Description
This recipe is what you make of it. Think of it as a flexible take on a classic summer seafood rice salad. I suggest some quantities and ingredients below, but feel free to use the freshest seafood you can find. You can also add cooked fish, like salmon, just handle it gently when folding it in.
The real magic of this recipe comes from using the mussel and clam cooking liquid to prepare the rice. It adds a subtle, briny depth of flavor without being overpowering.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb mussels, breads removed and rinsed
- 1 lb small clams (i.e., manilla), soaked in salty ice water for 1 hour and drained
- ½ lb squid bodies, cut into wide rings, rinsed and patted dry
- ½ lb peeled and deveined shrimp, rinsed and patted dry
- 2 ½→3 c. Japanese rice cooker cups of white rice (short grain is typical in Italy but I like long grain because it tends to not stick together so much)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 small bunch parsley, chopped and divided
- ¼→½ c. black or green olives, pitted and torn apart
- One cooked octopus leg (found at seafood markets or Japanese/Korean groceries), sliced into thick rounds and keep the very end for garish
- Extras:
- Sliced cherry tomatoes
- Frozen petite peas
- Artichoke hearts, sliced
- Fresh cooked corn
- Anything else you might like especially for added color
- Extra virgin olive oil and 1 or 2 lemons.
Instructions
- Setup a skillet with a lid for cooking all the seafood. Place the mussels in the pan, cover and place over medium heat. Slowly cook until the mussels have opened. Discard any that don’t. Leave the liquid in the pan and remove the mussels to strainer over a bowl.
- Add the clams to same pan. Slowly cook until the clams have opened. Discard any that don’t. Remove the clams to the same strainer. Shake the strainer to drain off any more juices remaining in the shells. Put the cooked shellfish in the fridge to stop the cooking.
- Set up a pan or rice cooker with rice. Hold off on the water.
- Pass the accumulated juices through cheesecloth or paper towel to remove any sand/debris. Add enough water to juices to come up to the amount you need for the rice. Add to the rice and cook as you normally would. Fluff when it’s done. Spread out on a clean sheet pan to cool off fast.
- Set up a mixing bowl with the garlic and half the chopped parsley. Then using the same covered pan, set over medium heat with a splash of olive oil. Add the squid, cover and cook for about 1 minute until they go from translucent to white. Removed to the bowl with the parsley/garlic. Now add the shrimp to the pan and cook for the same amount of time then remove to same bowl.
- If there is any leftover juice in the pan add to the bowl and place in the fridge to stop the cooking.
- When all the ingredients are ready, set up a large mixing bowl and add the rice, seafood (reserving some for garish on top of the salad), olives and extras. Drizzle with olive oil and squeeze at least ½ lemon.
- Add the remaining parsley and salt and pepper to taste. Gently toss. Taste and add more flavoring (olive oil, lemon, salt/pepper) as you like.
- Cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour and more. Move to a serving bowl and garnish with the remaining seafood. Serve cold.