Region: Italy
Category: Pasta with Fish
Season: Any
Difficulty: Labor Intensive
This purely Italian way of serving fried fish and linguine was one of my kids favorite meals when they were little. 
In fact, they used to ask for it all the time and I would tell them we just canÂ’t eat it every day otherwise weÂ’ll go nuts. I admit, itÂ’s a terrific preparation. I've never seen them like a meal so much. The two fish mentioned, ocean pout and redfish are Atlantic fish and they can be replaced by any other two fish except flaky fish such as hake, fluke, flounder, or lemon sole.
[photo: Clifford A. Wright]
Yield: Makes 6 servings
Preparation Time: 1 hour
1/2 pound monkfish, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 pound ocean pout (ling), ocean perch (redfish), or red snapper, cut into 1-inch pieces
6 ounces sea scallops, rinsed
4 squid (about 1/2 pound), cleaned and cut into rings with their tentacles
1 large egg, beaten
Dry bread crumbs for dredging
10 ounces spinach, heavy stems removed, washed well
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
6 to 8 cups olive oil for frying
3/4 pound linguine
1. Dip the fish, then the scallops, and finally the squid in the egg and then dredge in the bread crumbs. Shake off any excess bread crumbs and arrange on a tray. Set aside in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
2. Place the spinach in a large saucepan with only the water adhering to it from its last rinsing. Turn the heat to high and when the spinach has wilted, 4 minutes, drain in a strainer, squeezing out as much water as you can with the back of a wooden spoon. Chop the spinach and set aside.
3. In a large, earthenware casserole (preferably), heat the extra-virgin olive oil over low heat and add the garlic and spinach. Leave it to cook while you continue the preparation, making sure that nothing sizzles in the casserole. If it does sizzle, lower the heat even more, use a heat diffuser, or take it off the burner.
4. In a deep-fryer or an eight-inch saucepan with a wire fry basket, preheat the frying oil to 360ºF. Preheat the oven to warm.
5. Remove the seafood from the refrigerator and fry the fish until golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Fry the scallops until golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Fry the squid until golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove each from the oil and drain on a paper towel-lined platter and keep warm in the oven. Salt each batch as they come out of the oil.
6. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil, salt abundantly then cook the pasta, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is al dente. Drain without rinsing. Transfer the pasta to the casserole and toss with the spinach. Place the seafood on top and serve out of the casserole.
Variation:
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Posted: 12/29/2006