Tapas Night - Shrimp & Squid Salad

A few weekends ago, my friend Ken and his partner M invited me and Jackie up to their upstate home.  The plan was to have a weekend of feasting and cooking.  It was a welcoming distraction for me, and I was really looking forward to it.  The feasting would start with a Friday night casual dinner.  Since everyone was traveling on Friday, we wanted to make tapas so we don't have to worry about cooking an elaborate dinner.  Since Ken's partner M is a pescatarian, we agreed we would make two dishes each, and they should either be a vegetarian or fish dish.  I love a good seafood salad, so one of the dishes I made was a shrimp and squid salad.

It's such an easy dish to make.  I made it the night before to let the salad marinates.  All the cooking is done in a court bouillon which is a flavored poaching liquid.  Since the shrimp and squid take no time to cook, you want to season the court bouillon so the seafood would absorb all the flavor.  The court boullion ingredients can vary.  Traditionally, it consist of water, wine, mirepoix (onion, celery and carrots), salt, black peppercorn and bouquet garni (bundle of herb consist of thyme, parsley and bay leaf).  I altered some of the ingredients in this recipe mostly because I already have some of the ingredients in my fridge, and these are the flavors I want in this dish.  This is an extremely easy recipe to make.  It is perfect for summer.
  
Shrimp & Squid Salad - Serves 8 - 10

2 lbs of squid bodies - Sliced into half inch rings
1 lb of shrimp - cleaned and deveined
4 stalks of celery, thinly sliced
1/4 pound of assorted pitted olives (halves)

2 lemons cut in quarters for garnish
2 tbs of chopped parsley
Extra Virgin Olive Oil for drizzle
Salt and Pepper to taste 

Court Bouillon

2 quarts of water
Juice of 1 lemon about 1/4 cup
3 stalks of lemon grass crushed
4 pieces of sliced ginger (half an inch)
3 whole Thai Chili peppers
3 sprigs of parsley
1 dried bay leaf
1 tbs of salt

Bring the court bouillon to a boil then let the broth simmer for another 10-15 minutes.  Turn the heat back up, then add the shrimp to the boiling broth, cook the shrimp for a minute then add the squid rings.  Cook the seafood for another minute or two until the shrimp turns pink and the squid is tendered.  Strain and set aside.  Toss the seafood with olives, celery and parsley.  Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil then taste; if necessary, season with salt and pepper.  Allow the salad to cool then refrigerates for at least a few hours or overnight.  Garnish with lemon quarters and squeeze them right before eating.

Thanks Ken and M for having me.  You two are a pair of gracious hosts.  I had a fabulous time cooking and eating with you.  I can't wait to do it again.