Epicure Recipe Card #18: Italian Seafood Salad

Yes, these recipe cards are still going… Although it is some consolation that there are only around a third left? *hangs head in shame*

Well it’s been back to the daily grind for over a week, and that’s where these quick recipes come in most handy. Gone are the lazy, unstructured days where I could sleep in until whenever and have the luxury of pondering over what to cook, perhaps pop out for a shop of fresh ingredients and invite a few people over to while away the time over some relaxed conversation.

The weather is still warm thankfully, although decidedly muggy, making for perfect seafood times. When meat seems too rich on account of the heat, then seafood is a most welcome alternative. This recipe card is for a salad but, as with many of these recipe cards, mine transformed itself magically into a pasta dish through the, err, not so magical addition of pasta.

Spaghetti Marinara (serves 2)

(adapted from The Age – Epicure 50 Best Recipe Cards, recipe by Jill Dupleix)

Ingredients:

·         around 300g spaghetti or other long pasta

·         1 tbs olive oil

·         1-2 garlic cloves, crushed

·         1 small red chilli, finely sliced (optional)

·         around 200g of any selection of seafood (I used baby octopus and scallops)

·         ½ cup chopped cherry tomatoes

Method:

1. Cook pasta in a pot of well-salted water until al dente. Drain and set aside.
2. Return pot to a medium heat and oil along with garlic and chilli (if using) until fragrant. Add seafood and move around pan until just cooked.
3. Reduce heat to the lowest possible setting, tip pasta back into pan with the tomatoes. Season liberally with salt and pepper and toss everything together until pasta is heated through, adding a little olive oil if the mixture is too dry.

happy cooking!