My family is Italian which means seafood for Christmas Eve!  I’m not sure where the tradition originated to serve “seven fishes” on Christmas Eve, but we generally serve more than that because our dinner is a potluck for about 110 people.  We eat linguine with clam sauce, stuffed clams, eel, bacala (salt cod), salmon, and a mixed seafood salad like this one.  This cold seafood salad is something I love to order at a restaurant as well because it has such a delicious mix of different seafoods and a bright tangy vinaigrette.

Why you’ll love this recipe

• Light and fresh;
• the perfect Italian Christmas Eve dish;
• components can be prepped separately and tossed together a few hours before serving; 
• easy!

Ingredients

• Garlic – I like to mince garlic with a microplane. 
• Anchovies – are really small fish. You can find anchovy fillets canned or jarred or you can use anchovy paste, which usually comes in a squeeze tube. 
• Lemon Juice – I often use lemon juice in dressings and it goes so well with seafood. 
• Red Wine Vinegar – is one of my favorite vinegars to use in salad dressings and it pairs well with lemon juice.
• Olive Oil – Use a good unrefined olive oil for best flavor. Some of my favorites are the Thrive Market private label, Luccini, Kirkland, California Ranch, and O Olive oil. 
• Squid – I always rinse seafood before cooking it. I prefer the tubes in this recipe. I like to slice the squid into 1/2-inch rings. 
• Scallops – I prefer using bay scallops in this recipe because they are smaller than regular scallops. They’re more bite size. 
• Shrimp – I prefer using wild shrimp. My local Costco sells a Wild Argentine Shrimp bag that comes frozen, peeled and deveined. Ideally, it’s best to use small-medium (51 – 60 count per pound) shrimp for this recipe. If you have a full service fish monger in your area, you can ask them to peel and devein the shrimp for you. I would just call in advance to give them time. 
• Cod Fillet – is a white, mild, flaky fish. I usually find wild cod fillets in the freezer section at Costco. You’ll need about 2 fillets, cut into 1-inch chunks. 
• Mussels – I always rinse mussels and scrub them with a brush. I also remove the beard sticking out of the shell. Any broken mussel shells should be discarded. 
• Celery – adds a nice crunch to this recipe. 
• Clams – You can find canned clams in the aisle with other canned fish and tuna. I use a 6.5 oz can. 
• Parsley – I love using fresh parsley because it gives a nice vibrant color to the dish. 
• Lemon – slices are great for garnish. 

How to make it? 

1. In a large bowl, whisk the anchovies with garlic until pasty. Whisk in the lemon juice and vinegar. Gradually whisk in the oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
2. Cover and heat a medium pot of water to a boil over high heat. Season generously with kosher salt. Reduce heat to a simmer. Add the squid and simmer for 2–3 minutes, until white and opaque. With a slotted spoon, transfer the squid to a colander set in the sink and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. Place in the bowl with the vinaigrette. To the same pot of simmering water, add the scallops and cook for 2–3 minutes, until opaque. Transfer to the colander and rinse with cold water.  Shake the excess water off and place in the serving bowl.
3. To the same pot of simmering water, add the shrimp. Cook for 2–3 minutes, until cooked through. The shrimp should look opaque with pink and bright red-orange accents. Transfer shrimp to the colander and rinse with cold water. Drain shrimp well and add to the serving bowl.
4. To the same pot of simmering water, add the cod. Cook for 4–5 minutes, until firm and cooked through. With a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate and set aside (you’ll add the cod to the salad last). Carefully discard most of the water in the pot, leaving about 2 inches. Add the mussels to the pot. Cover and cook for 3–5 minutes, until all the shells have opened (discard any that do not open at all). Transfer mussels to a colander to cool. Remove mussels from the shells and add to the bowl with the squid, scallops and shrimp.
5. To the bowl with seafood, add the celery, clams, and parsley. Toss until well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the cod and gently toss to combine. Refrigerate, covered, for at least 2 hours or up to 6 hours before serving. Garnish with lemon slices.

Tips

• Prep ahead tip: you can buy and cut all seafood the night before you plan to make this or defrost it the day before, if you purchased frozen. 
• I like to time the first 3 fish for 2 minutes because it takes me another minute to pull them all out.
• Use a spider or a colander spoon if you have either.  You’ll find the fish more easily than with a slotted spoon.
• Feel free to buy any of the mentioned seafood pre-cooked if you have a good local seafood shop. 
• Other things you can add to this salad include olives, capers, red onion, shallots, or scallions. If you do add something like onion, make sure it is thinly sliced. 

Substitutions

• Anchovy fillets – anchovy paste
• If you don’t eat seafood, you can try swapping in sliced hearts of palm, boiled potato, celery, cauliflower, olives, red onion, capers, parsley and the same dressing!
• If you can’t find one of the mentioned seafood, swap in one you can find and make sure you cook it first.

Other recipes you may like

*Shrimp and melon ceviche

*Clamboil

*How to cook and debone a whole fish – see video here

*White Bean Salad with Celery, Mint, and Tuna

*California Nicoise Salad

*Shrimp and Mixed Vegetables with Coconut Basil Sauce

If you give this recipe a try, snap a pic and tag @pamelasalzman so I can see your beautiful creations. I also really appreciate readers taking the time to leave a rating and review! Subscribe for free to my site for the latest recipes,  updates and things I’m loving lately.  If you enjoy this recipe, I taught it last year in my online class!  Give me an hour a month, and I’ll make you a better, healthier cook!