This colorful squid and potato salad is the perfect recipe for a light lunch or picnic. Few items are required and done in a pinch with lots of flavors. Spain is, without a doubt, a great place to vacation, especially if you are a foodie like me. Every region has its distinctive cuisine with a bountiful variety of ingredients. Nevertheless, potatoes and seafood are ever-present items in many dishes.
Yield: 4 servings
Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
Salad:
- 1 lb (450 g) small Yukon potatoes
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb (450 g) squids with tentacles, cleaned
- juice of 1 lemon and zest
- 1/2 cup (70 g) dry chorizo sliced in 1/4 inch (0,6 cm) rounds
- 6-8 green asparagus trimmed and sliced into 1 1/2 to 2 inch (4-5 cm) batons
- 12 cherry tomatoes, sliced in the middle
- 3 cups (150 g) arugula greens, loosely packed
- 2 Tbsp flat-leaf parsely, coarsely chopped
Aïoli
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 cup (240 ml) extra virgin olive oil
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- water (optional)
Preparation:
Begin by making the aïoli: Combine garlic, egg yolk, mustard, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Pulse it with a hand blender to combine. Drizzle in the olive oil and blend all until the olive oil is well incorporated. Add lemon juice to your taste. If aioli seems too thick, thin it up with a bit of water. Start adding small amounts adjusting aïoli consistency to your liking. Refrigerate it while you prepare the remaining salad.
Bring water to a boil in a saucepan. Add salt and the asparagus. Cook asparagus for 2-3 minutes or until just tender. Remove asparagus from the saucepan saving the cooking water for the potatoes. Dip asparagus quickly in ice water to arrest cooking.
Cook potatoes for about 15-20 minutes or until tender. Drain and set aside to cool in a bowl. Slice potatoes into rounds and drizzle them with 2 tablespoons of olive oil stirring to coat well. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
While the potatoes are cooling, slice squid tubes along one side and open tubes like a book. Gently score the inside of the tubes with a sharp knife diagonally with crisscrossing lines. Leave tentacles whole if they are small otherwise, slice them in the middle if they are too big. Combine squid with 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon zest. Sauté squid for 1-2 minutes or until squid tubes are opaque and curled into rolls. Remove from the heat and squeeze lemon juice over it. Set aside.
Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a small saucepan. Cook chorizo slices until lightly charred on each side, about 1-2 minutes. Set aside to cool. Do not discard the chorizo and olive oil. Add the asparagus, squid, chorizo, gathered pan juices, parsley and two tablespoons of aïoli to the potatoes. Stir gently to combine. Arrange arugula amongst the 4 serving plates and top it with the potato and squid salad. Serve with remaining aïoli.
