Grilled seafood salad

Put the olive oil and salt in the serving bowl before handling the seafood.

Trim the pre-cooked octopus tentacles if needed and remove the very thin bottom pieces so they do not fall through the grates.

Lay the seafood in a grilling basket and close it. Cook in batches so as not to overcrowd: shrimp and octopus together, calamari separately.

Grill over a screaming hot charcoal grill about two to three minutes on one side and two on the other, for some char without burning. Take out the shrimp, leave the octopus, add the calamari and cook a few minutes more. A gas grill or indoor grill pan also works.

Very thinly slice the fennel and one shallot. (If using onion instead, soak it in ice water first to tame it.)

Peel the outer layer off the celery to remove the stringy bits, then slice it very thin.

Add the juice of a whole lemon, finely chopped parsley, a halved garlic clove, salt and extra virgin olive oil; toss with a fork and set aside as the flavour base.

Chop the seafood into even pieces; the calamari tentacles need no chopping.

Add olives and toss everything well. It benefits from sitting in the fridge so the flavours marry.

Variation: add steamed clams, steamed mussels or any fish that stands up to the pungent dressing.