Frutti di Mare

Published on December 9, 2016 | By |

Frutti di Mare is a traditional Christmas Eve dish, but is tasty year round.

It’s often made with shrimp, scallops, calamari and octopus. Although I like octopus, I tend to leave it out, because my family doesn’t enjoy it.

I order the seafood from the fish monger ahead of time. I ask them to peel and clean the shrimp, to save myself the time and effort.

This should be made a day (or two) before it is served to allow the marinade to fully flavor the fish.

Since I make this dish on Christmas Eve for a big crowd, the recipe makes a lot. Feel free to halve or quarter the recipe.

8 cups water
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 bay leaves
2 lemons (preferably organic)
2 pounds calamari, cleaned and cut into rings (separate tentacles)
2 pounds bay scallops
2 pounds shrimp, peeled, cleaned and deveined
1 small yellow bell pepper, finely diced
1 small orange pepper, finely diced
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
small handful of green olives, de-pitted and chopped (optional) - not the kind with the pimientos
Dressing
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Combine all dressing ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid.
2. In a stock pot, combine water, bay leaves and garlic.
3. Stir in the juice from 2 lemons. (If lemons are organic, throw the squeezed lemon halves into the pot too.)
4. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low.
5. First cook the shrimp, by placing it into the simmering water and cooking for two minutes. Remove from the pot with a slotted spoon and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
6. Next cook the calamari rings (not the tentacles) for 2 minutes total. After one minute of cooking the rings, add the tentacles so they cook for one minute total. Remove from the pot with a slotted spoon and transfer to bowl with shrimp.
7. Finally cook the scallops in the same manner for 2 minutes. Remove from the pot with a slotted spoon and transfer to bowl with shrimp and calamari.
8. Drain away any water that’s collected in the bottom of the bowl containing the seafood.
9. Toss the seafood with the dressing. Stir in the peppers, celery, green olives and parsley
10. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
11. Cover and let marinate overnight in the refrigerator, turning the mixture occasionally.
12. Remove from refrigerator 30-60 minutes before serving to take the chill out of the dish and to soften the olive oil.
13. Just before serving, adjust the seasonings. I often add more lemon juice.

Holistic health coach and self-taught cook with a focus on nutrient-dense, whole food that is gluten-free, refined sugar-free and mostly dairy-free.