The Catalan-style shellfish salad is a fish-based recipe that can be an appetizer, a main course, or even a complete dish, depending solely on the quantities served.
The name suggests Spanish origins, but its origins are not certain. In Catalonia, several recipes are called “Catalan-style,” containing various ingredients. In Italy, this recipe is quite widespread along all the coasts, particularly in Sardinia, in Alghero, a city where a dialect of Catalan origin is still spoken.
You can choose your preferred shellfish for this recipe; the choice is entirely personal. You can use simple defrosted shrimp, or king prawns and prawns up to lobsters and crayfish. It all depends on the seasonal availability of the shellfish and purely on economic choice.
The classic dressing for the Catalan-style shellfish salad is a simple vinaigrette made with oil, vinegar, preferably apple or rice vinegar for a more delicate taste, and salt. For this reason, I decided to use in my recipe the sweet and sour white Montegibbio dressing from Delizia Estense, a culinary dressing that, with its particular sweetness and gentleness, is perfect for this kind of preparation.
If shellfish is your passion, here are some delicious ideas to try:
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4 servings
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: International
- Seasonality: All Seasons
- Energy 96.51 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 4.43 (g) of which sugars 0.74 (g)
- Proteins 9.56 (g)
- Fat 4.45 (g) of which saturated 0.71 (g)of which unsaturated 0.34 (g)
- Fibers 0.53 (g)
- Sodium 508.66 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 100 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for Catalan-style Shellfish Salad
- 2.2 lbs shellfish (lobster, prawns, shrimp)
- 2 potatoes (medium, already boiled)
- 2 tomatoes
- 1 Tropea red onion
- 6 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsps vinegar (sweet and sour white Montegibbio)
- to taste fine salt
Tools
- Plate
Preparation of Catalan-style Shellfish Salad
Wash the shellfish and cut the shell to remove the black line. This operation will also help them open slightly during cooking, making it easier to shell them.
Plunge them into plenty of boiling water. Only a few minutes of cooking are necessary for shellfish; prolonged cooking will make them rubbery.
Remove them from the pot with a slotted spoon and let them cool slightly. Shell them and set aside.
Wash and dry the tomatoes, cut them in half, and clean them of the internal seeds, then slice them.
Peel the Tropea onion and slice it thinly, opening the slices to obtain many rings.
Peel the potatoes that you have boiled previously and slice them.
Pour the extra virgin olive oil, the white dressing, and a pinch of salt into a bowl. Stir with a whisk to form the emulsion. Set the vinaigrette aside.
Cut the lobster into pieces and place it in a bowl with the other shellfish. For this recipe, I used only beautiful prawns and indeed a lobster.
Season the shellfish with a little vinaigrette and mix gently.
Detach the lobster claws from the shell and set them aside. They will be placed on the serving plate for decoration, but as you know, their inside is delicious.
Arrange the vegetables on the serving plate harmoniously, add the seasoned shellfish with all the dressing, and the claws on one side. Dress with the rest of the vinaigrette and serve at the table.
The Catalan-style shellfish salad can be served warm or cold.
The vinaigrette can be prepared more quickly by placing all the ingredients in a jar with an airtight seal. Then just shake the jar vigorously, and the vinaigrette will be ready in a few moments.
