Recipe excerpt from:
Italian Recipes for Dummies
by Amy Riolo

Prep Time: 10 Min
Cook Time: 10 Min
Yield: 8 Servings

Ingredients

• 4 vine-ripened tomatoes, chopped
• 1 carrot, thinly sliced
• bf 1/4 teaspoon unrefined sea salt
• 1⁄8 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
• Juice and zest from 1 large lemon
• 1 pound dry scallops
• 1 bay leaf
• 3/4 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 pound boneless, skinless cod, haddock, or other white fish, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 pound baby squid tubes, cleaned and sliced in small rings
• 1/2 cup Amy Riolo Selections or other good-quality extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 pound mussels, scrubbed well
• 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• Additional lemon slices, for garnish

Directions

1. Place the tomatoes, carrot, salt, pepper, and lemon zest in a large bowl, and mix well.
2. Bring a medium-size pot 3/4 full of water to boil over high heat.
3. Lower the heat to medium, and add the scallops and bay leaf. Cook, uncovered, until scallops are opaque, approximately 1 minute. Remove scallops with a slotted spoon to a dish lined with paper towels. Add the shrimp and fish to the water, and cook until opaque, 1–2 minutes. Transfer to another dish lined with paper towels. Add the squid and cook for approximately 40 seconds, until rings begin to tighten slightly. Remove with a slotted spoon into a colander. Immediately transfer squid to a bowl of very cold water to stop the cooking.
4. Add 2 tablespoons EVOO and garlic cloves to a large, wide skillet with a fitted lid over a medium-high flame. When oil is hot, add mussels, toss to coat, and add 1/2 cup water over the top. Cover and cook for 2–4 minutes until mussels are open (cooked). Remove opened mussels, and set aside. If any mussels fail to open after another minute or two of cooking, discard them.
5. In a small bowl, make the dressing by whisking the EVOO and lemon juice together until emulsified.
6. Add the seafood to a salad bowl, and stir to combine. Drizzle with dressing, and stir. Sprinkle with parsley, garnish with lemon slices, and serve immediately.

Tip

Reserve this recipe, a traditional Christmas Eve appetizer that can be enjoyed anytime, for a time when the freshest seafood and produce possible are available to you.

Pair this dish with a bottle of Passerina di Offida or similar. A white wine with a slender body, low alcohol, and a taste profile underlined by freshness, sapidity, and tropical notes.