Jan 4, 2008

Frutti di Mare. Are you ready for fruits from the ocean?

Fruits from the ocean?
What in the world is that? There are no fruits coming from the ocean!
Noooo,
Don't be fooled by my direct translation of frutti di mare here,
I'm talking about the classic spaghetti recipe,
The spaghetti that is infused with the aroma of white wine and the juice of seafood.

Frutti di Mare-


Ingredients (for 3 large plates)?

2 large bundles of spaghetti (about 3/4 of the box)
2 shallots (chopped)
3 garlic cloves (chopped)
15 medium or large shrimps (shelled and deveined)
10 mussels
1 can of diced tomatoes
Dry white wine
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Red pepper flakes
Extra virgin olive oil
1 cup of basil leaves
Some parsley for garnish

How?

Prepare a deep pot of boiling water,
Add about 2 pinches of salt and cook the spaghetti according to the instruction on the package.

Meanwhile,
Drizzle some olive oil on the skillet,
Toss in chopped garlic, shallots, and about 1 tablespoon of red pepper flakes,
*Use more red pepper flakes if you're a fan of spicy food!
About 2 minutes,
Be careful don't burn the garlic, no one likes the bitter taste of burned garlic.

Pour in about 3/4 cup of dry white wine,
Keep cooking till the wine reduced to half.
Open the can tomatoes, drain the juice then pour it to the skillet,
Sprinkle some salt and pepper and let it cook for about one more minute.

Add the shrimps and mussels, give it a toss,
Keep cooking till the mussels are open,
If you have a lid, just go ahead and cover the skillet, steam it till mussels open.
Remember to throw away any mussels that refused to open,
They are bad!

Toss in some basil leaves,
Taste the sauce and add more salt if necessary.

The spaghetti should be ready by now,
Drain the pasta water and transfer them to the skillet,
Stir it till the spaghetti is fully coated with the sauce.

Garnish with basil and parsley before serving.

Let's dig in!

End note:
Me and my friend couldn't finished the whole thing,
I always have the tendency to cook more than I need,
What can I say, the more the merrier.
So I ended up with one extra plate of frutti di mare in the fridge.
The very next day,
I thought the spaghetti probably won't taste as good after I microwaved it,
Surprisingly,
The sauce was better than the first day,
Don't ask me, I have no idea,
Maybe I was just too hungry!

Cindy's Rating: 7

10 comments:

  1. The first time I made this my dad thought it would be fruit. :)
    Looks good, I would have loved to have that for dinner.

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  2. To peabody~
    Haha that's cute,
    I should fly you a plate of frutti di mare for dinner!

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  3. your rating is 7? can i have a taste of it and rate it... picture alone i give it a 8, the shrimps looks fresh and when u bite it, it will have a snap to it. yum...

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  4. To docchef~
    Haha since it's "Cindy's Rating," of course I always rate my own cooking higher,
    Come on, it's hard to find a girl that actually cooks these days!
    Thank you for giving me 8 by pictures along, that's a really high score!

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  5. The only way I have seafood pasta is in a garlic, chilli and white wine sauce, so of course this scores points with me :) I've never had tomato in it, but I'll have to consider it the next time I make a seafood pasta at home!

    Ellie @ Kitchen Wench

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  6. That looks like the way I always order it in my favorite Italian restaurant :)

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  7. I bet it is super delicious.
    Can you fly me a plate of it for dinner too?

    I am late, but still want to say, happy new year.

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  8. To Mrs. The Point~
    Haha no problem~!
    I'll fly anything you want.
    Happy new year to you too!

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  9. Ok. I am ready.
    How can I eat now ? :P

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  10. To Tigerfish~
    You're ready?
    Ahh the food's gone already >_<.
    I am going to book my flight back to Taiwan today,
    Wish There're still seats left..(going back during Presidential election).

    ReplyDelete