Sarra Ina Garten’s seafood salad is shrimp, sea scallops, calamari, and mussels poached one at a time in the same broth, then tossed in a warm dressing of olive oil, garlic, oregano, tomatoes, limoncello, lemon juice, and a splash of the reserved poaching liquid, finished with sliced fennel and parsley. It serves 6 to 8 and needs at least 3 hours of chill time for the flavors to develop.
This recipe comes from Ina’s Barefoot Contessa Foolproof cookbook (2012) under the name “Italian Seafood Salad.” In the headnote, she writes that “so many Italian restaurants have their own version of seafood salad and many of them are delicious,” so she decided to make her own. Her twist is the limoncello: she adds “a splash of the Italian limoncello to really bring out the briny flavor of shellfish.” That sweet lemon liqueur does something straight lemon juice cannot, adding a fragrant sweetness that amplifies the ocean flavor instead of just adding acid.
The technique that makes this salad taste like a restaurant version is poaching each seafood separately in the same liquid, pulling each one out at its perfect doneness. Shrimp gets 3 minutes, scallops get 2, calamari gets 2 to 3, and mussels get 4 to 5. Cook them all together and the shrimp turns rubbery while the scallops are still raw. The sequential poach also means the broth gets richer with each round, and Ina reserves half a cup of that concentrated liquid for the dressing.
Ina Garten Seafood Salad Recipe
Course: SaladsCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Intermediate6
servings20
minutes15
minutes350
kcalIna’s Italian restaurant-inspired seafood salad from her Foolproof cookbook, featuring four types of shellfish poached to order in the same broth and dressed in a limoncello-lemon vinaigrette made with the poaching liquid itself. Three hours of chill time turns good into unforgettable.
Ingredients
- For the seafood:
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1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
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Kosher salt
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1 1/2 pounds (680g) peeled and deveined shrimp (16 to 20 count)
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1 1/2 cups (360ml) dry white wine
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1 pound (450g) sea scallops, halved crosswise
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1 pound (450g) cleaned fresh calamari, sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch rings
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2 pounds (900g) fresh mussels, scrubbed and debearded
- For the dressing:
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1/2 cup (120ml) good olive oil
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4 teaspoons minced garlic (4 cloves)
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2 teaspoons dried oregano
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1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
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3 plum tomatoes, seeds and pulp removed, medium-diced
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1/3 cup (80ml) limoncello liqueur
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Grated zest of 1 lemon
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1/4 cup (60ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
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Freshly ground black pepper
- To finish:
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1 small fennel bulb, trimmed, cored, and thinly sliced crosswise
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1/2 cup (25g) fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, lightly packed
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2 lemons
Directions
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Poach the shrimp: Fill a large pot with 3 quarts of water and add the Old Bay and 1 tablespoon salt. Bring to a boil, add the shrimp, lower the heat, and simmer for 3 minutes until just firm. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a large bowl. Leave 2 cups of poaching liquid in the pot, discard the rest.
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Poach the scallops: Add the wine to the poaching liquid and bring to a boil. Add the scallops, lower the heat, and simmer for 2 minutes until just cooked. Transfer to the bowl with the shrimp.
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Poach the calamari: Bring the liquid back to a boil, add the calamari, and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until just cooked. Do not overcook or it will be tough. Transfer to the bowl.
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Steam the mussels: Bring the liquid to a boil, add the mussels, cover, and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes until all shells open. Discard any that stay closed. Cool until you can handle them. Remove the mussels from the shells, add to the bowl. Keep 12 decorative shells and discard the rest. Reserve 1/2 cup of the poaching liquid.
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Make the warm dressing: Heat the olive oil in a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Add the garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute only. Add the tomatoes and cook 2 more minutes. Add the reserved poaching liquid, limoncello, lemon zest, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Cook 1 minute.
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Dress and chill: Drain any liquid from the seafood bowl. Pour the warm dressing over the seafood and toss gently. Add the fennel and parsley. Cut 1 lemon in half lengthwise, slice thinly crosswise, and add to the salad. Toss gently, cover with plastic wrap, and chill for at least 3 hours or overnight.
- Serve: Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, and the juice of the remaining lemon. Taste for seasoning. Serve cold or at room temperature with the reserved mussel shells tucked into the salad for presentation.
Notes
- Ina warns “be careful not to overcook any of the seafood or it will be tough.” Each type poaches for a specific time. Set a timer for each round.
Drain any liquid from the seafood bowl before adding the dressing. Excess poaching water dilutes the limoncello vinaigrette and makes the salad watery.
If you buy cultivated mussels, they will already be clean. Otherwise, debeard them and soak in water with a tablespoon of flour for 20 minutes before cooking.
FAQs
Why does Ina poach each seafood separately?
Shrimp, scallops, calamari, and mussels all have different cooking times. Shrimp need 3 minutes, scallops need 2, calamari need 2 to 3, and mussels need 4 to 5. If you dump them all in at once, the shrimp and calamari turn rubbery while the scallops are still translucent.
The sequential approach also builds flavor in the poaching liquid. Each round of seafood adds its own brine and protein to the broth, so by the time the mussels go in last, the liquid is a concentrated shellfish stock. Ina reserves half a cup of that broth for the dressing, which is where the deep ocean flavor comes from.
Why does Ina add the poaching liquid to the dressing?
The reserved half cup of poaching liquid is essentially a quick shellfish stock. It contains all the flavor that leached out of the shrimp, scallops, calamari, and mussels during cooking, plus the Old Bay seasoning and white wine. Adding it to the warm olive oil dressing gives the salad a savory depth that olive oil and lemon juice alone cannot provide.
This is the step that makes the salad taste like it came from an Italian restaurant kitchen. Most home versions skip it because they drain and discard all the poaching liquid. Ina saves that concentrated broth and turns it into the backbone of the dressing.
Can you make seafood salad ahead of time?
Ina says to chill for at least 3 hours, and overnight is even better. This is one of her best make-ahead recipes because every component actually improves with time. The limoncello dressing soaks into the seafood overnight, the fennel softens just enough, and the flavors meld into something cohesive.
It keeps in the fridge for up to 2 days. Before serving, sprinkle with the juice of a fresh lemon and extra salt because chilled food always tastes underseasoned. Serve cold or let it come to room temperature for about 20 minutes, which opens up the limoncello and garlic flavors.
How is this different from Ina’s Montauk Seafood Salad?
Ina’s Montauk Seafood Salad from Family Style (2002) is the simpler, earlier version. It uses three types of seafood instead of four (no calamari), a straightforward warm lemon-thyme-mustard vinaigrette, and celery for crunch. The flavor is clean and French-leaning.
This Italian version is bolder. The limoncello, oregano, red pepper flakes, fennel, and tomatoes give it a distinctly southern Italian character. It also takes longer because of the 3-hour minimum chill. If you want something lighter and faster, the Montauk version works. If you want a showstopper, Ina’s Lobster Pasta Salad from How Easy Is That? takes the seafood salad concept in yet another direction with shell pasta, corn, and a mayo dressing.
What should you serve seafood salad with?
Ina positions this as a main course for a summer lunch or a first course for dinner. Crusty bread is essential for soaking up the limoncello dressing at the bottom of the bowl. A baguette sliced on the diagonal and lightly toasted is all you need.
For a full Italian summer meal, start with this salad and follow with something simple. Ina’s Herbed Potato Salad makes a good companion because the wine-and-herb vinaigrette complements the limoncello dressing without overlapping. Keep the rest of the table minimal since the seafood salad carries enough complexity on its own.
