Grilled squid (calamari) salad with white beans, pesto and arugula is one of those quintessential salads that I have in my repertoire. Served as a main dish, as a salad or as part of an Italian "morsi piccoli" or small bites party, this salads fresh and unadultered flavors are bound to please all.

The best way to prepare this salad, I have found is to use the large squid (calamari is squid ya know!) often found in asian markets (99 Ranch come to mind). If you purchase the fresh squid you will have to clean and peel our little friend. For those less inclined to do this type of manual labor, there are a couple of frozon products that have had the processes mentioned above completed for you. So it's just a defrost, score, grill and chop.

If, for some reason you do not like squid you may substitute chicken or shrimp in this dish, with equally tasty results.

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Grilled Calamari with White Beans, Pesto and Arugula

Printable version of this Grilled Calamari Salad recipe (word doc).

Ingredients:

1# fresh calamari, cleaned

1 bag arugula

Salad Dressing:

2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

¾  cup Olive oil

3 tablespoons pine nuts or walnuts

3 garlic cloves, finely minced

Bean Salad:

2 16-ounce cans cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed and drained

1-1/2 cups diced plum tomato

1/2 cup chopped Vidalia or other sweet onion

1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

Instructions

Rub calamari with oil and grill until cooked, approx. 3 minutes. Remove and reserve.

Dressing

Place all ingredients into a blender and puree until smooth.

Salad

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients.
Add the dressing to the bean salad; toss lightly.
Cover and chill for 30 minutes before serving.

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