Generality
By seafood salad we mean "generically" a dish based on molluscs, crustaceans, sometimes fish and - according to taste - vegetables and aromatic herbs. Usually, the seafood salad is dressed with lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, white pepper and salt.
There are many recipes and variations of seafood salad, but they all share the same method of cooking with water (cold or hot) or with steam (traditional or in a pressure cooker). Like most mixed preparations, even the seafood salad should be structured according to the seasonal raw materials available (see the in-depth fresh seasonal fish). It is also true that, thanks to the possibility of freezing food (local or foreign), it is not particularly It is difficult to find various fish products in all seasons of the year. However, the organoleptic and gustatory difference between a "seafood salad made with fresh ingredients and" another made from frozen foods is almost always of great importance.
Cephalopod molluscs
The seafood salad is often interpreted as a mixture of cephalopod molluscs. These, which actually represent the main basis of the recipe, can consist of: octopus and / or cuttlefish and / or squid and / or squid and / or baby octopus, in equal or different proportions.
The processing of cephalopod molluscs is the most difficult operation of the recipe; these require a rather delicate cleaning and cooking, to be carried out exclusively separately. As regards cleaning, this must be done by depriving them of the skin, eyes, mouth , of the viscera (raw or cooked, according to the specific food). With regard to cuttlefish, for example, it is necessary to pay particular attention NOT to break the ink bag, which, coming into contact with the white meat, could inevitably stain the food. As for the octopus, however, it should be remembered that it is a rather difficult animal to cook; this statement is justified by the fact that both an excess and a defect in the treatment (and the absence of aging) could cause an "excessive hardness or rubberiness of the pulp; also the choice of leaving or removing the suckers from the tentacles represents a subjectively interpreted variable. Squid, squid and baby octopus are less difficult to handle.
Of the cephalopod molluscs used in the seafood salad it is also possible to use only a part of it (for example only the body of the cuttlefish and not the head). Let us remember once again that the cooking times are quite different between one species and another. which is why they must be packaged absolutely separately.
Bivalve molluscs
In the "seafood salad, bivalve molluscs (or lamellibranchs) are also frequently used. Among these are: mussels (or mussels), clams, oysters, scallops, razor clams, sea truffles and cockles. NB: for environmental protection reasons , dates of the sea are no longer a commercially available fishery product.
Some of these molluscs require a cleaning procedure that begins with the raw food (mussels, cockles, scallops, razor clams, etc.); others, if well purged, can be directly cooked (clams, sea truffles, etc.). The favorite cooking to apply to these ingredients is undoubtedly "steam", but the simplicity of execution must not mislead; cooking must be sufficient only to make them open and reach a healthy temperature. These can be shelled or left whole.
Gastropod molluscs
How not to mention the famous sea snails and the like. Not everyone uses these ingredients in the formulation of seafood salad, perhaps due to lack of knowledge. The gastropods to be used are mainly: murexes, rapari and abalone. They too must be carefully washed and boiled (or steamed). , then cleaned (the rapari, for example, need the removal of the intestine) and cut.
Crustaceans
With regard to the crustaceans used for the seafood salad, a separate chapter could be opened. Usually, shrimps and prawns appear more frequently in the seafood salad. However, some more expensive versions of the dish may include scampi, lobster or lobster pulp or spider crab or sea cicada. Crabs (royal, Atlantic Ocean blue) are rarely used, while in some areas mantis shrimps are often taken into consideration. The great difficulty in using crustaceans is that they require, more often than not, excessive costs and labor. With the exception of the Atlantic Ocean blue king crabs (mainly marketed frozen and clean, divided into 4), which only require cooking, the others (lobsters, scampi, lobsters, spider crabs, cicadas and shrimp) require: heat treatment, deprivation of the carapace and / or extraction of the pulp. For this reason, as well as for the poor yield of the more expensive ones, many crustaceans become preparations in their own right rather than seafood salad.
