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This Italian Seafood Salad Recipe, also known as Insalata di Mare, is a traditional dish enjoyed on Christmas Eve for the Feast of the Seven Fishes. Fresh and flavorful, the classic recipe features seven types of fresh seafood tossed in a light, zesty homemade dressing.
Seafood Salad has been a long-standing tradition for Christmas Eve dinner. For me, this dish captures the essence of Christmas Eve, bringing family together to share delicious food and create lasting memories. It's a meal I look forward to all year long, serving it with other favorites, like my Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Mushrooms and Vegetarian White Lasagna.
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What is the Feast of the Seven Fishes?
The Feast of the Seven Fishes is an Italian-American tradition celebrated on Christmas Eve and consists of a meal of seven different types of seafood. It is often served with salad, bread, and other meat-free dishes.
This tradition originates from "The Vigil" (La Vigilia), a southern Italian custom of abstaining from meat before a feast.
Key Ingredients and Notes
I like to use seven different types of seafood in my salad to carry on the tradition of the feast. Feel free to customize the components, using any seafood combination your family enjoys. your family's preferences. Here's my preferred seafood selection:
- Lobster
- Large Shrimp
- Scallops
- Halibut
- Calamari (Squid Rings and Tentacles)
- Clams
- Mussels
Optional Additions: octopus, crab, other white fish varieties, or scungilli (conch).
Want the quick version? Jump to the recipe card below. Or, keep reading for a detailed, step-by-step guide.
Possible Variations
Many seafood salad recipes contain vegetables and other flavor enhancers. Try incorporating celery, red onion, black olives, peppercorns, cloves, capers, or fennel for extra flavor and texture.
How to Make Seafood Salad for Christmas Eve
Prepare poaching broth - In a large pot, bring water, wine, Old Bay seasoning, and salt to a low boil over medium heat.
Soak - Submerge the shellfish (mussels and clams) in cool water to clean out any sand.
Cook the seafood - Working one at a time, submerge the lobster, shrimp, scallops, calamari, halibut, clams, and mussels in the broth. Cook each ingredient, use a slotted spoon to transfer it to a bowl, and continue with the next item.
Chill the seafood - Reserve part of the cooking liquid, drain the rest, and transfer the seafood to the refrigerator to chill.
Prepare the dressing - Sauté garlic, Italian seasoning, and crushed red pepper flakes in extra virgin olive oil until the garlic is golden brown. Mix in the reserved liquid, garlic powder, lemon zest, and lemon juice, and set the skillet aside to cool.
Chop the seafood - Remove the lobster and shrimp meat from the shells, and chop them into bite-sized pieces. Next, chop the halibut and scallops, and slice the calamari tubes. Remove the meat from the shells of the clams and mussels, and combine everything in a bowl.
Toss - Add fresh parsley and green olives, and pour the dressing over the seafood. Toss to combine.
Serve - Chill the Italian seafood salad in the fridge, spread it out on a serving dish, and enjoy as a first course for your holiday feast!
Amanda's Expert Tips
- Use fresh seafood. Fresh clams and mussels should be alive and in good condition before cooking. Store them in a large bowl covered with a damp paper towel in the refrigerator, not in a closed container. Tap their shells before cooking to ensure they're alive; discard any that remain open. During cooking, their shells should open. If not, discard them.
- Prep everything before you begin. Seafood cooks quickly, so having your ingredients measured, cleaned, and ready ensures nothing overcooks.
- Don't overcook the seafood. Each type has a different cooking time, and tenderness is key. Pull the seafood from the pot as soon as it turns opaque and firm. Overcooking can make it tough or rubbery!
- Chill thoroughly for the best flavor. This Italian seafood salad recipe gets better as it sits. A minimum of 2 hours is good, but overnight is even better. The seafood absorbs the dressing and becomes more flavorful.
- Cut everything into uniform pieces. Bite-sized, evenly cut pieces make the salad easier to eat and ensure that every forkful has a little of everything.
