Holiday Seafood Salad
Antipasti di Mare ~ This is a wonderful Christmas Eve appetizer but is also great prepared throughout the year. My version of this salad contains the traditional Italian combination of shrimps, scallops, and calamari, but you could also add other seafood such as mussels and octopus if you prefer.. I had family over to our new house to celebrate Christmas Eve this year, and we decided to go all out with a seafood feast and celebrate as Italian Americans do with a Feast of The Seven Fishes. Being an overachiever, I ended up with twelve different seafood varieties spread out over three courses on my menu. This salad contains scallops, squid, and shrimp, which are cooked just until tender.
Anytime I am home for Christmas Eve, this salad is a must-have on my menu. It is best prepared the day before so that the flavors meld, and I believe that the lemon based dressing actually marinades the cooked seafood making it even more tender. Although this is a Christmas Eve favorite at our house, it would also be a great option for a New Year’s Eve party or New Year’s Day appetizer. I add chopped celery to my version of this salad for texture, and Kalamata olives to add a salty vibrancy that pairs well with the seafood.
Buon Appetito!
Deborah Mele Revised 2018

Holiday Seafood Salad
A mix of shrimp, scallops, calamari, and octopus tossed together in a zesty dressing. A great option for Christmas Eve or any holiday get-together.
Ingredients
- 3 Cups White Wine
- 3 Bay Leaves
- 2 Cloves Garlic, Crushed
- 2 Lemons
- 1 Pound Calamari, Cleaned And Cut Into Rings
- 1 Pound Medium Shrimp, Cleaned And Deveined
- 1 Pound Scallops
- 1 Cup Pitted Kalamata Olives
- 1 1/2 Cups Chopped Celery
Dressing:
- 1 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/2 Cup Lemon Juice
- 3 Large Garlic Cloves, Thinly Sliced
- 1/4 Cup Chopped Parsley
- Dash Red Pepper Flakes
- Salt & Pepper To Taste
Instructions
- In a stockpot, combine 3 quarts of water, the wine, bay leaves, and crushed garlic.
- Slice the lemons in half and squeeze the juice into the mixture.
- Drop the lemons into the pot, then bring the mixture first to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low.
- First cook the shrimp, cook 2 minutes and remove from the pot.
- Cook the calamari 1 1/2 minutes and remove from the pot as well.
- Add the scallops to the pot, and cook for 2 minutes.
- Mix the seafood together and set aside.
- Place the seafood in a bowl and add the chopped celery.
- Add the dressing ingredients and mix well.
- Cover and let marinade a minimum of 12 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.
- Just before serving, taste, and adjust the seasonings as needed, and add the black olives and mix well.
- Serve at room temperature.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1 cupsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 635 Total Fat: 38g Saturated Fat: 5g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 31g Cholesterol: 219mg Sodium: 1192mg Carbohydrates: 27g Fiber: 2g Sugar: 2g Protein: 32g
My oh my! This Seafood Salad recipe was delicious! I did not use Octopus. I used Shrimp, Calamari, Scallops and a 16 ounce can of Lump Crab Meat. This is the recipe I will be using for Christmas Eve from now on! Tastes so good and fresh! Thank you!
Hi, first let me say I am so jealous of where you just spent your holidays. I live on the Gold Coast Queensland & it’s just a tourist trap but where you went. WOW. Now I have that out of the way I once ate the most beautiful Italian meal at an Italian restaurant at Bondi Beach, Sydney. I love seafood and the meal I had was mixed seafood (hot) with spaghetti. It didn’t have tomatoes or a tomato sauce and it didn’t have cream in it. It did had a good sprinkling of pepper, wine and I don’t know what else. It was light and delicious. Would you have any idea how it could have been made and with what. I think the ‘sauce’ was just white wine and olive oil with lots of pepper and fresh parsley.but I’m not Italian. Could you help me. Thank you. Peta
Peta, it does sound like a basic “white” sauce made with white wine, maybe a little fish stock, garlic, and olive oil. I do not have a recipe on the blog for this pasta dish (no tomatoes), but it shouldn’t be hard to find. Try searching for Pasta Pescatore Bianco.
Hi, Do you have any suggestion on which white wine to use?
Thanks in advance!
Any dry white wine. I usually use Savignon Blanc.
I going to make this for xmas
Going to use this for Christmas Eve! Thank you for posting
I just made this tonight!!! It’s marinating now. Can you tell me how long the is lasts in the fridge please!! It will depend on how’s fast I eat It haha
Also really easy recipe I used shrimp, fresh calamari, and scallops
Thanks
Rachel
Rachel, I would only keep it two days at the most.
I’ve make this twice before. It’s unbelievably popular. I added a heavy tablespoon of capers, a can of garbanzo beans, and 3 scallions chopped. I haven’t done it with octopus yet, I substituted for lobster tail.
My mom makes an almost identical salad every Christmas Eve! Any idea what region in Italy this originated from? My parents were both born in the Abruzzo region so I’m wondering if that’s where it may have originated from? By the way, I recently discovered your site and it’s awesome! You have truly authentic recipes (I can vouch for them— my parents both immigrated from Italy, I’ve been countless times to visit family and studied their while in college). I look forward to exploring more of your site.
Thanks Erica!
This is my all time favorite for Christmas Eve. With so many of my family members passing it is being neglected! Do you have any instructions on how to clean and prepare the octopus? Much appreciated…
thanks for sharing!
There are several octopus recipes on this blog, just do a search.
What a delicious and refreshing dish for any time of year, but especially welcome for the Christmas Eve fish feast we always prepare.