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About the recipe
The Italian seafood tradition has one eternal first course: Spaghetti Allo Scoglio. Instead of tasting like rocks, the spaghettini are infused with the true essence of the sea – not a fishy taste, but rather a salty and refreshing Mediterranean aroma. The addition of ripe cherry tomatoes, a little white wine and a generous amount of garlic and chili pepper creates a delicious, aromatic sauce. So why not make them at home?
Products:
400 gr. Spaghetti Little Apettino
500 g mussels (rapani or white sand mussels)
500 g. Black Sea black mussels
300 g squid
8 large shrimp
300 g cherry tomatoes
4 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil –
2 large cloves of garlic
1 chili pepper (can be omitted if you don't like spicy dishes)
1 tablespoon fresh parsley
40 ml dry white wine
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 tablespoon black pepper – to taste
Method of preparation:
Clean the mussels and rapana (or clams): you need to rinse them several times under running water and then soak them in cold water.
Meanwhile, clean the mussels: scrape off any stubborn dirt with the blade of a small knife, pull out the fibrous part that sticks out of the mussel. Then use a new wire sponge to clean the shell thoroughly. Discard any mussels that are already open or have broken shells .
Before cooking, tap the rapanas (or heart-shaped clams) one by one on a cutting board or in the sink, with the open shell side down: if sand comes out, discard the clam in question.
Heat the olive oil in a large enough pan and when it is very hot, add the mussels and rapana. Immediately cover with a lid and wait until they open completely – this will take about 4–5 minutes.
Once the mussels and rapanas have opened, remove the lid and transfer them to a separate container. Don't throw away the cooking liquid - strain it to remove any dirt and sand, then set it aside and keep warm.
Peel the mussels and rapana, leaving a few with shells for garnishing the dish.
If you are not using pre-cleaned squid, now is the time to prepare them: you need to remove the head and entrails, then peel the skin and cut only the surface part; you can help yourself by inserting the blade of a knife inside until the squid opens completely.
Finally, cut the squid into strips. Continue with the shrimp: using scissors, cut along the side of the tail, removing the “shell" that covers the belly. Then, using a toothpick, remove the black gut – this is the dark thread that is found in the shrimp; this way you will avoid a bitter taste.
Remove only the shrimp shell, but leave the head and claws attached.
Finally, wash the cherry tomatoes and cut them into slices.
Meanwhile, fry the finely chopped chili pepper together with the garlic cloves in a little olive oil, then add the squid together with a pinch of salt. Fry for about 5 minutes over high heat, then deglaze with the white wine.
Let the alcohol evaporate for another 5, remove the garlic and peppers and add the cherry tomatoes. Continue cooking for about 5 more minutes.
Boil the Little Apettino spaghetti for 2 minutes, drain well.
Add the shrimp to the tomato sauce, season with salt and pepper and cook for another 2
minutes. Finally, add the spaghetti to the sauce, where it will continue to cook for another 1-2 minutes. If necessary, add some of the reserved liquid from the mussels and rapani.
Finally, carefully stir the sauce with the mussels and parsley to blend all the flavors well.
Serve the dish hot, garnishing the plates with the remaining mussel shells and shrimp!