Giada was born in Rome and grew up in Los Angeles, where she now lives.
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