Seafood salad is served all over Italy: anywhere near the sea and with ready access to seafood, which is most of the country. This is also a traditional dish for Christmas Eve, but in the case of a hot day in Los Angeles, it’s the perfect light dinner. The “southern Italian” part is that seafood salads in the south of Italy are much simpler than elsewhere in Italy. They are often made of just marinated seafood on a simple salad with some bread to soak up the juices, with lots of lemon and a bit of the Mediterranean region—capers and olives.

Continue reading Southern Italian seafood salad (Insalata di mare) at Our Italian Table.

Ahhh, there is nothing quite like those first warm days of the season; that first meal prepared outside on the grill as the warmth of those first spring days fade to evening….with a black bear peering over your shoulder, perhaps. (Huh? A black bear?) Well – yesterday our local friendly policeman drove up my driveway to alert me that there was a black bear sighting very close to my house  – a mere 100 or so feet from my comfy patio.  

Continue reading From our bookshelf: Grilled Halibut with Salsa Verde (‘Seafood alla Siciliana’ Cookbook) at Our Italian Table.

This is one of the most luscious dishes that can be found in the Veneto Region of Italy. It comes, more specifically, from Venice itself.

The addition of the squid ink to the risotto is simple: it is in the hot broth that is slowly added to the risotto. Squid ink can be found at specialty Italian markets or on the Internet. These packages are most often from Spain. Look for the products that have very small packets of ink, usually .15 ounce size.

Continue reading Seafood Ink Risotto (Risotto al nero di frutti di mare) at Our Italian Table.

Sometimes the simplest preparations are the tastiest! And this one is for sure….take the freshest fish you can buy, stuff lightly and bake in a salt crust …incredible!  I have used this technique once before when my brother and I were cooking for our Feast of the Seven Fishes.  With company visiting from Italy this past weekend, I thought it would be fun to try this simple preparation again. The final presentation never fails to impress and the dish is incredibly simple to prepare.

Continue reading Pesce al Sale (Fish in a Salt Crust) at Our Italian Table.

Il mio amore was coming for dinner last eve and I was in the mood for something I rarely make – couscous.  This typically Arab dish has made its way into the cuisine of Sicily due to its proximity to the region.  During my trips to Pantelleria, which lies closer to Tunisia than mainland Sicily, I often spied couscous dishes on the menu. I have mouthwatering memories of sitting at a restaurant on the water, fresh breezes from the sea wafting through the open window,  eating a delicious couscous dish chock full of fresh seafood pulled from the gorgeous waters surrounding the island. 

Continue reading Sicilian Seafood Couscous at Our Italian Table.

Tuna Carpaccio – our first course on our ‘Feast of the Seven Fishes’  menu for Christmas Eve 2008.  I have always shied away from serving carpaccio, either meat or fish, at home but my brother, Joe, wanted to give this a try for our Christmas Eve feast – and I am glad we did! This is super easy to prepare and is both delicious and impressive for a dinner party.  The creaminess of the tuna mingled beautifully with the spicy bite of the arugula. 

Continue reading Tuna Carpaccio with Arugula Salad and Caper Vinaigrette at Our Italian Table.