Seafood Panzanella Salad
With tomatoes ripening in my garden and leftover pieces of my sourdough bread accumulating in the freezer, it’s time to whip up a Panzanella Salad. I often elevate the salad to another level with the addition of cooked seafood. You can grill, poach, steam or sauté the seafood, just be careful to not overcook it. The other option is to buy seafood that is already cooked for you like crabmeat and shrimp to simplify this recipe.
Seafood Panzanella Salad
Course: SaladsCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Easy6
servings30
minutesIngredients
2 pounds seafood of your choice (lobster, crab, shrimp, mussels, tuna, etc.)
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 Tablespoon chopped Italian parsley
1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 ripe tomatoes, cored and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup thinly sliced yellow onion
2 cups of cubed bread (use rustic country-style bread without the crust and cut into 1/2 inch cubes)
1 cup of fresh basil leaves
6 basil sprigs for garnish
Directions
- Clean and cook the seafood using any method you desire. You can grill, poach, steam or sauté the seafood, just be careful to not overcook it. The other option is to buy seafood that is already cooked for you like crabmeat and shrimp to simplify this recipe.
- Once you have your 2 pounds of seafood, free of shell and bones, cut any large pieces (like a whole lobster tail) into more manageable pieces. Drizzle the seafood with the lemon juice, 2 Tablespoons olive oil, Italian parsley and season with salt and black pepper to taste. Toss gently to coat and refrigerate until service.
- Make the balsamic vinaigrette by whisking together the remaining olive oil, the balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Core the tomatoes and cut into 1/2-inch wedges. Cut the wedges in half to create uniform chunks of tomatoes and mix together with the sliced onion and cubed bread. Tear the basil into small pieces and add to the tomato mixture along with the vinaigrette. Toss well to coat.
- To serve, make a small ring of the tomato mixture on each plate and fill the center with the seafood. Garnish with the basil sprig and serve.