Seafood Salad - Recipe
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Fish
Even fish are rarely used for the formulation of seafood salad. Probably, this derives mainly from the fact that this recipe is mostly used by consumers who do NOT like to bone fish. It is really a shame; starting from ingredients with very strong taste (such as marinated anchovies, smoked mackerel in oil, buzzonaglia, etc.), up to extremely delicate products (such as monkfish, musdea, hake, red snapper, l " sea bream, sea bass etc.), fish for the "seafood salad there is" really for all tastes (and without thorns). As for the former, these are ingredients already processed that do not require any treatment; the latter, on the other hand, require cleaning (which varies according to the raw material chosen: whole or pre-processed) and simple cooking in steam or boiling water.
Other fishery products
There are also some "niche" ingredients for the "seafood salad. These are mainly sea urchin eggs, fish eggs (eg. Flying fish) and some fish offal; among these, they undoubtedly collect a cuttlefish gonads (commonly called cuttlefish eggs) are more successful, but livers and tripe are also appreciated by some.
The use of surimi is also very widespread, especially in commercial or restaurant preparations of poor quality.
Ingrediants
Even in this case one could write a great deal; undoubtedly, the most successful RAW products for seafood salad are: parsley (to be considered an aromatic herb but present in quantities above the average of the recipes), cherry tomatoes, celery, carrots, rocket, white onion and peppers. The COOKED ones, on the other hand, are: black and green olives, artichoke hearts or artichokes and potatoes. Without wanting to criticize the choice of one or the other vegetable, I simply remember that, by mixing the seafood salad, the potato cubes flake and tend to mix the preparation giving it a decidedly unpleasant appearance. At the same time, also the cherry tomatoes. they tend to empty by "diluting" and dirtying all the other ingredients, better to add them only before serving.
Certain "more particular" seafood salad recipes also include certain fruits cut into cubes such as: citrus fruits, apples, pears, avocados, etc.
Seasonings
The seafood salad should be seasoned to taste, but in general we prefer: delicate extra virgin olive oil, salt (a little), white pepper (very little), garlic (or better, garlic juice), lemon juice and herbs aromatic herbs (in surplus or as a substitute for parsley) such as basil, fennel, dill, tarragon etc. Some operators simplify everything with a simple "citronette" and a sprinkling of frozen parsley, but personally I believe that the seafood salad should be seasoned differently based on the ingredients that structure it.
The preparation times of the seafood salad are around 2.5 hours, even if the availability of certain tools (such as the pressure cooker and the blast chiller) can even halve them. Rather than using frozen ingredients, it is advisable to process fresh ingredients and, if necessary, freeze single portions of non-seasoned seafood salad without vegetables, to be regenerated and completed at the time of consumption.
Nutritional characteristics
It is quite possible to deduce that, given the heterogeneity of the various formulas, it is not a simple task to outline an evaluation on the nutritional composition of the seafood salad.
Broadly speaking, it is possible to state that it is a moderately energetic food and also suitable for dieting against overweight. The predominant energetic macronutrients are proteins (with a high biological value), while the amount of fat varies mainly based on the presence of olives or oil or avocado. Carbohydrates, which are usually quite deficient, can be increased by the addition of diced potatoes (starch) and vegetables or fruits (fructose).
The fibers are also quite lacking and their quantity varies according to the vegetables used. Unfortunately, the cholesterol level is not among the lowest of the various fish-based recipes; some molluscs (bivalves), but also crustaceans and eggs or offal, contribute to raising the levels of this lipid, which becomes harmful IF in excess in the diet. The seafood salad, therefore, can be used in the context of a diet against hyperlipemia only by carefully choosing the ingredients.
As for vitamins and antioxidants, assuming a preparation of the richest, these should be present "almost all" in more than satisfactory doses. The same is true for mineral salts, specifying that, by virtue of the presence of certain foods, seafood salad contains a decidedly appreciable contribution of iron, calcium and potassium.
The use of seafood salad is not recommended in case of: pregnancy, breastfeeding, early childhood and overt food allergies.
As for the hygienic aspects of the seafood salad, I suggest consulting the specific articles of the various ingredients used (eg mussels, crustaceans, octopus, cuttlefish, clams, sea snails, anchovies, etc.).
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