An exceptionally easy dish, this healthy Calabrian pasta with seafood takes relatively little time to cook. A little kick of chilli and healthy pescatarian protein, it's the ideal no-hassle meal any day of the week.
Not too fishy
This Calabrian pasta with seafood is another of the recipes my father recorded on his travels in southern Italy in the 1960s—this time in the port of Reggio Calabria—and it's another of those dishes I learned to cook as a kid. For one thing, it relies on the use of fresh tomatoes that he used to grow in abundance. For another, it uses a mix of seafood. Here's I'm using a mix of de-shelled mussels, squid and prawns—more easily available in the UK—though when I was a kid, we'd more often cook it with white crab meat, something we ate regularly due to his ingenious design of crab pots that proved highly effective. Your call.
This is a dish that was very much something that came out of the cucina povera of southern Italy—which he first encountered as a young man travelling in Italy in the 1960s. It's noted for its relatively frugal use of ingredients. It can be a thing of utter beauty.
If you wish, you can press you puréed tomatoes through a sieve to remove the skins and seeds. As with many dishes, I don't because I think they add fibre, texture and flavour.
The white wine is essential to this dish: it softens the onions; it transforms the tomatoes; and above all it is the flavour contrapunto to the fish stock. But, don't waste the good stuff. Any quotidian white wine works well.
The quantities in this recipe will serve 2 to 3 diners. Please note that the images here are from cooking it scaled down. Because of the seafood and fish stock, it should not be stored long after cooking.
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Shopping list
for the Calabrian pasta with seafood
Approx. 90g dried spaghetti (or pasta of choice) per diner
Approx. 450g mixed raw seafood of choice; fresh or fully defrosted
Approx. 500g very ripe fresh small plum tomatoes (or cherry tomatoes)
2 medium brown onions (or red); chopped
1 fresh red peperoncino chilli, finely sliced
1large fresh red bell pepper; chopped
1 large red onion (or brown), halved and sliced
400ml white wine
500ml fish stock; homemade or store-bought
4 cloves smoked garlic, (or fresh garlic) finely cubed
1 tspn minced peperoncino
½ tspn fennel seeds
A generous clutch of parsley, chopped
4 tbspns virgin olive oil
2 bay leaves—dried or fresh
2 tspns brown sugar
1 tbspn balsamico vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
for the salad
fresh wild rocket (arugula); washed
½ a cucumber; cut roughly into small batons
balsamico and extra virgin olive oil
a sprinkle of crushed dried chilli flakes (optional)
salt and pepper to preference
Cooking Method
the Calabrian pasta with seafood
Start by making your fresh tomatoes ready when needed: chop them into a rough purée in a mini chopper or food processor while you gently brown the onions and garlic on a low heat in a pan. Add the fennel seeds
Add the fresh slice peperoncino and red bell pepper and sauté until slightly tender. Season with salt and pepper. Pour in half of the white wine. Increase the heat slightly so that the wine cooks off fairly quickly
When most of the wine has cooked off, add your puréed fresh tomatoes, the minced peperoncino, the bay leaves and another quarter of the wine and cook down on a moderate heat for about 7 to 8mins. When the mixture has reduced substantially, add half of the fish stock and the remainder of the wine. Allow it to reduce relatively quickly
When this has reduced, add the remainder of the fish stock and reduce the heat to a low-to-medium heat. Stir, adding the sugar and balsamico. Stir regular until it reduces; until the tomatoes and peppers are fully cooked. You can do this about 24 hours before if you wish—not too long before because it contains fish stock—and store in the fridge
While you cook the pasta, bring this sauce back to a hot temperature on a medium heat. Add your seafood and cook, gently stirring. This will take no more than a few minutes
Drain the pasta. Spoon in a generous ladle of the pasta water into the sauce and allow to reduce in the pan. Once the sauce is reduced but still fairly moist, add the cooked pasta and the roughly chopped parsley. Fold in using tongs or a large fork and allow the pasta to "finish" in the pan
Remove from the heat and rest for. a minute or so before taking to table with the salad
the salad
In individual salad dishes or a large salad bowl, mix the drained leaves and cucumber
When your pasta is ready, dress with the balsamico, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper and flaked dried chillies (if using). Take to table.
Alternatives
This is undoubtedly a pescatarian dish. And, it's one of the few dishes I don't think are adaptable to vegan, vegetarian or meat versions since the fish stock is its "backbone".
If you want a comparable dish in those categories, snoop around on the site: there's plenty there.
Pairings
Of course I've often enjoyed this dish with white wines. Yet, it's mostly varietals—such as Sicilian Catarratto or Portuguese Bical—with which I associate it rather than specific wines. It's not really a surprise. This dish is about the glory of the everyday and it works best with glorious every day wines.
Nonetheless, I've probably more often eaten it with something no more fancy than chilled sparkling water with a slice of lemon. It's all good.
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