Seafood and pasta are particularly complementary to each other. Seafood is lean, delicious, quickly cooked, and a natural Monday-to-Friday choice. Pasta, with its sedate flavor, marries beautifully with the delicate taste of all fish and shellfish.
In theory, any type of seafood is a possible player in a pasta dish. Some types are better than others because of their texture or because of their flavor, and some are also better with certain varieties of pasta sauces than with others. The match of seafood and pasta depends on the type of pasta you are cooking, the flavor of the fish, and the taste of the sauce you’ll be serving.
Lean fish, such as sole or cod, pairs well with strand or ribbon noodles and a rich sauce. You can cook the fish separately and just pose it on a bed of ribbon noodles, or flake it into tiny shaped pasta such as couscous or orzo. You could also cook it right in the sauce, where its flesh will break up and become an integral part of the sauce.
The sauces designed to accommodate lean fish should be delicate enough to let the taste of the fish shine through; a velvety white sauce or a smooth butter sauce are good examples.
Firm-textured and strongly flavored seafood calls for short pasta shapes. Chunks or dice of shrimp or tuna will just sink to the bottom of a bowl of linguine whereas they can be captured by the nooks and crannies of fusilli or rotelle.
Headier-flavored seafood, such as swordfish, tuna, scallops, clams, and shrimp, blend well with robust pasta sauces.
Don’t forget to stock up on canned clams, tuna, and salmon as well as sardines or smoked fish. In a moment’s notice you can make a meal out of a couple of cans of tuna fish or smoked clams tossed over spaghetti and olive oil.
In the best of all possible worlds, all the ingredients you cook with would be the freshest possible and at their peak. Then there is reality. You can’t always count on finding fresh-caught fish and shellfish. Seafood, though, is the one ingredient that never forgives if it is less than perfectly fresh, so if you live in an area where it is really difficult to get fresh fish, you’ll do better to buy fish that has been frozen correctly or to substitute a preserved seafood such as smoked clams or oysters.
Whether you have access to a wide array of seafood or the selection is limited in your neck of the woods, you need to be an informed consumer. There are ways of telling whether “fresh” seafood is really fresh and whether frozen seafood has been properly frozen, packed, and stored.
• Fresh fish and shellfish smell sweet, don’t have an unpleasant odor, look shiny, and are springy to the touch.
• When possible, buy fish and shellfish from a reputable fish market. They will always be fresher than the seafood in a supermarket.
• If you have no alternative to prepackaged seafood in a supermarket, make sure the fish looks shiny and moist and doesn’t have gaping gashes throughout its flesh, which would indicate that it is deteriorating.
• When buying frozen fish, look for flesh that is solidly frozen and glossy looking, without marks of discoloration, which indicate freezer burn. The wrapping should be in direct contact with the fish. Avoid packages of frozen fish that contain “snow,” which is a sure sign that the fish has thawed and refrozen.
• Eat the fish the same day you buy it, or if that is not possible, freeze it for another day. To freeze seafood, place the unwrapped fish or shellfish, in individual portions, in a baking pan or on a cookie sheet and freeze until it is solid. Then wrap each portion, preferably in freezer wrap, label it, and store it in the freezer. Lean fish, such as sole or salmon, will keep for 3 to 4 months if well packaged; oily species, like bluefish, will keep for only 2 months.
There aren’t as many ways you can recycle the remains of a fish-and-pasta dish as there are ways you can a poultry- or meat-and-pasta recipe. For starters, seafood is really fragile, and after cooking it just won’t keep for more than a day. There is also the delicacy of the fish itself: the flesh may dry out or fall apart. However, you don’t always have to throw out your leftovers because there are a couple of satisfactory ways you can recycle them—but you must do so within a day.
The first way is to create a soup: Simply reheat the remains of a pasta-seafood dish in fish broth or in a soup base created from stewed tomatoes and clam juice. Be sure to apply a gentle hand to the reheating process (no rolling boils, thank you). Sprinkle a generous dose of minced fresh herbs or sliced scallions on top, and you are ready with a second-time-around dinner.
Another way to use up those pasta-and-seafood leftovers is to bring to a simmer either a white sauce or a ready-to-eat spaghetti sauce (whichever would match the leftovers most successfully), add the leftovers, and simmer just until they are hot.
