Region: Italy
Category: Pasta with Fish
Season: Any
Difficulty: Easy
Fish
is expensive in the Mediterranean as much as it is in North
America. The Italian
housewife devises appetizing ways of having their fish and eating it too. This preparation is ideal with a mix of fish
and that’s why in Italy
there’s a category of fish sold called zuppetta,
fish to be used in soups. These are
often what we used to call trash fish. Today
you may see it sold as chowder fish at the fishmongers. I like a mix of albacore, striped bass,
halibut, and yellowtail. Although you
could use the white mushrooms, the shiitake mushrooms provide an earthier taste
that complements both the fish and the spinach.
Everything cooks quite briefly so have your mise en place ready and set.
Yield: Makes 4 to 6 servings
Preparation Time: 25 minutes
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
¼ pound shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1 pound mixed fish (see above), cubed or sliced small
1 medium tomato, peeled, seeded, and chopped
¼ cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
9 ounces baby spinach leaves
¼ cup crème fraîche
1 pound linguine
1. In a flame-proof casserole, heat ¼ cup olive oil over medium-high heat, then cook, stirring, the mushrooms until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, fish, tomato, white wine, basil, salt, and pepper, reduce the heat to low and simmer until the fish is nearly cooked through, about 10 minutes. Add the spinach and crème fraîche and cook until the spinach wilts, about 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, for every pound of pasta, bring 6 quarts of water to a rolling boil over high heat, salt abundantly with up to 1/2 cup of salt, then add the pasta in handfuls Cook the linguine until al dente, then drain briefly and transfer to the casserole and toss several times to have all the pasta mixed well. Serve hot without cheese.
Variation:
Note:
Posted: 12/11/2008
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