Grilled Seafood Salad

summer seafood salad This grilled seafood salad is one of my all time favorites for light casual summer eating, it’s a combination of shrimp, scallops and calamari which lay on top of mixed greens and crunchy vegetables, it’s all tossed in a lemon vinaigrette that’s spiked with a little limoncello, which gives the dressing that extra zing!

All the seafood can be grilled ahead of time and then the salad can be composed at the last minute so it’s perfect for entertaining. Add some crusty bread and a bottle of wine and I promise you’ll be in for a scrumptious treat!

Lagostina round grill pan

I used this beautiful new grill pan I got, but any grill pan will do.

stove topped grilled seafood Quite honestly I don’t like grilling delicate seafood directly on top of the grates on my out door grill unless it’s on a plank or something to hold them secure, because with out fail something always falls between the grates and I have to try and pick it out before it burns, so I’ve always used an indoor grill pan for this grilled seafood salad.

I already own a heavy cast iron grill pan with a popular name that I thought I would use much more than I do, but it’s a pain to clean. I end up boiling water in it to loosen up the food that gets stuck between the grates then I have to take my time using a plastic scraper to try and remove it all, like I said it’s a pain!

stove topped grilled seafood .

summer grilled seafood salad Fresh, easy and pretty enough for a summer party, picnic or any get together of friends or family!

summer grilled seafood salad Arrange everything on a big platter with crusty bread all around and some of the grilled lemons and you’ll be sure to impress your guests.

 

 

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4.9 from 71 reviews
Grilled Seafood Salad
 
Author:
Ingredients
  • Amounts will very according to your seafood preference, this is just an estimate on what I used for 4 servings.
  • SEAFOOD
  • 8 large shrimp, tails off
  • 8 oz. sea scallops
  • 1 lb. of calamari ( I leave the bodies whole and cut into rings later, it's easier
  • SEAFOOD MARINADE
  • 4 cloves of chopped garlic
  • the zest of 1 big lemon
  • a handful of chopped parsley
  • salt and pepper
  • drizzled olive oil to coat seafood
  • 2 lemons, cut into slices for grilling
  • SALAD
  • 2 fennel bulbs, sliced thin
  • 1 bunch of celery hearts with the leaves, chopped
  • 5 radishes, sliced thin
  • a handful of capers
  • assorted olives, sliced
  • cherry tomatoes, sliced
  • For the greens I used a mix of water cress and arugula,(mostly arugula)
  • LEMON AND OLIVE OIL DRESSING
  • 1 part lemon juice ( with a splash of limoncello, optional) to 3 parts extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
  1. Make sure all seafood has been padded dry before you marinade them, you should have no added moisture.
  2. Place all seafood in a glass bowl with all the marinade ingredients, toss and let it sit for 40 minutes.
  3. Grill all your seafood, which can be grilled up to a day ahead, let it cool down then refrigerate them separately, if you're doing them ahead, not all mixed together. Either way seafood should not be warm or hot for this salad, room temp or cold.
  4. Whisk up your dressing and set aside.
  5. When you're ready to compose your salad slice the scallops into quarters or in half according to their size.
  6. Cut calamari bodies into rings.
  7. Leave shrimp whole and the calamari legs.
  8. In a separate large bowl toss all salad ingredients together except for the seafood, you can add more or less or any other ingredient you would like to add, there is no exact rule with a salad.
  9. Add and toss your dressing, less is more, don't drench it, taste as you go.
  10. Grab a huge platter, place salad on top, arrange all the seafood on top of the greens, add in some grilled lemons slices.
  11. Don't forget toasted or grilled crunchy bread, it's a must!

 

 

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Plank Grilling with Fish

oak planked white fish

When you fire up the grill this summer don’t forget to throw on some fish, it makes for a nice light and healthy meal. I recently grilled a beautiful White Fish Filet on a Red Oak Plank.

oak planked whitefish

I’m a big fan of plank grilling, the wood infuses the fish with a delicious smoky flavor and it also keeps the fish nice and moist. The main thing to remember is to soak your planks at least two hours beforehand submerged in water to ensure there won’t be any flair ups on the grill.

I always grill my planked fish on indirect heat and cook it until opaque.

oak planked whitefish

There’s no real recipe, just keep everything simple. I brushed my filet with melted garlic butter, sprinkled it with paprika, then placed whole chives and fresh parsley leaves from my garden right on top, of course any herb combination would work as well, use whatever you like.

Take a few garden tomatoes, dice them up small, place in a bowl and add a few chopped herbs of your choice, add in some olive oil, salt and pepper and spoon it over the top while it’s cooking.

oak planked whitefish

All the juices mingle together along with the infused wood and create an amazing flavor!

salmon wrapped jumbo scallops

Here’s a brilliant idea that I can’t take credit for, Salmon Wrapped Jumbo Scallops, isn’t it pretty? I actually bought it like this, but it’s so easy to create yourself, which I’ll be doing  next time, or you might even want to ask your fishmonger to do it for you.

Three jumbo scallops with a strip of salmon wrapped between them and stuck on a skewer.

If you don’t want to stick them on a skewer, think about individually wrapping a strip of salmon all the way around each scallop, you can even use some thinner smoked salmon, why not?

This would be perfect for a nice intimate dinner party or special dinner, I think it’s really a pretty presentation.

salmon wrapped jumbo scallops

I cooked it on a cedar plank the exact same way I did the white fish, brushed with garlic butter, (no paprika) and then the tomato and herb topping. The slightly smoky cedar taste infused the salmon and scallops and it was a match made in heaven!

salmon wrapped jumbo scallops

Everything was so juicy and moist, I can’t wait to make it again, I hope you try it too!

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Grilled Shrimp and Lobster Gremolata

Gremolata is not just for garnish anymore! Here it serves as the main ingredient to intensely flavor  baby lobster and shrimp, then all is cooked rustic style in foil right on top of your grill. Perfect for summer entertaining or a special dinner for two.
Gremolata is so easy to make, I used my mini food processor or you can chop it all by hand. Start with four large garlic cloves and a full bunch of Italian parsley, process or mince them together. Place in a bowl, then add the zest of two lemons, the juice of one and enough olive oil to make the consistency loose. Rub the mixture all over your seafood and let it sit for about twenty minutes or so.

Have your grill heated on medium and make a “pan” out of heavy duty aluminum foil. Add your marinated seafood, a little red pepper flakes if you so desire, a handful of grape tomatoes, lemon slices and an extra drizzle of olive oil.

I had two baby lobsters that I precooked in boiling water for five minutes ( I wanted to make sure the lobsters would be cooked through)  and a pound of shrimp, you could use shrimp alone or even some scallops. May I suggest reserving some of the gremolata to toss into warm angel hair pasta, the perfect accompaniment for those flavorful juices!

Cook open faced, with no foil on top, just the lid of your grill down until juices are sizzling and the fish is cooked through.
The smell in my backyard was so enticing that my neighbors were all commenting!
You have to try this!
See what I mean about the pasta and the juices?

Happy Grilling!

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