Fritto Misto of Calamari, Lemon and Scallops!

This popular seafood antipasti, is an Italian dish that literally means "fried mixture". In this case I used calamari and scallops, but you could also add mussels and shrimp or any other seafood you like. The most important things are to get your oil hot, never overcook your fish, and keep your breading nice and light.

For this reason, I love using Mario Batali's recipe because he uses cornstarch to bread the fish, which gives it such a nice light flavor, and the taste of the fish is not buried by gobs of breading.
I adapted it a little, in that I added to the cornstarch mixture some sliced jalapeno for spice, which was a big hit by the way, and some green beans for color and crunch. Serve with warm marinara for dipping.

Recently I received a book for review called the "Feast of the Seven Fishes", it's about an Italian American family preparing and cooking for this traditional feast. It's a fun read, the characters in the book might remind you of some of your own relatives, it did me.

But more than that, I walked away with the thought of how certain foods and traditions connect us all with fond memories and feelings that stay with us throughout our entire lives, no matter what nationality or culture we're a part of. I'm going to be sending this dish off to my good friend Maryann, over at Finding La Dolce Vita.

She's hosting this special event along with Joe, from Italyville.
I'm coming in at the last minute, but I'll still be able to make the party!

Buon Appetito!!