A Seafood Feast for Imola: Mussels, Clams, Shrimp, and Octopus

Sourcing the Seafood

These are the days I miss my home in Newfoundland. With Alberta being a landlocked province, sourcing fresh seafood can often be a challenge. But fortunately, Calgary has a large Vietnamese and Chinese population which means incredible Asian markets & restaurants are in every corner of the city. With a new T&T Market recently opened in Deerfoot Meadows, I was just a hop-skip away from the best water-tank shellfish selection in Calgary. Manilla clams, razor clams, mussels, oysters, fresh prawns, lobster, Dungeness & petit blue crab, and even fresh abalone can all be found at T&T Market at fantastic prices.

You Know What’s Great about you English? Octopussy

I must have seen that movie…twice.

Octopus is a must for this Zuppa di Cozze recipe, both for taste, texture, and of course they look so cool tendrilling out of the bowl. Unfortunately T&T Market only sold frozen whole small octopus, where as I was looking for big meaty tentacles fit for a feast, so petite would just not do.

Where T&T Market is awesome for water-tank product, my hunt for the perfect octopus tentacles ended happily at Calgary North Sea Fish Market in Willow Park (grab your Pinot Grigio next door at Willow Park Wine & Spirits while you’re there!). I mean, just look at these beauties, and less than $10 for 3 succulent octopus pieces.

Zuppa di Cozze: Italian Seafood Soup

grandprixeats

Octopus & Shellfish in Tomato, Garlic, and White Wine Broth

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Course Main Course, Race Leader

Cuisine Italian, seafood

Equipment

• Stockpot
• Grill pan
• Kitchen Torch (optional)

Ingredients

  

• 3-4 octopus tentacles, frozen then thawed
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• ½ lb. jumbo shrimp
• ½ tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp. smoked paprika
• 1 lb. mussels
• 1 lb. clams, various sizes
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1-2 tsp chili flakes
• ½ pint cherry tomatoes
• 6 oz. white wine
• 1½ cup fish stock
• 1 handful basil, chopped
• 1 handful italian parsley, chopped
• 2-3 portions stale bread

Instructions

 

Octopus Blanche

• Bring a medium saucepan of water to boil and season with salt, pepper, and bay leaves. Add the thawed octopus tentacles and blanche in the boiling water for 35-40 minutes (until tender when squeezed).
• Once tender, strain of the broth and set the octopus tentacles in a side bowl.
• Add the prawns to the bowl with the octopus and drizzle with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. Set aside.

Mussels & Clams

• Rinse the clams thoroughly in cold water and scrub/de-beard the mussels, set aside.
• In a stockpot or dutch oven, heat olive oil on a medium-low heat. Saute the chopped garlic and chili flakes for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Add the halved cherry tomatoes.
• Add the white wine to the garlic and chili flakes and cook for another 2-3 minutes until the alcohol smell disappears. Add the fish stock and bring to a lite boil. Add in the mussels and clams.
• Steam the seafood until all the shells have opened up (usually about 7-10 minutes, but it depends on the size of the pot).

Octopus and Shrimp

• While the clams & mussels are steaming, heat a dry griddle pan on the stove to a medium-high heat. Cook the shrimp and sear the octopus tentacles on the grill. If your octopus is not charring enough to your liking, use a kitchen torch to finish off the edges.

  Alternatively, if you have a bbq available you can grill the shrimp and octopus on an open flame for more charred flavour.

Assembly

• Using a slotted spoon, serve up the steamed clams and mussels into your serving dish. Laddle in the hot fishy broth, then arrange the octopus and shrimp, garnish with chopped basil and parsley. Serve with stale italian crusty bread.

Keyword clams, imola, italian, mussels, octopus, seafood