Fettuccine with Shrimp and Squid
Fettuccine with seafood in tomato pesto is a quick, Italian-style plate where wide ribbons of pasta catch a vivid sun-dried tomato sauce. The pesto here isn’t made from basil but from sun-dried tomatoes, garlic and Parmesan, giving a concentrated sweet-savory base to which squid and shrimp add a note of the sea.
The key to the dish is speed: the seafood sears for just a couple of minutes, because squid turns rubbery when overcooked and shrimp goes dry. Grated zucchini dissolves into the sauce, adding lightness, while fresh watercress on top brings a peppery bite right on the plate.
Good to know: Don’t sear the seafood longer than 2-3 minutes, as squid toughens instantly. Better to pull it early and warm it through with the pasta at the end.
- By Italian tradition, seafood pasta usually isn’t topped with cheese; here the Parmesan is more for the pesto, so you can leave it off the final dish if you prefer.
- Use oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes; if they are dry, soak them first in warm water, otherwise the pesto comes out too thick.
- You can swap the watercress for arugula for a similar peppery heat.
Serve right away while the pasta is hot and al dente. Don’t store the sauce and cooked pasta separately, as reheated pasta overcooks and loses its texture.
Part of Italian cuisine — 33 more recipes in the section.
You might also like
Ingredients
Instructions
Peel the shrimp and cut the squid into small cubes.
Make the tomato pesto using a food processor. In the blender bowl, puree the sun-dried tomatoes, the garlic clove, 5 tablespoons of olive oil and 50 g of grated Parmesan. Grate the zucchini into thin matchsticks.
Drop the fettuccine into boiling, lightly salted water and cook according to the package instructions.
While the pasta cooks, make the sauce. In a well-heated pan with olive oil, sear the shrimp and squid for 2 minutes, then add the grated zucchini and the tomato pesto along with the water (50 ml) and simmer for another minute. Add the cooked pasta to the sauce, season with salt and pepper, mix well, warm through and serve the fettuccine topped with the remaining Parmesan and watercress.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.