When the leftover dish is not too heavily sauced and doesn’t include butter (which congeals when served cold), you can create a salad the following night: Toss the leftovers with a tangy dressing—such as Anchovy Mayonnaise (see Index) or a lime vinaigrette—and a healthy portion of diced fresh raw or lightly steamed vegetables, or minced fresh herbs. Crunchy bell peppers, strips of raw cabbage, and florets of steamed broccoli are excellent choices for the vegetables, and a generous sprinkling of fresh herbs will go a long way in reviving the dish and making it look more attractive.
PASTA: Medium-size fancy shapes or tubes
MAKES: 4 servings
TIME: 30 minutes
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If you taste this sauce by itself, you might find the curry flavor overpowering. But once the sauce is tossed with the pasta, the amount of seasoning will seem just right.
To round out the meal, follow the pasta with a substantial dessert such as a berry tart.
4 scallions (green onions)
2 medium-size ripe tomatoes
¾ pound lump crabmeat or firm skinless fish fillets, such as monkfish or fresh tuna
¾ pound (about 4 cups) fusilli or penne
1½ tablespoons vegetable oil
1½ tablespoons all-purpose flour mixed with 1 tablespoon curry powder
1½ cups milk (whole or skim)
3 or 4 drops Tabasco sauce, or more to taste
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta.
2. Trim the scallions and cut them into thin rounds. Core and halve the tomatoes, and using a spoon, remove the seeds. Cut the tomatoes into small dice, place them in a large mixing bowl, and set them aside. Pick over the crabmeat carefully for any cartilage and shells. If you are using fish, cut it into ½-inch cubes.
3. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until it is tender but still firm to the bite, 8 to 10 minutes.
4. While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce: Heat the oil in a medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add the curry and flour mixture, and cook until it is bubbling, about 15 seconds. Then add ½ cup milk, about ¼ cup at a time, whisking until the sauce is smooth and thickened. Add the remaining milk. Stir in the sliced scallions and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the crabmeat or diced fish, and simmer until the seafood is just cooked through, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and Tabasco, and remove from the heat. Keep warm, covered, off the heat until the pasta is done.
5. Drain the pasta and add it to the tomatoes. Pour in the sauce and toss all the ingredients together. Adjust the seasoning. Ladle a portion of pasta into each bowl, and serve immediately.
Curried Tofu with Fusilli: Substitute ½ pound tofu, cut into ¼-inch cubes, for the seafood.
Curried Crab with Sugar Snap Peas: To make the pasta dish more substantial, add 2 cups sugar snap peas or frozen petite peas, thawed. In step 3, cook the snap peas for 2 minutes in the boiling water that you will use to cook the pasta. Remove them with a sieve or slotted spoon, bring the water back to a boil, and then cook the pasta. Add the drained snap peas to the tomatoes, and proceed with the recipe.
If you are using thawed petite peas, place them in a sieve and hold the sieve in the boiling water for 15 seconds; then cook the pasta.
PASTA: Medium-size flat shapes
MAKES: 4 to 6 servings
TIME: 25 to 30 minutes
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I like this best in later September, when the warm summer days are almost over and there is a newborn coolness in the air. The only cooking you have to do is to boil the pasta, which is tossed while still hot with the cool crab, cabbage, and dressing.
The tender pasta and crabmeat contrast beautifully with the firm celery and crisp cabbage.
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1 pound bow-ties (farfalle) or orecchiette
¾ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup lime or lemon juice
¼ small red onion
¼ head green cabbage
2 ribs celery
1 pound lump crabmeat or peeled cooked shrimp
Dried red pepper flakes or freshly ground black pepper
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until it is tender but still firm to the bite, about 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a blender or food processor, combine the mayonnaise, lime juice, and red onion. Process until the onion is puréed into the mayonnaise. Transfer the dressing to a large mixing bowl.
3. Cut the cabbage into fine shreds and add them to the mixing bowl. Trim the celery ribs, cut them into ¼inch dice, and add them to the mixing bowl. Pick over the crabmeat carefully for any cartilage and shells, and add it to the mixing bowl. Toss all the ingredients together, and season to taste with salt and red or black pepper.
4. Drain the pasta thoroughly, add it to the mixing bowl, and toss until the ingredients are well mixed. Adjust the seasoning and serve immediately, while the pasta is still warm.
• For extra zip, add 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard to the mayonnaise, and some chopped bell pepper instead of or in addition to the celery.
Chilled Crab and Pasta Slaw: If you prefer to serve this as a cold salad, boil the pasta, drain it, and rinse it under cold water. Drain the pasta thoroughly and add it to the mixing bowl. Toss the ingredients together, cover the bowl, and chill the salad for 2 hours.
PASTA: Medium-size flat or fancy shapes
MAKES: 4 servings
TIME: 30 to 35 minutes
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Smoky bacon, sweet scallops, and crisp celery and green peppers come together in this classic American combination. The mix of bacon and scallops pleases most people, even those who are not usually fond of fish.
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½ pound bow-ties (farfelle) or orecchiette
8 slices (¼ pound) bacon
2 ribs celery
2 scallions (green onions)
1 green bell pepper
2 cloves garlic
1 pound sea or bay scallops, or firm-fleshed skinless fish fillets such as monkfish or tilefish
2 tablespoons vegetable oil Freshly ground black pepper
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
2. Meanwhile, finely chop the bacon. Cut the celery ribs into ¼-inch dice. Trim 3 inches off the scallion tops, and then slice the remainder into thin rounds. Core, seed, and finely chop the bell pepper. Peel and mince the garlic. Remove the tough, rubbery appendage from each sea scallop, and slice them horizontally into ¼-inch-thick rounds. (Or cut the fish into 1-inch pieces.)
3. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until it is tender but still firm to the bite, about 10 minutes.
4. While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large saucepan or large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bacon, cover, and cook until it is crisp and the fat is rendered, about 5 minutes. Add the celery, green pepper, scallions, and garlic, and sauté for a moment until the ingredients are combined. Cover and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove the cover, add the scallops or fish, and sauté until they turn milky white, 2 to 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot, off the heat. Add all of the ingredients and juices from the skillet, and toss well to combine. Adjust the seasoning and serve immediately.
PASTA: Medium-size tubes or fancy shapes
MAKES: 4 to 6 servings
TIME: 30 to 35 minutes
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Saffron gives this dish a distinctive golden color and a luxurious flavor, but if it is too dear or too difficult to find, omit it and you’ll still have a yummy dinner.
I like to make this for company as well as for the family because the initial cooking can be done a day or more ahead.
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3 cups penne rigati, regular penne, fusilli, or rotelle (wagon wheels)
2 cloves garlic
4 medium-size carrots
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup dry white wine
1 cup fish stock or clam juice
1 can (14 ounces) crushed tomatoes
¼ teaspoon crumbled saffron
¼ teaspoon dried orange peel
1 cup (2 to 3 ounces) snow peas, or 1 cup frozen petite peas
¾ pound sea or bay scallops, peeled and deveined shrimp, or lump crabmeat
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature (optional)
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until it is tender but still firm to the bite, about 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, peel and mince the garlic. Peel and thinly slice the carrots.
3. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan or large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and sauté it until you can smell its aroma, about 10 seconds. Add the white wine, fish stock, crushed tomatoes, carrots, saffron, and dried orange peel. Cover and simmer until the carrots are quite tender, about 6 to 7 minutes.
4. If you are using snow peas, snap off the stem ends and pull off the strings. If you are using sea scallops, remove the tough appendage from each scallop and slice the scallops horizontally into thin rounds. If you are using crabmeat, pick it over carefully for any cartilage and shells.
5. When the carrots are tender, add the scallops (or other seafood) to the sauce. Cover and simmer over medium-high heat until they are cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the snow peas or petite peas and cook, uncovered, until they are just tender, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Right before serving, add the butter to the sauce, if desired, and stir just until it has melted.
6. Drain the pasta and dish out each portion. Ladle the scallops and sauce over the pasta, and serve immediately.
Chicken and Penne in Saffron Broth: Substitute ¾ pound skinless boneless chicken or turkey breasts for the scallops, and chicken broth for the fish stock. In step 2, cut the chicken into ½-inch dice.
Vegetarian Penne in Saffron Broth: Instead of the seafood, use 1 can (16 or 19 ounces) red kidney beans or chick-peas, drained, or 2 cups cooked lentils; substitute chicken broth for the fish stock. Add the beans or lentils in step 5 when the carrots are tender, and simmer until they are heated through, 3 to 4 minutes. Then add the snow peas.
ESPECIALLY GOOD FOR CHILDREN
You can prepare and cook the base in advance up to and including step 3. Cool, cover, and refrigerate until the next day or freeze (up to a week) until you need it.
To finish: Thaw the base if it’s frozen. After you add the pasta to the boiling water, bring the base to a full boil, then reduce the heat. Add the scallops, cover, and proceed with the recipe from step 5 on.
PASTA: Small or medium-size fancy shapes or tubes
MAKES: 4 servings
TIME: 30 minutes
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This dish is arrestingly beautiful and delicious. Children like it (without the cayenne pepper) as much as adults do.
When it’s in season, serve sweet corn on the cob either before or after. A plum dessert—a tart, stewed, or simply fresh and ripe—would make a fine close to this delectable meal.
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¾ pound (about 4 cups) fusilli, medium-size shells, or elbow macaroni
1 or 2 cloves garlic
2 medium-size green or red bell peppers
12 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined, or ¾ pound firm skinless fish fillets, such as monkfish, mako, or swordfish, or ¾ pound lump crabmeat
1 can (4 ounces) smoked oysters, drained
2 tablespoons vegetable or olive
oil 1 teaspoon paprika
1 scant teaspoon dried thyme
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ cup dry white wine or white vermouth
½ cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons butter (optional)
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until it is tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, peel and mince the garlic. Core, seed, and cut the bell peppers into ¼-inch dice. Dice the shrimp or fish into ¼- to ½-inch chunks. Chop the oysters.
3. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, paprika, thyme, cayenne, and chopped bell peppers (in that order) and sauté for 1 minute. Then add the white wine, cover, and simmer over low heat until the peppers are almost tender, about 3 minutes. Add the shrimp (or other seafood) and oysters, cover, and simmer until the shrimp are cooked through, another 2 minutes.
4. Uncover the skillet, add the chicken broth, and cook until the broth has reduced slightly, about 1 minute. Remove the skillet from the heat, swirl in the butter if desired, and season to taste with salt.
5. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot, off the heat. Add the shrimp mixture and toss well with the pasta. Ladle a portion into each pasta bowl and serve immediately.
SECOND TIME AROUND
Serve any leftovers the following night mixed with a basic vinaigrette and chopped fresh parsley or watercress leaves.
PASTA: Thin strands or ribbons
MAKES: 4 servings
TIME: 30 to 35 minutes
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How wonderful to have great taste without guilt. This scrumptious mix of noodles, shrimp, and carrots bathed in peppery fish broth is a treat for gourmets and dieters alike.
For dessert, combine chunks of fresh pineapple with sliced bananas and drizzle them with port or serve them over frozen yogurt.
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3 cloves garlic
2 cups fish stock or clam juice 2 cups water
2 nickel-size slices fresh ginger
1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes 6 carrots
2 limes or lemons
¾ pound peeled and deveined shrimp, or sea scallops or lump crabmeat
½ cup (packed) fresh cilantro, mint, or parsley leaves
1 pound medium-size rice noodles, spaghettini, or linguine fine
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the noodles.
2. Peel the garlic and thread the cloves on a toothpick (so you can easily retrieve them from the broth later on). In a large saucepan, combine the fish stock, water, ginger, red pepper flakes, and threaded garlic. Bring the liquid to a simmer over medium heat.
3. While the stock is heating, peel the carrots, cut them into ¼-inch dice, and add them to the stock. Grate the lime zest directly into the stock. When the stock comes to a simmer, cover the pan and cook over low heat until the carrots are very tender, 5 to 7 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, juice the limes and set the juice aside. Cut the shrimp into ½-inch dice. Rinse, pat dry, and mince the cilantro.
5. When the carrots are tender and the water is boiling for the noodles, add the shrimp to the stock and add the noodles to the water. Simmer the shrimp gently for 5 minutes. Cook the noodles until they are tender but still firm to the bite, about 5 minutes.
6. When the shrimp is cooked, add the lime juice and cilantro and immediately remove the stock from the heat. Season to taste with salt. Discard the garlic.
7. Drain the noodles and divide them among four deep soup bowls. Ladle broth, carrots, and shrimp over each portion and serve immediately.
• Substitute 2 cups carrot juice for the water. You could also substitute 2 cups freshly made carrot and fennel, carrot and celery, or carrot and spinach juice.
• Substitute chicken broth for the fish stock and a small dice of fresh poultry breast for the shrimp.
SECOND TIME AROUND
Mix leftovers with more broth and serve as a soup. You can perk up the flavor by adding freshly minced herbs or fresh spinach leaves, rinsed and cut into fine shreds.
PASTA: Ribbons or medium-size or small tubes
MAKES: 4 to 6 servings
TIME: 25 minutes
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The brightly colored vegetables and herbs make a flavorful textured sauce that is gorgeous to look at and wonderful to eat. It is especially attractive when served over spinach fettuccine, but the taste is divine even with plain elbow macaroni.
As a first course, I like to serve soup or salad, and for dessert, a bowlful of fresh strawberries.
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¾ pound spinach fettuccine (fresh or dry), penne, or elbow macaroni
1 red bell pepper
6 cloves garlic, peeled
1 package (10 ounces) frozen corn kernels, thawed
¾ to 1 pound skinless monkfish fillet
½ cup (packed) fresh parsley leaves, rinsed and patted dry
¼ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup dry white wine or vermouth
Freshly ground black pepper
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until it is tender but still firm to the bite, 6 to 8 minutes (less if it’s fresh).
2. Meanwhile, core and seed the bell pepper. Combine it with the garlic and corn in a food processor, and chop medium fine. Transfer this mixture to a plate, and coarsely chop the monkfish and the parsley in the processor.
3. Heat the oil in a medium-size skillet over medium-high heat. Add the corn mixture and sauté until you get a whiff of the garlic, about 1 minute. Add the chopped fish and parsley, and the white wine, and continue to sauté, breaking up the fish with the side of a spoon and tossing it in the skillet as it cooks. Continue to cook until all of the fish has turned into little opaque beads, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, remove the skillet from the heat, and cover.
4. Drain the pasta, return it to the pot, off the heat, and add the monkfish sauce. Toss the two together and serve immediately.
SECOND TIME AROUND
Turn the leftovers into soup by adding just enough tomato juice, fish stock, or clam juice to make the mixture soupy.
PASTA: Tiny shapes
MAKES: 4 to 6 servings
TIME: 25 to 30 minutes
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The subtle sweetness of carrots and raisins combines with pepper and saffron to flavor a seafood version of North African couscous. You might not think that these ingredients would complement the taste of the fish but they do—try it!
This is a deeply satisfying dish in itself, and you’ll need no accompaniment to round out the meal. If you have room for dessert, then serve a lemon sherbet, or fresh strawberries with cream.
1 onion
2 green bell peppers
4 carrots
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 can (14½ ounces) plum tomatoes
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon crumbled saffron (optional)
½ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
1 pound skinless monkfish fillet
⅓ cup raisins
1 can (16 or 19 ounces) chick-peas, drained
2 cups fish stock or clam juice
2 cups (one 10-ounce box) couscous Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1. Peel and finely chop the onion. Core, seed, and finely chop the bell peppers. (You may chop these together in a food processor.) Peel and cut the carrots into ¼-inch-thick rounds.
2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and peppers, and sauté until the onions begin to sizzle, about 1 minute. Cover, and simmer over low heat until the onions are tender, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the tomatoes, with their juices, to the saucepan. Using a spoon, break up the tomatoes by mashing them against the bottom and sides of the saucepan. Add the cumin, saffron, and red pepper flakes. Cover, and simmer until the carrots are tender but not mushy, about 5 minutes.
4. While the tomatoes are cooking, cut the fish into 1-inch chunks. When the carrots are tender, add the raisins, chick-peas, and fish. Cover and simmer until the fish is cooked through, about 10 minutes.
5. While the monkfish is cooking, bring the fish stock to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat. Stir in the couscous, and immediately cover the pan and remove it from the heat. Let the couscous steep until it has swelled up, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (I don’t usually cook couscous this way because the texture is a bit gummy, but that’s unimportant in this soupy fish sauce.) Ladle some couscous into each bowl, top it with the monkfish “stew,” and serve immediately.
SECOND TIME AROUND
This dish is so liquid that you can easily turn the leftovers into soup by adding some fish stock, clam juice, or tomato juice. Sprinkle some chopped fresh cilantro or parsley on top.
PASTA: Medium-size fancy strands
MAKES: 4 servings
TIME: 25 minutes
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Sweet orange roughy is available in parts of the U.S. where it is usually hard to find fresh fish. Its delicate texture (like sole) makes it suitable for this quick yet gentle way of cooking, and the unfussy tomato base should appeal to a variety of palates.
When you toss the pasta with the sauce, the fish will break apart into small pieces, making it easier to eat. If you’d like a salad before your pasta, try cucumber.
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¾ pound double twists (gemelli), or fedelini or vermicelli broken into 2-inch lengths
1 pound skinless orange roughy or sole fillets
1 small onion
2 carrots
¼ cup olive oil
1 can (14 ounces) stewed tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Freshly ground black pepper
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until it is tender but still firm to the bite, 8 to 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, remove any stray bones from the fish with tweezers. Then cut the fish into thin strips, about ½ inch wide and 2 to 3 inches long. Peel and finely chop the onion. Peel the carrots and cut them into ¼-inch-thick rounds.
3. Heat the oil in a medium-size skillet over high heat. Add the onions and carrots, and sauté for a few seconds just to coat them with the oil. Cover, lower the heat, and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the stewed tomatoes and oregano, and using a spoon, break up the tomatoes by mashing them against the bottom and sides of the skillet. Bring the mixture to a simmer, add the fish, and cover the skillet. Simmer over low heat just until the pieces of fish turn opaque, 2 to 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Drain the pasta and divide it among four shallow bowls. Ladle the fish sauce over each portion, and serve immediately.
PASTA: Medium-size or small tubes
MAKES: 4 to 6 servings
TIME: 25 minutes
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This recipe is a play on Swedish gravlax, the delicious dill-cured salmon that’s often served with a sweet mustard sauce. I’ve changed the flavor slightly by adding yogurt, and the apple contributes a whiff of not-too-sweet fruitiness. Cucumber salad would be the natural choice for a side dish.
Keep this in mind as a “second time around” solution for leftover cooked salmon, trout, or perch.
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¾ pound (4 cups) penne or elbow macaroni
1 can (15 ounces) salmon, or 2 cups cooked salmon fillet
1 small Granny Smith apple (optional)
½ cup fresh dill leaves
1 scallion (green onion)
¾ cup plain yogurt, preferably nonfat
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard Freshly ground black pepper
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until it is tender but still firm to the bite, about 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, drain the salmon and transfer it to a large mixing bowl. Flake the salmon with a fork. Core, peel, and cut the apple into chunks. Rinse the dill and pat it dry. Trim the scallion and cut it into large pieces.
3. Combine the apple chunks, dill, scallion, yogurt, and mustard in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer the mixture to the mixing bowl.
4. When the pasta is cooked, drain it thoroughly, then run cold water over it to cool it. When it is cool, drain it again thoroughly, pat it dry, and add it to the mixing bowl. Toss all the ingredients together and adjust the seasoning. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate until later.
Party Version with Sour Cream: Substitute ½ cup mayonnaise mixed with ¼ cup sour cream for the yogurt. Use fresh salmon or another firm fresh fish.
Dilled Ham: Substitute 1½ cups cubed smoked ham for the salmon, and be sure to include the apple in the dressing.
PASTA: Fancy strands
MAKES: 4 servings
TIME: 20 to 30 minutes
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Try this recipe on a work night, when you’re entertaining guests. Even small portions of smoked salmon in a creamy sauce give it a rich taste and elegant look. This is a good example of how the judicious use of luxurious ingredients can turn a humble pasta into something festive.
Pastel-hued, bright-tasting, and crisp, diced raw cucumber and fresh tomato provide contrast for the delicate salmon and cream. Simmer the vegetables in the cream just long enough to heat them through—any more and you’ll alter the texture and flavor of the dish.
Another smoked fish such as smoked trout or sable could stand in for the smoked salmon. To complete the meal, serve a watercress and fresh mushroom salad to start and a lemon sorbet for dessert.
¾ pound Margherita pasta or fusilli lunghi, or 1 pound fresh linguine
2 medium-size or 4 plum tomatoes
2 small or 1 medium-size cucumber
2 scallions (green onions), or 2 bunches fresh chives (½ cup loosely packed, when minced)
½ pound mild smoked salmon
1 cup heavy cream
Freshly ground black pepper
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until it is tender but still firm to the bite, 3 to 4 minutes for fresh pasta, about 10 minutes for dry.
