Part 33: Octatonic makes Seafood pasta

Hi! more cooking catch-up time!

Seafood Pasta
A spaghetti full of assortment of sea creatures.
Ingredients
Pasta
Shrimp
Squid
Tomato

Today's recipe is a message, specifically to me, that says "chill out and and simplify." Seafood pasta is a ubiquitous dish with many variations, and I'm likely to overdo things. I worry about adding shallots, garlic, white wine, multiple types of tomatoes, tons of herbs, maybe even seafood stock, to what could easily be a super simple dish. Instead of reinforcing my ingredients, I should buy good ones and trust them.

I recommend buying seafood frozen (it's all flash-frozen on the ships anyway), and either working with very fresh very ripe tomatoes if they're in season (this time of year they're probably not, no matter which hemisphere you're in) and using canned tomatoes otherwise. I like to buy whole tomatoes and crush them by hand, and prefer tomatoes without calcium citrate. They tend to be a little less acidic, and the texture is a little less resilient, so they make a better sauce.



Start the pasta boiling, crush the tomatoes by hand and cook them over medium heat in quite a bit of olive oil. In the mean time, thaw the shrimp (just the shrimp) and peel them, saving the shells and tails for stock later. Chop the still-frozen squid hoods into rings, and the shrimp into bite-sized pieces if necessary.



Once your tomatoes are sufficiently reduced, season them aggressively with fish sauce or sea salt and some dry thyme and oregano. The herbs might not be necessary, but I feel like they're helpful. At this point turn the heat off, and stir in the shrimp and still-frozen squid. The goal is not to overcook the seafood, particularly the squid. If the squid goes much further than just being heated to temperature, it'll be rubbery unless you cook it for another thirty minutes or so.



Toss the drained-and-cooked pasta in the sauce and seafood and serve. For a bonus, finish on the plate with fresh parsley or oregano and grated parmesan cheese.