This “seafood salpicón” is a typical Spanish starter or light meal, full of freshness and flavor. It is low in calories and also an excellent source of protein. This preparation does not fail with almost any type of cooked seafood (octopus, squid, mussels, peeled shrimp, clams, etc), even if we do not get fresh and use thawed ones.
Ingredients for 3-4 people:
1/2 kilo assorted seafood
1 large bell pepper
1 large green bell pepper
1 large onion or spring onion
Some olives or capers to taste (optional)
Apple or sherry vinegar
Extra virgin olive oil, smoked paprika, pepper, salt
Prepararing fresh seafood:
Begin cooking the shellfish according to the time each one requires. Reserve and let cool.
With the exception of octopus, which requires at least 40 minutes of boiling, most shellfish can be boiled, steamed, or pan-sautéed for a few minutes. Clams or mussels are usually cooked in a pot over high heat until they open. The prawns (peeled for this recipe) and chopped squid or cuttlefish can be sautéed for a few minutes with a little olive oil.
The rest of the ingredients:
Dice an onion (or spring onion), green and red bell pepper, and mix in a bowl with the seafood. Season with salt, smoked paprika (“de la Vera” if possible), extra virgin olive oil and vinegar (“de Jerez” if available). It can be served immediately, but the flavors intensify and amalgamate after resting. Store in the fridge for this purpose and serve cold.
Tips and tricks:
- The indication of the quantities is to personal taste, but a 50-50 ratio between vegetables and seafood gives a very good balance.
- Whenever possible, I try to stick to fresh and natural ingredients, which is why I don’t like to use those industrial crab sticks, which end up degrading the final result of the dish.
- The indicated vegetables are those which are basic, but it’s also possible to add pitted olives or capers, for example.
- If available, small “padrón” peppers instead of green pepper are a perfect match for this recipe.
- An apple cider vinegar would be preferable to a strong alcohol one. But one from Jerez is always appreciated.
- As usual in this type of dish, it is advisable to use an olive oil that is not very strong and dominates the flavor over the seafood. A good option for these cases is usually Arbequina oil.
- Depending on where you are reading this, you may not have easy access to fresh seafood, so here are some additional tips for using frozen ones.
Tips and tricks while using frozen seafood
- Take out the seafood from the freezer and leave it to defrost in the fridge in a large bowl, since it can lose a lot of liquid.
- In case we are not in a hurry, it is preferable not to leave the shellfish in water to speed up thawing. This is because in many countries the water has a lot of added chlorine, which takes away the flavor of the meat.
- Once defrosted, the cooking time will be the same as for the fresh product. Keep in mind that many frozen seafood is already precooked and will already be ready to eat.
- In many cases, the remaining cooking water left over (as in the case of mussels or octopus) can be used later in other recipes, such as for preparing rice.
Other easy recipes with seafood:
Mussels marinara or mussels buzzara
Easy Mediterranean octopus stew with olives and balsamic