Grilled Prawn, Scallop and Calamari Salad

One of my favourite salads as summer rolls around, is my luscious Grilled Seafood Salad with large black tiger shrimp, jumbo scallops and calamari combined with grilled asparagus, zucchini and sliced hard boiled eggs. Tossed with a tangy marinade, the seafood can be cleaned and prepped well in advance and pulled together at the last minute. As with any summer salad, spontaneity is key, adding whatever ingredients are readily available. The idea is to compose a fresh and flavourful hastle-free salad with a treasure trove of grilled seafood and a riot of your favourite veggies nestled on top, for an easy evening meal ideal for when the warm weather finally arrives for good.



Grilled Prawn, Scallop & Calamari Salad with Asparagus, Zucchini & Eggs
Serves 5

15 large black tiger shrimp
10 large scallops
5 whole squid with heads, cleaned
1 lb asparagus, with ends trimmed
2 large zucchini, trimmed and sliced on a diagonal to 1/4-inch thick
1 head red oak leaf lettuce, cleaned, washed and torn into bite size pieces
1/2 english cucumber, thinly sliced
1 tbsp pure sesame oil
1 tsp hot chili oil
1 tsp Pernod
1 tbsp olive oil
5 eggs, hard boiled and sliced in half
Maldon salt and fresh ground black pepper

Salad dressing:
2 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste


Peel and devein the shrimp, leaving the tail intact. Gently run a small knife down the centre of the backs to butterfly the shrimp. Coat with sesame and hot chile oil and a reason of Pernod, then allow to marinate, covered in a small bowl or plastic bag, for at least an hour.

Place the squid on a cutting board and slice each tube in half lengthwise. Lay each of the pieces of squid flat. Score the squid with diagonal slices, cutting through half the thickness, scoring first one way, then the other to create diamond-shaped cuts. Then trim the heads, removing and discarding the beak of the squid. Coat with 1 tsp of hot chili oil, season with salt and pepper and set aside. Leaving the scallops whole, marinate with a dash of sesame and olive oil, then set aside covered with cling film and refrigerate until ready to grill.

For the salad dressing, place the garlic in a food processor and pulse a few times until minced. Add the other ingredients and pulse until emulsified. Cover and set aside. Place the asparagus and zucchini in two separate bowls, brush with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, then cover and set aside.

To grill the seafood, place the shrimp, squid, scallops , zucchini and asparagus on a preheated BBQ and cook until the seafood is opaque and nicely grill marked, and the vegetables are cooked through. The squid and heads should curl up nicely.

To prepare the salad, place the lettuce, cucumber and salad dressing in a large bowl and toss to combine. To serve, place the dressed salad on a large platter, then on top, decoratively arrange the grilled asparagus and zucchini, then top with the seafood with the halved boiled eggs arranged around the sides.