
Spicy Seafood Linguine with Cherry Tomatoes
From Ainsley’s Food We Love, ITV
Delicious seafood pasta is offered everywhere you go along the coastline of Italy and it’s always one of my favourite holiday dishes. Try making this dish at home – served with a glass of cold white wine it makes a perfect Friday night supper!
Method
Wash the mussels by scrubbing them in cold water and removing the beards. Tap firmly against a worktop or board and discard any that remain open.
Place a large pan of salted water over a medium heat and bring to a rolling boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the packet instructions until al dente.
Meanwhile, heat a saucepan with a lid over a medium heat and add the mussels, clams and the wine, cover and cook, shaking the pan regularly for 2-3 minutes or until the mussels and clams just open. Remove from the heat and pour into a colander over a bowl to reserve the cooking liquor – discarding any mussels that haven’t opened. When cool enough to handle remove the meat from three quarters of the mussels and clams. Reserve the cooking liquor and the remaining seafood in the shells.
Heat the oil in a large deep-sided frying pan. Cook the anchovies, garlic and chilli for 30 seconds until sizzling and fragrant, breaking down the anchovies with a wooden spoon. Add the prawns and 4 tbsp of the mussel cooking liquor and cook for 3-4 minutes until pink. Add the cooked king prawns/langoustine and tomatoes and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Stir in the mussels, clams to warm through.
Drain the pasta and tip into the sauce stirring gently to combine, adding another tbsp of cooking liquor to loosen if needed. Drizzle with a little olive oil, stir in the lemon zest, a squeeze of juice and half the parsley and stir over a gentle heat for 30 seconds. Check for seasoning and share among warmed pasta bowls, with a langoustine on top of each serving, scattered with more parsley and a grind of black pepper.
Ingredients
- 400g linguine or spaghetti
- 300g mussels
- 200g clams
- 50ml of dry white wine
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 anchovies, finely chopped
- 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
- 200g vine cherry tomatoes
- 275g of raw king prawns, peeled
- 4 large cooked king prawns or langoustine, unpeeled (optional)
- 1 lemon, zest of and for squeezing
- 3 tbsp of fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped, plus extra to serve
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper