Category: Seafood

It’s Party Time With Pantry Pasta Perfection

Here’s one of my favorite simple meals.

It’s wonderful to be able to throw together a quick meal from the pantry. If you have dried pasta and a can of tomatoes, you’re in business. I try to get some protein into all simple meals, so let’s talk about one way to do that.

The Sauce

Puttanesca is a flavorful pasta sauce that you can prepare with very little fuss. Into a skillet with some olive oil goes minced garlic, then a can of drained anchovies. Smash them up into a paste and add some canned tomatoes before the garlic gets too brown. Add some red pepper flakes, capers and kalamata olives and as soon as your pasta is ready, the sauce will be too.

I can hear the protests now, “I don’t like anchovies.” “What are capers?” First off, I would be willing to bet that you have probably eaten something that you enjoyed with anchovies in it, but you just didn’t know it. Michael’s father likes anchovies on his pepperoni pizza. That may be too much saltiness in one bite for a lot of people, including Michael. But put some anchovies in a sauce, salad dressing or a rub and it adds a special something that’s undeniable. If you’re not sure, try starting off with just a little bit. Taste and see if you don’t agree.

Capers are flower buds pickled in a salty brine. Buy them in a jar just like olives and they can hang out in your fridge until any time you need a little kick of flavor. Michael claims he doesn’t like capers, but if I grind them up in the food processor so that he doesn’t see them or bite into one whole, it’s all good. Everyone is happy. I have also experimented with putting the capers into a tea ball or small strainer so that they can lend a little flavor to the sauce while preserving them whole so that I can enjoy them.

Adding Protein

So, I said protein, right? This sauce is a natural for all kinds of fish. You could skip the pasta and just serve it with the fish, in fact. Most often, I poach some fish in the sauce just before the pasta is ready. Remove the fish and reserve a little sauce to put on top before adding the cooked pasta to the pot of sauce.

If you’re having a party and serving many people, bake the fish. If you’re out of fresh and frozen fish, toss in a can of tuna or salmon. If you’re out of pasta, try it with polenta or another grain. Can you make a version of this sauce without some of these ingredients? Of course! Can you add other ingredients? Of course! Let us know what you create.

linguine puttanesca with fish on a white plate

Ingredients List:

  • olive oil
  • garlic
  • anchovies
  • red pepper flakes
  • kalamata olives
  • capers
  • canned tomatoes
  • pasta
  • fish

For more on using anchovies, please read Caesar Salad next.

Become Fearless About Preparing Fish

Learning how to prepare fish is simple.

I find fish wonderfully versatile and I love experimenting with all different kinds, which is why I find it so sad when I see this oft repeated scene at the fish counter: Someone interested in trying out a fish they are unfamiliar with asks how to prepare it. Inevitably the fishmonger replies, “Grill it, bake it or broil it.” The once curious person sighs in disappointment and replies, “Just give me some salmon.”

What just happened here? The fishmonger was technically correct in his answer, but it wasn’t enough information. What the customer really wanted to know is, “How do I make it taste good?” That, my friend, is the name of the game.

How do I make fish taste good? Pair it with something interesting.

Cod with mushroom sauce, roasted sweet potatoes and asparagus

Make a Sauce

Here is an example of a simple sauce that elevates something ordinary into extraordinary. Sauteed mushrooms in a little butter and olive oil, then added minced garlic, and then some white wine. Let it reduce. Once the fish had finished cooking, I added the liquid from its baking dish and let the sauce keep working while I began plating everything.

Keep it Simple

You can cook everything at 400 in the oven. Just be mindful of the different cooking times. Sweet potatoes take the longest at about 30 minutes. Stirred them a few times so they got some color on all sidees. The cod wasn’t fully thawed, so it took about 20 minutes.

A word to the wise: do not overcook your fish! This is one reason so many people think they don’t like fish. If it’s so dry that you have to drink a couple of glasses of water to eat it, then it’s overcooked! Test it with a fork to see that it flakes in the middle. That’s it. Some fish you may want to merely sear and others you would prefer medium-rare. Cod is best fully cooked, but not overcooked! Here’s a video on the subject:

Asparagus

Asparagus takes the least amount of time. In my opinion it should never, ever be overcooked. Repeat: Never, ever. These stalks weren’t very thick. They took about 15 minutes roasted in the oven. (If you boil asparagus, they only take a couple minutes. Once they turn bright green and are fork tender, take them out.)

Did I overhear you asking the guy at the fish counter how to cook that exotic fish? Are you ready to try?

How about making some ahi tuna? Please read Ahi Tataki next.

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