To make this seafood salad, start by cleaning the clams: Discard any whose shell is broken or open, placing the rest in a bowl and covering them with water 1 . Add a handful of coarse salt 2 , stir gently 3 , and leave to soak for a couple of hours, changing the water every so often.

In the meantime, cook the octopus: Chop the celery and carrots roughly 4 and add them to a pot filled with plenty of water, together with the parsley 5 and bay leaves 6 .

Add the peppercorns 7 as well and bring to a boil. Dip the octopus’ tentacles in the boiling water 4-5 times 8 to get them to curl 9 .

Then immerse the entire octopus in the water, cover the pot with a lid 10 , and leave it to cook for 30-35 minutes over medium heat, skimming off any residue that forms on the surface of the water from time to time. Meanwhile, clean the mussels: Remove the beard by pulling firmly with your hand 11 , and any incrustations and barnacles using the blade of a knife. Then rinse under running water, scrubbing the shells well with steel wool 12 .

Put the mussels aside and turn to cleaning the shrimp: Remove the head, legs 13 , and tail, then remove the shell 14 and pull out the intestine gently 15 .

Now clean the squid: Separate the head from the body and remove the cuttlebone 16 , then remove the fins and skin 17 . Then cut into rings 18 .

At this point, check on the octopus: Prick it in the middle with a fork and when it’s ready, it will be tender but still firm 19 . Transfer the cooked octopus to a colander and let it cool, then remove the vegetables from the cooking water 20 and add the squid. Boil for around 4-5 minutes, depending on the size 21 .

Pour in the shrimp 22 , too, and blanch for 30 seconds, then drain the squid and shrimp and set aside. Once the clam soaking has passed, drain them 23 and tap them one by one on a cutting board to make sure there’s not any leftover sand 24 . If there is, you will need to discard the clams that still have sand in them.

Add a drizzle of oil to a pot and brown a clove of garlic in it. Then add the mussels 25 and clams 26 and cover the pot with a lid 27 .

Cook over high heat for 5 minutes, just enough time for them to open 28 . Drain the cooking liquid into a bowl – you can use it in other recipes. Discard any mussels and clams that are still closed and remove the open ones from their shells and place in a bowl; be sure to keep a few in the shells to use as garnish 29 . Take the octopus, which should have cooled by now, and clean it, first cutting across the head at eye level to remove them 30 .

Remove the insides from the head 31 and the beak on the underside, in the middle of the tentacles 32 . Cut the tentacles into ¾-inch (2-cm) pieces 33 and place in a large bowl.

Lastly, prepare the citronette dressing: Place the oil and lemon juice in a small bowl, then chop the parsley 34 and add it to the bowl as well 35 . Season with salt and pepper and emulsify with a fork 36 .

Take the bowl with the octopus and add the shelled mussels and clams 37 , squid 38 , and shrimp 39 .

Dress with the citronette emulsion 40 and stir well 41 . Garnish with the whole mussels and clams you set aside, and then serve up your delicious seafood salad 42 !