The worst thing you can do to seafood, no matter how you cook it, is to use it after it has had many days to ferment at your grocer’s or to overcook. The idea is to keep that lively, salt air at the beach thing going, even when there is no hope of getting to the seaside for dinner or years to come. A lot of times you see a recipe that calls for throwing everything in the same pot, which can be great, and quick once you get the hang of it, but if you’re nervous about some things ending up raw and other things ending up like rubberbands, then cook the fish one type at a time.
The first thing you want to do is get one to two clove of minced garlic and a couple of finely diced shallots into a heavy, deep frying pan, that has been coated with your best olive oil. Over a low to medium heat, stir these around with some salt and a sprig of fresh thyme or a few tablespoons of freshly chopped parsley, until they are completely softened and delicious. Next add two peeled and diced potatoes. Add a little more salt and don’t stir the potato for a moment, so that it can caramelize a bit. Then scrape them up from the bottom with a metal spatula, and stir a bit.
Add half a cup of white wine. Allow this to reduce for two minutes, and then add a can of tomatoes drained of its juice, that you have squished into bits with your hand. Cover and simmer until the potatoes are done. In a separate pan, heat up a little olive oil over medium heat, add a whole uncut clove of garlic, and half a pound of shrimp with a sprig of fresh thyme. Salt the shrimp and don’t move until they are beginning to go white around the edges. Flip. Remove them from the pan. Add a little more olive oil to the pan, a minced clove of garlic, and a parsley sprig. When the garlic goes golden, add a few spoonfuls of white wine and a pound of mussels. Cover the pan. When the mussels have opened, after about two to three minutes, take the cover off.
Turn the heat back on your potatoes and tomatoes if you have turned it off. Add half a pound of cleaned sliced squid. Cover and cook for one minute, just until done. Immediately toss all of the seafood together in a large bowl. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Serve in bowls with crusty bread on the side.