Italian Seafood Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 tin Ekone Octopus, roughly chopped

• 1 pound 16/20 shrimp, deveined

• ½ cup fennel, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced

• ⅓ cup red onion, thinly sliced into half-moons

• ½ cup navel or blood orange, peeled, sliced, and halved

• ⅓ cup Castelvetrano olives, pitted and roughly chopped

• ¼ cup Italian parsley, torn into pieces

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

• ½ teaspoon chili flakes

• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. Cook the shrimp: Bring 8 cups of salted water to a boil. While waiting, prepare an ice bath with ice cubes and cold water.

• Add the shrimp to the boiling water and cook until they turn pink and opaque, about 3-4 minutes.

• Transfer the shrimp to the ice bath using a slotted spoon to stop cooking. Cool briefly, then drain and peel.

2. Make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, chili flakes, and the liquid from the octopus tin. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Assemble the salad: In a large bowl, combine the fennel, red onion, orange slices, olives, cooked shrimp, chopped octopus, and parsley.

4. Toss and marinate: Pour the dressing over the salad. Toss gently but thoroughly to coat everything evenly. Season with additional salt and pepper as needed. Let the salad sit for 15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.

5. Taste and serve: Before serving, taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. The salad should be tart, vegetal, balanced, and lightly spiced.

Yields: 4 servings.