Paccheri Pasta “Frutti di Mare” with blistered cherry tomatoes, a touch of garlic, basil, pepperoncini, white wine, clams, mussels, calamari, shrimp, topped with shaved #bottarga or cured mullet roe from Gulf Coast Caviar, local, sustainable from Sarasota, by the Kirby family of Simons Coffee House
I was recently inspired to put together a great, simple Italian seafood pasta dinner at home: Paccheri Pasta “Frutti di Mare” with blistered cherry tomatoes, a touch of garlic, basil, pepperoncini, white wine, clams, mussels, calamari, shrimp, topped with shaved bottarga or cured mullet roe from Gulf Coast Caviar, local, sustainable from Sarasota, by the Kirby family of Simons Coffee House. When Tyler Kirby introduced me to their bottarga, which is locally cured and comes from local striped mullet that are caught in Cortez Bay, near Sarasota and Bradenton, Florida, I decided this would be an ideal way to try the bottarga, shaved over a simple seafood pasta, Italian style! I have had many renditions of pasta done like this, especially in Capri, the Amalfi Coast, Ischia, around the Naples area, at some of the top seafood restaurants in Rome, and in Sicily. Total prep time took about 20 minutes, and the key is the freshest seafood imaginable (I have a few top local places I head to in South Florida, namely Pop’s Fish Market in Deerfield Beach, Joseph’s Classic Market (Boca and other locations), Whole Foods, and Carmine’s in Palm Beach Gardens. This time, I wanted shellfish, calamari, and shrimp, and I was pleased to find all excellent, fresh specimens, however, you can also make this with any type of white fish, such as grouper, snapper, sea bass, etc. in addition to the shellfish, shrimp, and calamari, or in lieu of, or mix and match! Lobster tails also work nicely and make an elegant presentation!
Recipe: Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
1 lb Paccheri Pasta
Salted pasta water
1 lb Little Neck Clams
1 lb Mussels
1 lb Calamari
1 lb Jumbo Shrimp
2 cups ripe cherry tomatoes
4 tablespoons extra virgin
3 pieces garlic, sliced
1 cup fresh basil
1 cup dry white wine (Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc)
Sea salt and pepper
Pinch pepperoncini (dried chili flakes)
Grate several times a stick of bottarga over each plate once assembled at the table.
Directions:
Add oil, tomatoes, sliced garlic, basil, pepperoncini, pinch of salt, and pepper and allow to heat over medium-high. Don’t heat the oil first, you don’t want to brown the garlic.
Meanwhile bring large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta.
Clean clams and mussels and rinse/soak and dump the water to remove grit and sand.
Clean and slice calamari, shrimp need to be peeled and de-veined. Note: if pre cooked, they go in the sauce at the last minute before the pasta, otherwise add with the calamari (2-3 minutes before the pasta)
Once tomatoes have burst and a sauce is forming, add clams and mussels, along with white wine. Cover and let them steam open, shaking the pan occasionally. This takes several minutes.
Pasta should now be cooking, be sure to set aside a cup of pasta cooking water to add a few splashes as needed at the end to amalgamate or loosen the sauce.
Add the calamari and then shrimp. If shrimp are pre-cooked, they go in at the last minute right before the pasta or they will be tough.
Be sure to take pasta out very al dente, as you will add it to the seafood sauce and continue to cook a couple minutes.
Add the pasta and stir together all ingredients over medium heat. Remove from stove, drizzle optional extra virgin olive oil off the heat, plate and serve immediately. Shave bottarga over the pasta at the table.
This is a very typical dish of the island of Capri, Naples, and The Amalfi Coast area of Italy and goes perfectly with a nice Greco di Tufo white wine from Campania, I suggest Mastroberardino. Another favorite producer for indigenous wines of the Amalfi Coast is Cantine Marisa Cuomo.
Buon’ Appetito!!
Making Paccheri Pasta “Frutti di Mare” topped with Grated Bottarga
