Antipasti Recipe Ideas

Antipasti are Italian starters or entrees, the beginning of a traditional Italian meal. Below are some of my favourite antipasti recipes, ranging from vegetables, seafood and meat. Making antipasti is usually a simple task, but the flavours are always amazing.

For the seafood recipes, try to get your fish, squid and shellfish cleaned when you buy them, as it's an arduous and messy task to do it yourself; Especially squid and sardines.

If you want to try some intense flavours and/or want a great starter to serve, then try something from this hub. Antipasti is always a winning dish as there is something for everyone from meat and fish lovers to vegetarians.

Serves 4

24 large raw unshelled prawns

150ml olive oil

juice of 1/2 a lemon

1 garlic clove

1 tablespoon parsley

pinch of salt

slices of lemon to garnish

• carefully cut the prawns from the underside of the tail to the head with a sharp knife
• marinate the prawns in 6 tablespoons of olive oil for at least 5 minutes
• finely chop the parsley and crush the garlic
• mix together the remaining olive oil, lemon juice, parsley, garlic and salt to make a sauce
• either grill or barbeque the prawns on a hot heat for 8 minutes, turning continuously
• pour the sauce over the cooked prawns and garnish with lemon slices

Serves 4 

800g squid

400g clams

3 sprigs flat leaf parsley

1 garlic clove

2 tablespoons grated pecorino

1 egg

4 tablespoons breadcrumbs

5 tablespoons olive oil

250ml dry white wine

salt and pepper

• prepare the squid if not already cleaned
• wash and scrub the clams, then boil for 5 minutes while continuously shaking the pan
• strain the clams and remove from their shells, discard any unopened ones
• chop the clam meat into small pieces
• chop the parsley and crush the garlic
• mix the clam meat, parsley, garlic, pecorino, egg, breadcrumbs with plenty of black pepper and a pinch of salt
• stuff the squid body with the mixture and stitch the opening with kitchen twine or a toothpick
• heat the olive oil in a large frying pan
• add the stuffed squid (and tentacles if using whole squid) and fry gently, turning the parcels carefully
• season with salt and pepper and add the wine
• cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes
• serve on a bed of salad leaves

Serves 4 

4 aubergines

1 large onion

6 tablespoons olive oil

4 sticks celery

500g tomatoes

100g black olives

2 tablespoons capers

50g pine nuts

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper

pinch of sugar

• cut the aubergine into 1 inch cubes, sprinkle with salt and leave for 1 hour to draw out the bitter juices
• wash the celery and cut into pieces
• remove the stones from the olives and cut in halves
• skin, de-seed and chop the tomatoes
• peel the onion, cut into rings and fry until brown in 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• remove from the pan and set aside
• once the juices have been drawn from the aubergine, rinse in cold water and pat dry with kitchen paper
• add a further 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan used to cook the onions
• fry the aubergine until soft
• remove from the pan and set aside with the onions
• add another 2 tablespoons of oil to the pan to warm
• fry the celery gently in the pan for 10 minutes
• add the chopped tomatoes and cook for a further 10 minutes
• add to the pan the olives, capers, pine nuts, cooked aubergine and onion
• heat the vinegar gently in another pan, then add to the vegetables
• season with salt, pepper and sugar, stir well
• cover and leave to simmer for 2 hours
• serve slightly chilled

Serves 4

500g matured beef fillet

150ml extra virgin olive oil

juice of 1 lemon

salt and pepper

grated parmesan to garnish

fresh parsley to garnish

• wrap the beef fillet in tin foil and place flat in the freezer for 1 hour
• cut the beef into very thin slices and arrange on a large platter
• mix the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper to form a sauce
• pour the sauce over the meat and place in the fridge for 15 minutes
• sprinkle the grated parmesan over the strips of beef and garnish with parsley

Serves 4

30g butter

3 tablespoons olive oil

500g white onions

150ml dry white wine

salt and pepper

bunch of flat leaf parsley 

• peel the onions and chop into quarters 
• melt the butter in an oven dish and add the olive oil
• place the onions in the oven dish
• pour the wine over the onions and cook in the oven for 30 minutes on 180C
• turn the onions adding more wine (or water) if needed
• cook for a further 30 minutes
• chop the parsley
• season the onions with salt and pepper and sprinkle with parsley 

Serves 4

250g small sardines (already cleaned and gutted) 

4 small red mullet (already cleaned and gutted) 

250g squid (already cleaned and gutted) 

250g medium sized prawns unshelled

1 litre vegetable oil

flour

salt 1 unwaxed lemon

• cut the squid body into rings
• head and tail the cleaned and gutted sardines and mullet (if desired)
• heat the oil in a high and wide saucepan (alternatively use a deep fat fryer)
• check that the oil is hot enough by dropping a small piece of bread into the oil and seeing if it crisps soon after
• dry off the seafood with kitchen paper
• coat with flour and deep fry in portions (this should take no more than 5 minutes) 
• remove from the pan and place on kitchen paper to drain the excess oil
• season with salt and pepper and garnish with lemon 

Serves 4

4 bulbs fennel

100ml vegetable stock

100ml white wine

1 bay leaf

4 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper 

• wash and cut the fennel into quarters
• place in a pan with the stock, wine, bay leaf and olive oil
• leave the pan uncovered and bring to the boil and simmer for 20-30 minutes
• once the juices have evaporated, season with salt and lots of black pepper

Serves 4

800g unshelled prawns

5 tablespoons olive oil

juice of 1/2 lemon

2 tablespoons flat leaved parsley

2 garlic cloves

salt and white pepper 

• chop the parsley, juice the lemon and crush the garlic 
• add some salt and prawns to a large pan of boiling water
• cook for 3 minutes
• drain, rinse in cold water and remove the shell 
• mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, parsley, garlic, salt and white pepper to form a sauce
• pour the sauce over the prawns and leave to stand in the fridge to 1 hour
• season with salt pepper to taste 

Serves 4

2 red peppers

2 yellow peppers

3 tomatoes

2 garlic cloves

8 anchovy fillets (in oil)

3 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper

1 tablespoon flat leaved parsley

• preheat the oven to 200C
• wash, halve and de-seed the peppers
• slice the tomatoes
• thinly slice the garlic
• place the peppers into an oven dish, putting 2 slices of tomato on each halve
• place the sliced garlic onto the tomato
• season with salt and pepper
• place one anchovy fillet on each half of pepper
• drizzle olive oil over the peppers
• cook in the oven for 30 minutes
• garnish with parsley