Marinated Calamari Salad on a Bed of Butter Lettuce

By draingal

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. cleaned squid, tubes and tentacles
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 3 tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup of the best extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
• 6 scallions diced, both white and green parts of the stalk
• 16 or more pitted kalamata olives, halved lengthwise
• 1/2 lb. cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup flat leaf parsley, diced
• 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, chiffonade
• 1 head butter lettuce

Preparation

Step 1

Rinse the calamari in cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Halve the large tentacles lengthwise, and cut bodies into 1/4 = 1/3" wide rings.
Cook the calamari in a 4 qt. saucepan of boiling water until just opaque, 60-90 seconds. Drain in a colander and immediately put cooked calamari in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. When calamari is cool, drain and pat dry.
In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, vinegar, oil, garlic, salt and pepper.
In a large bowl, combine the calamari, onion, olives, tomatoes, red pepper, parsley and basil. Toss with the dressing and season to taste with salt and pepper. Let stand at least 15 minutes before serving and place on a bed of butter lettuce.