Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 minute
Total Time: 16 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 lb cleaned calamari
- 2-3 finely chopped shallots
- 2 T. chopped basil leaves
- 2 T. chopped mint leaves
- 1 lb tomatoes, seeded and chopped
- 1 finely chopped garlic clove
- Chopped leaves from a head of celery (optional)
- 1/2 cup top-quality olive oil
- Juice of a lemon
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preparation:
Prepare the calamari. Rinse the squid and cut the tubes into rings. Cut the tentacles into bite-sized pieces.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, then toss the squid into it and turn off the heat. Count off no more than 30 seconds, then remove the squid and place in a large bowl.
Prepare the salad. Add the herbs, shallot, garlic, celery leaves if you're using them, and the tomatoes to the bowl with the calamari in it. I like to use multicolored tomatoes for this recipe because it looks nice; you don't have to, just use good tomatoes.
Sprinkle a little salt on the salad and mix well, then add the olive oil and toss to combine. At this point the salad can be stored at room temperature (covered) for several hours. While you can refrigerate it, tomatoes and basil really suffer when subjected to such cold temperatures so I never do this.
Right before you serve, grind black pepper over the salad and add the lemon juice.
I like an austere white wine with this, such as a Pinot Grigio, a Chenin Blanc or a Sauvignon Blanc.