- Taste and adjust before serving. Seafood varies in saltiness. Before serving, taste the salad cold and add a pinch of salt, extra lemon juice, or olive oil if needed.
- Serve chilled, never warm. Cold seafood salad is traditional for the Feast of the Seven Fishes and keeps the flavors bright and refreshing.
What to Serve on Christmas Eve with this Italian Seafood Salad Recipe
Pasta is a staple for every holiday in our family. On Christmas Eve, I also like to do some appetizers, a salad, and fun desserts. Here are some delicious options to include in your celebration:
How to Store
Transfer any leftovers to an airtight container, and store them in the fridge for up to 2 days. Give the salad a quick stir before serving to redistribute the ingredients.
Glossary
If you don't recognize a tool or skill I mentioned, you can look it up in my Glossary of Cooking Terms and Definitions for more information!
More Seafood Recipes
If you loved this Italian Seafood Salad Recipe, you'll enjoy these seafood dishes, too!
- Linguine Frutti di Mare - A light seafood pasta dish with mussels, shrimp, calamari, and scallops.
- Easy Mussels Marinara Recipe - An affordable, restaurant-worthy dinner ready in 30 minutes!
- Easy Shrimp and Scallop Scampi - A classic seafood dish ready in 20 minutes.
- Baked Italian Stuffed Calamari - A classic Sicilian dish with rich, savory flavors.
- Garlic Butter Mussels - A quick and delicious dish that is perfect with a loaf of crusty bread!
Recipe
Italian Seafood Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 quarts water
- ½ cup white wine
- 1 Tablespoon old bay seasoning
- 1 Tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 pound mussels
- 1 pound clams
- 6 ounce lobster tail
- 1 pound jumbo shrimp, shell-on, deveined
- ½ pound sea scallops
- 1 pound calamari, tubes and tentacles
- 8 ounces halibut
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
- 1 teaspoon italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 large lemon, zest and juice only
- 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 ½ cups castelvetrano olives, cured in oil
Instructions
- Heat the water, wine, old bay seasoning, and salt in a large pot, bringing it to a low boil over medium heat on the stovetop.
- Cover the mussels and clams with cool water in a large bowl. Let them sit for 2 minutes to clean out any leftover sand. Drain and set aside.
- First, cook the lobster in the poaching liquid for 3-5 minutes until the meat is opaque, the shell is orange-red, and the tail is slightly curled. Remove with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl.
- Next, cook the shrimp for 3-5 minutes until the meat is opaque, the shell is pink, and they are slightly curled. Remove with a slotted spoon and in the bowl.
- Cook the scallops for 2-3 minutes until opaque and slightly firm. Remove with a slotted spoon and set in the bowl.
- Add the calamari tubes and tentacles and cook for 1-2 minutes until opaque and slightly firm. Remove with a slotted spoon and place in the bowl.
- Cook the halibut filet for 3-5 minutes until opaque and flaky. Remove with a slotted spoon and set in the bowl.
- Add the clams to the liquid and cook for 2-3 minutes until the shells open, discarding any that don't. Remove opened clams with a slotted spoon and set in the bowl.
- Lastly, cook the mussels for 2-3 minutes until they open, discarding any that don't. Remove opened mussels with a slotted spoon and add to the bowl.
- Reserve one cup of the cooking liquid for the dressing and discard the rest. Place the bowl of seafood in the refrigerator to chill.
- Heat the olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat on the stovetop. Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, and crushed red pepper and saute for 2 minutes until the garlic is golden brown.
- Mix in the reserved cooking liquid, garlic powder, lemon zest, and lemon juice, and let it cool.
- Remove the lobster and shrimp meat from the shells and chop them into bite-sized pieces. Chop the halibut and scallops into bite-sized pieces and place them in a serving bowl with the lobster and shrimp.
- Slice the calamari tubes and add them to the serving bowl. Remove the meat from the shells of the clams and mussels and add them to the bowl.
- Add the fresh parsley and olives, and pour the prepared dressing over the top. Toss gently to combine.
- Chill the salad in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight for best results.
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