2. Meanwhile, cut the tomatoes in half and remove the seeds with a spoon. Finely dice the tomatoes and set them aside. Peel, seed, and finely dice the cucumber. Trim the scallions and slice them into very thin rounds (or finely snip the chives). Using a chef’s knife, carefully cut the salmon into small pieces.
3. A couple of minutes before the pasta is ready, bring the salmon and heavy cream to a simmer in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the tomatoes, cucumbers, and scallions, and simmer until just heated through, about 1 minute.
4. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot, off the heat. Add the sauce and toss to mix thoroughly. Season lightly with salt and generously with fresh pepper; serve immediately.
Salmon and Cucumber Pasta Salad: Cook the pasta, drain it, and rinse it under cold water; then drain it again and pat dry. Make a sauce of ½ cup sour cream, ¼ cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice, and if you wish, some freshly grated lemon or lime zest as well. Toss the pasta, the vegetables and salmon, and the sauce together until thoroughly mixed; season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately or cover and chill until later.
PASTA: Medium-size fancy shapes
MAKES: 4 servings
TIME: 25 to 30 minutes
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The world is divided into people who love sardines and people who loathe them. I fit in with those who love sardines, and I like them served in just about any way.
You are in for a treat with this recipe because it tastes great and it’s done in record time—with minimum effort. The hardest part is opening the sardine cans without breaking off the tab with the key!
Ice cream for dessert would be in keeping with the speed and ease of this recipe.
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¾ pound (about 4 cups) rotelle (wagon wheels), radiatore, or medium-size shells
4 cloves garlic
1 cup (packed) fresh parsley leaves
3 cans (4 ounces each) smoked sardines, preferably with bones in
⅓ cup olive oil
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
6 tablespoons lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until it is tender but still firm to the bite, about 10 minutes.
2. Peel and mince the garlic. Rinse, pat dry, and mince the parsley. Open and drain the cans of sardines.
3. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté for a few seconds, until you get a whiff of its aroma. Stir in the mustard, lemon zest, lemon juice, and sardines, and simmer until the mixture is hot, 2 or 3 minutes. While this is heating up, break up the sardines with a spoon. Stir the parsley into the sauce, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Keep the sauce warm, covered, off the heat, until the pasta is done.
5. Drain the pasta, ladle some into each bowl, and spoon the sauce over it. Serve immediately.
Sardine Pasta Salad: Cook the pasta, drain it, and rinse it under cold water; drain again and pat dry. Combine the olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, mustard, minced parsley, and only 1 minced garlic clove. Toss the sardines and cooled pasta with the dressing, and serve at room temperature.
PASTA: Thin strands
MAKES: 4 servings
TIME: 30 minutes
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Here a cream sauce, colored rose with tomato paste, carries the delicate taste of the sole to the pasta.
To make your life simpler, and for a lusher dish, simmer ½ cup of heavy cream until it has reduced to ½ cup, then poach the fish (with the tomato paste) in it until it is cooked through. Toss this sauce over the pasta, and dinner is done.
Serve steamed asparagus either with the pasta or before it, and follow with fresh strawberries.
Salt
1½ pounds skinless sole fillets
½ cup fresh mint leaves
¾ pound fedelini, vermicelli, or spaghettini
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons tomato paste
Freshly ground black pepper
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta.
2. Remove any stray bones from the fish with tweezers. Then cut the fish into thin strips about ½ inch wide and 2 inches long. Rinse, pat dry, and mince the mint leaves.
3. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until it is tender but still firm to the bite, 6 to 8 minutes.
4. While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook until bubbling, about 15 seconds. Add ½ cup milk, about ¼ cup at a time, and whisk until the sauce is smooth and thickened. Add the remaining milk and simmer to cook the flour, 2 or 3 minutes. Whisk in the tomato paste, and then add the fish strips. Cook, uncovered, until the fish is just cooked through, about 2 minutes. Add the minced mint, season to taste with salt and pepper, and remove from the heat. Keep warm, covered, off the heat, until the pasta is done.
5. Drain the pasta, and divide it among four shallow bowls. Ladle the fish sauce over each portion, and serve immediately.
Note: If you already have white sauce in your freezer, defrost it and then reheat it over low heat. Add the tomato paste and fish, and cook until done. Add the mint, and pour the sauce over the cooked pasta.
