Seafood salad (Insalata di mare)

1. Clean the squid, cut the bodies into 1 cm rings and the tentacles into smaller pieces; peel the prawns and remove the dark vein; scrub the mussels and discard any open ones that don't close when tapped.

2. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil with the bay leaf, add the squid and cook for 2-3 minutes, then lift out with a slotted spoon; cook the prawns in the same water for 1-2 minutes until pink.

3. Cook the mussels in a lidded pan with a splash of water over high heat for 3-4 minutes until they open (discard any that stay closed), then take them out of their shells, keeping a few whole to garnish.

4. Slice the celery thinly and chop the garlic and parsley very finely.

5. In a bowl, mix the lemon juice with the extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic and parsley, and toss with the still-warm seafood and the celery.

6. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour, taking it out 15 minutes before serving so it isn't ice-cold.

Tip: Squid needs either very short or very long cooking - anything in between makes it rubbery; a frozen seafood mix works well too, and eat the salad on the day it's made.