Frutti Di Mare Food

FRUTTI DI MARE

Steps:

• Fill a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the package instructions until it reaches an al dente texture (firm to the bite). Drain, rinse under cool tap water, and set aside.
• Heat a large, deep skillet with the olive oil over medium heat until the oil just begins to shimmer. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute then stir in the mussels and clams until well coated.
• Increase heat to medium-high then add the dry white wine and cover the pan to steam the mussels and clams. Cook with the lid on for about 2-3 minutes, or until the mussels and clams have opened.
• Uncover the skillet, add the shrimp and toss with the seafood. Cover and continue to steam for an additional 2 minutes or until the shrimp begins curling up, turning pink and opaque.
• Once more remove the lid and add the final portions of seafood (squid and bay scallops). Cover and cook until the squid tentacles curl up and the scallops are no longer transparent, or about 1 minute.
• Pour in the arrabbiata sauce, stir to coat the seafood evenly, then simmer over medium heat for 2-3 minutes (uncovered). Add the pasta into the seafood sauce and toss until well coated. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

RED PEPPER FRUTTI DI MARE

Steps:

• Prepare a charcoal grill for cooking.
• Combine the shrimp, scallops, chili oil, garlic, parsley, and seafood seasoning in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper and marinate for 20 minutes at room temperature.
• Dissolve cornstarch in 1/4 cup of water.
• Bring the red pepper concentrate to a boil, than whisk in the cornstarch slurry a little at a time until thickened. Turn off the heat and whisk in the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. Season with salt and pepper.
• Remove shrimp and scallops from marinade and discard marinade. Grill shrimp and scallops for a couple minutes on each side or until just cooked through. Serve immediately, garnished with sliced red peppers, scallions, and chive oil.

FRUTTI DI MARE

Steps:

• Place a large pot of water on to boil for pasta. When it boils, add salt and pasta and cook angel hair to al dente.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat, saute shallots and garlic with crushed pepper 2 or 3 minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Add wine and reduce 1 minute. Raise the heat a bit. Add crushed tomatoes and bring sauce to a bubble. Season sauce with salt and pepper. Add clams and mussels and cover the pan. Steam until shells open, about 5 minutes. Remove any unopened shells. Add shrimp to sauce and cook until just firm, 3 minutes.
• Add parsley and basil to the sauce and shake the pan to incorporate it. Adjust seasonings, to taste.
• Combine drained pasta with a few ladles of sauce and pile pasta into shallow platters or bowls. Top with arranged mixed seafood and sauce. Serve with warm, crusty bread for dipping.

GRILLED SEAFOOD: FRUTTI DI MARE ALLA GRIGLIA

Steps:

• Preheat grill.
• Rinse the fish inside and out and pat dry. Place the fish and shellfish in a shallow plate and sprinkle on all sides with lemon juice. Drizzle olive oil over everything and season inside and out with salt and pepper. Stuff the whole fish with a few thyme sprigs.
• When the grill is too hot to hold your hand 6-inches above the grill for more than a few seconds, it's ready. Grill the fish without moving it until golden brown grill marks appear. Turn it over and finish grilling on the second side; until the flesh is moist and opaque. Some fish may take longer than others; check often and remove the fish as it finishes cooking.
• To serve, arrange the cooked fish on a large serving platter and drizzle all over with extra-virgin olive oil. Mix any leftover lemon juice with olive oil and coarse salt to make a dipping sauce. Garnish with the parsley and lemon halves.

SPAGHETTI AI FRUTTI DI MARE

Steps:

• Prepare the octopus:
• Put octopus in a pressure cooker with water, bay leaf, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and seal pressure cooker with lid, then cook at high pressure according to manufacturer's instructions 10 minutes.
• Put pressure cooker in sink (do not remove lid) and run cold water over lid until pressure goes down completely. Remove lid. Transfer octopus to a cutting board, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Cut off and discard head, then cut tentacles into 1-inch pieces.
• Prepare the tomato sauce:
• Simmer tomatoes with their juice, basil, and olive oil in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat, uncovered, stirring and mashing tomatoes occasionally, until thick and reduced to about 3/4 cup, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Prepare the basil puree:
• Puree basil, olive oil, butter, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a blender, scraping down side as necessary, until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl.
• Prepare the pasta and seafood:
• Cook spaghetti in a pasta pot of boiling salted water (3 tablespoons salt for 6 quarts water) until 'al dente'.
• Meanwhile, puree garlic and olive oil in cleaned blender until smooth.
• Heat a dry 12-inch heavy skillet (not nonstick) over high heat until hot, 2 to 3 minutes. Add olive oil mixture, then immediately add octopus, shrimp, and mussels and saute, stirring occasionally, until shrimp are browned on edges and mussels begin to open, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add tomato sauce and reserved octopus-cooking liquid and cook, stirring, until mussels just open wide and shrimp are just cooked through, about 2 minutes more (discard any unopened mussels). Season with salt and pepper.
• Drain pasta and return to pot.
• Add squid to hot seafood in skillet, stirring to combine, then add to hot pasta and toss to combine (squid will cook as it is being tossed). Serve drizzled with all of basil puree.
• Notes: If you do not have a pressure cooker, octopus can be simmered in a 4-quart pot with bay leaf, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 4 cups water, covered, turning occasionally, until tender, 1 to 1 and 1/2 hours.
• Octopus can be cooked 1 day ahead and chilled, uncovered, until cool, then covered.
• Tomato sauce can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.

FRUTTI DI MARE

Steps:

• Pour olive oil into a large pan over medium heat. Add garlic and crushed red pepper; cook until fragrant, 30 to 40 seconds. Pour in white wine and increase heat to medium-high. Let wine reduce by half, about 8 minutes. Add clam juice and reduce heat to medium-low. Pour in marinara, basil, and salt. Let simmer to let flavors marry, about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook linguine at a boil until tender yet firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• Add shrimp, scallops, lobster, mussels, and clams to the sauce and cook until clams and mussels open, scallops are opaque, shrimp is pink, and lobster is red on the outside and opaque on the inside, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Toss linguine in sauce until it's thick enough to coat the noodles (it will still be a relatively thin sauce), about 3 minutes.
• Plate noodles and load up with seafood and sauce. Garnish with parsley, and serve immediately with Parmesan cheese.