by carrie
Dinner, First Course, Italian, Main Course, Soup
Description
A friend of mine Mike loves to experiment in the kitchen and grew up in a family of Italian restaurateurs including Vaccaro’s Trattoria. He recently shared the secret that this dish is incredibly easy to make, and the recipe below is an adaptation of his. It turned out so well on our first try, and is now something I look forward to making. I hope this inspires you to get out of your comfort zone with cuisine and try some things you have never done before.
This was one of my Conquering Intimidating Dishes get the full story here: An Italian Favorite: Spaghetti ai Frutti di Mare
The Conquering Intimidating Dishes story goes into detail on how to purchase the fish and what to look for. So if you need those details do check out the story above in the link.
Servings
4
Ingredients
Fish:
10 medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
8 medium calamari (squid), cleaned and cut into rings
10 clams 10 mussels, scrubbed
1/2 pound scallops
*Note: Fish freak me out a little, since I am not always sure when they are done. Everyone stresses not to overcook them lest they get tough, which is where my problem is. With this recipe you will start out with the scallops and the clams since they are in the shell. Once the clams and mussels open and you have increased the stock mixed with wine you then add the shrimp, calamari (squid rings), and scallops. They steam and cook within 10 minutes or less.
Seasoning & Pasta:
6 Italian Tomatoes Chopped
1 medium shallot, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Bunch of minced parsley
Sea Salt
Red pepper flakes
1/4 cup olive oil
1 T. butter
1/2 cup of Claim Juice or Fish Stock
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 Packages of Spaghetti “Number 3″ or Spaghettini, whichever one you find
1 bottle of good wine, to enjoy a glass while you cook this dish (hey, this should be fun!)
Preparation
1. In a large deep sided pan, heat ½ cup of olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. When melted add 4 cloves of minced garlic and saute for approx 1 min. Increase heat to medium/high, then add the mussels and clams (make sure you have discarded any with broken shells or that have already opened).
2. Add ½ cup of the wine, and ½ cup of the fish and clam juice, ¼ cup of chopped parsley, cover with a lid and allow to steam until the mussels and clams open. CAREFULLY shake the pan occasionally. If the liquid level (wine) decreases too rapidly you can add more wine or stock when necessary. Cover with the lid to steam.
3. While mussels and clams are cooking / steaming, place a stock pot of water on to boil for your pasta. Season the water with a quarter teaspoon of salt once the water starts to boil.
4. Once the mussels and clams open (identified the ones that won’t open and throw them out) season with salt and red pepper flakes. Add the chopped tomatoes cook for about 5 more minutes (lid on). If you need to add more stock or wine this is the point to do so.
5. Next add the calamari, shrimp and scallops, 2 cloves of minced garlic and sprinkle a little more parsley. Cook over medium heat stirring as necessary.
6. Cooking time left is approximately 5 to 6 minutes so the shrimp should start to be pink and in a “c” shape, the scallops and calamari should go from translucent white to a solid white.
7. While the Frutti di Mare is cooking, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente (slightly firm in the middle). Drain pasta and have it ready to transfer to serving bowl.
8. Into a VERY large serving bowl, add sauce from the seafood and the pasta. Toss together to combine and mix. Next add the seafood and GENTLY toss again. Serve immediately. Garnish with additional parsley. Now you are ready to serve.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this dish and if you have ever tried to make it. I was terrified of the shellfish but once I had the basics down this dish was super easy and fast. I served it to a group of 8 friends and everyone enjoyed so much they would love to do it again.
