Seafood Appetizer in the Style of Venezia: Misto di Mare alla Veneziana

Ingredients

• 6 shrimp, peeled and cleaned
• 6 scampi, peeled and cleaned
• 6 small mussels, bearded and scrubbed
• 6 large clams, scrubbed
• 6 small razor clams, scrubbed
• 6 large mussels, bearded and scrubbed
• 6 small calamari, cleaned
• 1 (2 pound) lobster
• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 lemons, zested and juiced
• 1 tablespoon hot chile flakes
• 2 bunches Italian parsley, finely chopped to yield 1/2 cup
• Salt and pepper
• 1 pound crab meat
• Lemon wedges, for garnish

Directions

Bring 6 quarts water to boil and set up ice bath.

Cook the shrimp for 1 1/2 minutes and plunge into the ice bath. Cook scampi for 1 minute, and plunge into the ice bath. Cook the calamari 1 minute and do the same. Cook lobster for 8 minutes and then cool in ice bath.

In a large saute pan, place the mussels and clams with 1 cup of water and bring to a boil. Cover and steam, removing each shellfish as it opens. Discard those shellfish that do not open. Keeping each type of shellfish separate, dress each individually with 1 to 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, a touch of lemon juice, a pinch of chile flakes and 1 to 2 tablespoons parsley and salt and pepper, to taste. Do the same with the crabmeat. Arrange all the seafood on a big platter. Garnish with lemon wedges and serve.