Italian Black Rice and Seafood Salad
With squid, shrimp, scallops, octopus, and lobster, this recipe is a seafood lover’s dream. We pair a variety of seafood with earthy Italian black rice and a tangy vinaigrette for a delicious and unique main course.
INGREDIENTS
1 ½ cups Italian Black Rice
2 ¾ plus 6 cups water
1 tablespoon salt
½ pound cleaned squid, whole tubes and tentacles
½ pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
½ pound bay scallops
½ pound cleaned octopus
½ pound cooked lobster meat, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 small red onion thinly sliced
¼ cup Lemon Juice
1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
Lemon wedges (optional)
DIRECTIONS
Bring 6 cups water and salt to a boil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add squid and cook 3 minutes or until squid is just tender.
Remove squid from pan with a slotted spoon and plunge into ice water. Drain the water and cut squid into 1-inch pieces, placing them in a large bowl.
Add shrimp to boiling water and cook 3 minutes or until done. Remove shrimp from the pan with a slotted spoon and plunge into ice water. Drain the water and add shrimp to the bowl with squid.
Place a vegetable steamer in the saucepan. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Arrange scallops in the steamer and cook over simmering water 6 minutes or until done. Remove scallops from the pan with a slotted spoon and plunge into ice water. Drain and add scallops to the bowl with squid and shrimp. Cover and refrigerate.
Remove steamer from the saucepan. Add octopus to simmering water, cover and simmer 2 to 2 ½ hours or until fork-tender (add additional water if necessary to cover octopus).
Meanwhile, combine vinegar, garlic, parsley, chives, and salt and pepper in a mixing bowl. Slowly whisk in olive oil to incorporate. Set aside or refrigerate.
Place the rice in a sieve and rinse under cold running water. Drain and add to a medium saucepan along with 2 ¾ cups of water. Bring to a boil before reducing to a simmer. Cook rice with lid ajar for 25-30 minutes, until all the liquid has been absorbed. Transfer to bowl and set aside.
Once the octopus is done, remove and plunge into ice water. Drain and rub off skin and cut into 1-inch pieces. Add octopus, lobster, onion, and rice to squid mixture.
Pour oil dressing onto seafood and rice mixture and toss to combine. Serve on plates with lemon wedges (optional).