Salicicon de Marisco

THE FOOD

Salicicon de Marisco

Every summer tapas meal needs Salpicon de Marisco (seafood salad) and it was a must have at our dinner as well.  Since we were designing a menu highlighting the similarities between Korean and Spanish foods, we chose this version from northwestern Spain.  It had all the things Korean's love like octopus, pickles, and onions in one beautiful dish plus olives, one of the few imported ingredients we allowed ourselves.

THE QUANDARIES

Let's be honest, this recipe sounds really weird, yet there weren't any big issues making it because the core ingredients were the same between countries.  Of course, we still had our doubts about how this would turn out out since it's a delicately flavored dish and we were changing the light ingredients that add the melody which make the core ingredients work together.  Thankfully, everything came together from the pear vinegar to the pine nut oil.  Even the sweet pickles found the perfect home next to bacon stuffed green olives.  The salad was delicate, yet rich in balanced, diverse flavors.

THE SOLUTION

1 lb fresh boiled octopus

1.5 lbs fresh boiled shrimp

1/2 red bell pepper

1/2 yellow bell pepper

1/2 finely chopped sweet onion

2 medium sized sweet pickles

two handfuls pitted stuffed green olives of your choice

Pear vinegar

Pine Nut oil or Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Sea Salt to taste

Black pepper to taste (optional)

Bring a pot of water to a boil.  Add octopus.  Let it boil until easily cut with scissors.  That's right, when it's done it easily cuts and is no longer rubbery.  After it's finished cooking cut it up into small bite size pieces.

Bring a pot of water to a boil.  Add whole shrimp.  Cook 3-5 minutes or until firm and fully pink.  Clean the shrimp and - if medium or large size) cut in half or thirds.

Dice up the onion, bell peppers, pickles and olives.

Toss everything together in a bowl with oil, sea salt, vinegar, and a little pepper.