Christmas Yum Yum!!

[The Slab Bacon]

Alright guys, here it is my now imfamous "Dago Fish Salad" this dish has been a tradition in my family as long as I can remember. For many Italians it is a traditional dish for Christmas Eve and also good Friday. I have heard it refered to as "The 5 fishes" or "the 7 fishes", "the fish" or "the salad".  In my family we have always called it "Fish Salad" or "Octopus salad" I just finished making this year's batch a few hours ago!

 Here is the basic recipe:

2 or 3 large octopi, boiled until fork tender and cut into bite sized pieces.
about 5 lb of frozen squid cut into bite sized pieces and boiled in lightly salted water.
2 or 3 lb of large shrimp cleaned, deveined, boiled, and cut into bite sized pieces.
1 lb langostinos (if you can find them) boiled and cut into bite sized pieces.
1 lb conch, also boiled and cut into bite sized pieces.
1 lb good crabmeat (optional)
any other good shellfish that you can get your hands on (optional)
2 good sized bunches of FRESH parsley chopped fairly small
at least 2 full bulbs of fresh garlic peeled and chopped fairly small. (more if you like)
3 good sized fresh lemons
high grade imported EVOO

Mix all of the shellfish items, chopped garlic and parsley in a good sized mixing bowl.
Pour in enough EVOO to cover everything and have about 1" in the bottom of the bowl.
Cut the lemons in half and squeeze all of the juice into the bowl.
cut what is left of the lemons up into 1/2" slices ad toss them into the bowl (remove the pieces of lemon skins when serving)
Mix the whole mess up well, cover the bowl tightly and put into the refrigerator untill the next day. (do not serve until it has sit overnight in the frig)
Give the whole mix a good stirring every few hours while sitting in the frig.
(it has to set overnight for the flavor to develop properly)
serve cold right out of the frig or at room temperature.

It takes all of the self control that I have to not devour the whole thing at one sitting!!

As I was taking these pictures the garlic was melting my camera's lens!!

Best wishes to all and have a very Merry Christmas!!

                                                                                         the Slab Bacon

[W2FAL]

I'm assuming that would be FRESH ITALIAN parsley?

Frank (the last name ends in a vowel), W2FAL

[The Slab Bacon]

I'm assuming that would be FRESH ITALIAN parsley?

Frank (the last name ends in a vowel), W2FAL

Yes, Italian parsley is preferred, but you cant always find it down here, the curley leaf stuff works just fine.  (the last name here also ends with a vowel)    Most people whose last name doesnt end with a vowel would be scared to go near a bowl of stuff that looks like that!!

                                                                          The Slab Bacon

[WA1GFZ]

man that looks good! 
My GF loved that stuff but my Dad didn't.
You would love our beach in August conch were large and there were piles of them this past year. Not hard to take a walk and find 4 or 6 of them.
My GF used to eat them  like candy.

[The Slab Bacon]

You would love our beach in August conch were large and there were piles of them this past year. Not hard to take a walk and find 4 or 6 of them.
My GF used to eat them  like candy.

Some guys have all the luck!! Around here they're just about made of unobtanium!!

[Bill, KD0HG]

My Greek dad used to make something similar with leftover steak,  pot or beef roast.
Shred the beef up, olive oil, lemon, parsley, salt and black pepper.

[The Slab Bacon]

Slab, you're pure evil!

Naa, only my breath after eating it!!

I had some for lunch today. Later when I was at the grocery store picking up some last minute things, everywhere I walked, I could hear people talking about wondering where that garlic smell was coming from.

Little did they know it was my breath!!


                                                                                    The Slab bacon

[N3DRB The Derb]

I'll be sending a special email regarding this dish.   

[WA1GFZ]

Garlic and olive oil......Radiator flush and lubrication for the bod. It don't get better.

[W1IA]

URRP!

I can put up with the fish salad, but the eggplant will definitely make me chunder!

Evil Mack? Too funny.

Brent

[WA1GFZ]

Hey Frank,
I'm about 2 minutes off RT 95 stop by anytime. We will drink wine till it is low tide then go for a walk, inspect the wild life and fill a bag. 

[ka3zlr]

Well it looks good...But I'm German, it's time for Home made warm banana nut bread with lotsa butter, then two months of jogging...LOL...

[The Slab Bacon]

Hey Frank,
I'm about 2 minutes off RT 95 stop by anytime. We will drink wine till it is low tide then go for a walk, inspect the wild life and fill a bag. 

Lucky dog!! A good bottle of houch and fresh (really fresh) seafood. Life just dont get any better!!

[WA1GFZ]

yea, someday I may actually get to do that. Now more like work all day and crash out on the beach and take a swim.

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

Toss some of these in there. It will make it more yum yum!

[W2INR]

I went to my mothers today Frank . We had some Italian favorites.

We had Roasted Red peppers in EVO with garlic, salt and cracked pepper'

We had pickled eggplant.

And we had Christmas oranges, oranges with EVO and cracked pepper

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcXA_pkfLso&feature=related

[k3zrf]

Reminds me of the post Timonium bash at Frank's

[The Slab Bacon]

I went to my mothers today Frank . We had some Italian favorites.

We had Roasted Red peppers in EVO with garlic, salt and cracked pepper'

We had pickled eggplant.

And we had Christmas oranges, oranges with EVO and cracked pepper

Gary,
          It all looks yummy!! But your Mom's pickled eggplant looks a little different that what my Mom used to make. The egglpant in ours comes out a little darker in color for some reason. But I could still taste it all!!

However, my wife is still bitching about my breath from all of the garlic in the 4 dishes of fish salas I have eaten in the last 2 days!! Not to mention the gasseous secretions from the 1/2 gallon of eggnog I wolfed down!!

Like Mack said, I am stuffed from the las 2 days of eating, and actually looking forward to going back to work to starve some of it off!!

[WA1GFZ]

We had so much shrimp I brought 2 home for the cat.
Ham
lasagie
meatballs.
mac and cheese
salad
then we ate the sweet stuff.
Man I just can't put it away like I use to and I was smaller back then.
Large care package came home with us.

[Vortex Joe - N3IBX]

Frank,
        Just looking at your recipe and thinking about the garlic in it, makes my tastebuds have multiple orgasms!

        As Da Slab would say: "Birthcontrol salad"!  With something that would look and taste so good, who would care about birth control?

Buono Appetito!
                     Joe Cro N3IBX

[WA3VJB]

I went to my mothers today Frank . We had some Italian favorites.

We had Roasted Red peppers in EVO with garlic, salt and cracked pepper'

We had pickled eggplant.

And we had Christmas oranges, oranges with EVO and cracked pepper

Gary narrates the making of the Food Fotos:

[WA3VJB]

Sorry that i had to bail out when I did, but O dark 30 comes far too early these days.

                                                              The Slab Bacon

Visions of pickled eggplant
danced in his head