SECOND TIME AROUND
Leftovers can be turned into soup. Add chopped stewed tomatoes, tomato juice, or fish stock to the remains of the dish, and reheat until hot.
PASTA: Fresh ribbons
MAKES: 4 servings
TIME: 20 to 25 minutes
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The contrast of the “meaty” swordfish, tangy tomatoes, and fresh cilantro is wonderful against the tender texture of fresh egg noodles. Ordinarily, I don’t favor broiling fish but I make an exception in this case, because the charred flavor is important to the overall taste of the dish.
Salt
¾ pound fresh linguine, tagliatelle, or fettuccine
½ pounds swordfish steak, in a single piece
½ cup olive oil, plus additional for brushing the swordfish
1 clove garlic
½ cup (packed) fresh cilantro, mint, or basil leaves
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 medium-size tomatoes, or 6 plum tomatoes
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. Cut the linguine strands in half (so the pasta will be easier to toss with the swordfish and sauce later on).
2. While the water is heating, brush the swordfish with olive oil, and broil the fish, for about 10 minutes per inch of thickness, turning it over once. Broil the fish as close to the heat source as possible, so you develop some charred taste.
3. Meanwhile, peel the garlic clove, and rinse and pat dry the cilantro. Combine the garlic, cilantro, ¼ cup olive oil, and the lemon juice in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Transfer this mixture to a glass or porcelain serving bowl.
4. Halve the tomatoes, scoop out the seeds and juices with a spoon, and cut the tomatoes into ½-inch pieces. Add the tomatoes to the cilantro sauce. When the fish is done, remove it from the heat. Cut the fish into ½-inch cubes, and add them to the bowl with the tomatoes.
5. When the water is boiling, add the pasta and cook until it is tender but still firm to the bite, 2 or 3 minutes. Drain the pasta and immediately add it to the mixing bowl with the fish, tomatoes, and sauce. Toss thoroughly and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Keep this recipe in mind if you have leftover grilled fish (fresh tuna or mako work well, too) from a summer Sunday barbecue. Follow the recipe, but serve the dish at room temperature, making sure you have rinsed and chilled the noodles before assembling the recipe.
SECOND TIME AROUND
Try leftovers of this swordfish and pasta dish with a plain or an Anchovy Mayonnaise (see Index), seasoned with chopped fresh herbs.
PASTA: Medium-size fancy shapes or tubes
MAKES: 4 servings
TIME: 30 to 35 minutes
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This is the fresh-fish version of one of my favorite recipes in the Monday-to-Friday Cookbook. The “second time around” dish is so good that you may want to make a double batch just so you can be sure of having some leftovers.
Salt
¾ pound (about 4 cups) medium-size shells, penne, or fusilli
1 large onion
4 medium-size carrots
¾ pound fresh tuna, monkfish, mako, or swordfish
¼ cup (packed) sun-dried tomatoes in oil, or 2 tablespoons sun-dried tomato paste or tapenade
1 cup fresh parsley leaves
⅓ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons black olive paste (see Note)
½ to 1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta.
2. While the water is heating, peel and thinly slice the onion. Peel the carrots and slice them into ¼-inch-thick rounds. Cut the fish into ½-inch chunks. Finely julienne the sun-dried tomatoes. Rinse, pat dry, and mince the parsley.
3. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and carrots, and sauté until somewhat softened, about 5 minutes. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and fish, reduce the heat, cover, and cook until the carrots and onions are completely tender and the fish is cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until it is tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes.
5. Add the black olive paste and red pepper flakes to the sauce, and cook just a couple of minutes to evenly distribute the olive paste. Stir in the parsley, and season to taste with salt.
6. Drain the pasta and spoon some into each bowl; then ladle the sauce over the pasta and serve immediately.
Note: If you don’t have black olive paste, pit and mince ½ cup flavorful black olives, such as Kalamata, in step 2. Add them to the sauce with the red pepper flakes in step 5.
Omit the fresh fish and substitute 2 cans (7 ounces each) tuna fish, drained. Add the tuna to the sauce in step 5, right before you add the black olive paste. Cook just to heat the tuna through, about 2 minutes.
SECOND TIME AROUND
Leftovers are terrific when they are mixed with chopped fresh parsley, chopped bell pepper, and either a basic vinaigrette or an Anchovy Mayonnaise (see Index).