Spicy Uni Pasta with a Touch of Sriracha and Kumquat Juice

Getting off the bed every morning in such a cold weather can be a tough task. My desire for warmth is also growing day by day. Hot drinks, mittens, blanket on the sofa, even the heated toilet seat provide a sense of comfort. Food-wise, if not having Chinese chicken soup nor western pot roast, at least something spicy would warm up the body from inside out.

The regular creamy uni pasta is not good enough in winter. However, using chili infused linguine and some Sriracha in the sauce, sounds like a good idea!

Spicy uni pasta with a touch of Sriracha and kumquat juice -

Ingredients (for 2 to 3 portions)?

• 1 bag/250 grams of linguine with red chili 
• 1 small box/100 grams of uni
• 2 to 3 kumquats
• 1/2 onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon of Sriracha
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 cup of heavy whipping cream
• Small pinch of freshly ground black pepper
• Some sea salt
• Some dried seaweed flakes

Dressing: 

• Small amount of flat leaf parsley
• Small amount of dill
• 1/2 lemon juice
• Some extra virgin olive oil
• Some salt
• Some freshly ground black pepper

How?

Use a food processor and blend together small amount of flat leaf parsley, dill, 1/2 lemon juice, small pinch of salt, small pinch of black pepper, and some extra virgin olive oil. There is no set amount for the herbs, if you like the scent from the parsley, then add more parsley; if you don't like dill, then don't use it. Just make sure to season the mixture with salt and pepper. Also drizzle enough olive oil to make the texture resembles pesto dressing.

Bring a big pot of water to a boil and add few pinches of salt. Add in the pasta and cook till al dente, drain well, set aside, and wait for the sauce to be ready.

Peel and chop the onion into tiny cubes. Peel and finely chop the garlic cloves.

Drizzle about 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a pan, add in the onion along with 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt and a small pinch of freshly ground black pepper. Cook till the onion turns translucent then add in finely chopped garlic. Give it a quick stir.

Pour in the heavy whipping cream and most of the uni. Save a few pieces of uni to garnish on top of the linguine later. Also add about 1/4 teaspoon of Sriracha to the heavy cream. Use the spatula to break the uni into smaller pieces, it also helps the flavor to sink in. 

You can also blend this creamy sauce together with uni by using a food processor. However, I'd like to have larger chunks of uni for this recipe instead of smooth texture if mix with the processor.

Add the pasta to the cream sauce and mix well.

Plate the pasta and top with few pieces of uni, torch a little for a more intense aroma. Squeeze one kumquat juice for each portion. Sprinkle with some dried seaweed flakes and drizzle with some parsley dill dressing. 

You can even serve this pasta with some Tabasco sauce on the side. The sourish taste from the Tabasco actually works quite well with creamy uni sauce.

Other seafood pasta recipe:
Refreshing lemony shrimp pasta for a light weekend meal
Make ahead recipe: spaghetti with pesto made with anchovies, green olives, and parsley