Recipe of the Week: Pappardelle with Clams, Prawns and Swordfish

I have had a similar dish to this in a fantastic restaurant in Puglia, southern Italy. The town is Ostuni and the restaurant is called Aqua Sale. They used a pasta called pacceri which is a large tube pasta that flattens when it is cooked and therefore traps all the sauce.

This is a really good way of making a small amount of fish go a long way. You can substitute the swordfish for any firm white flesh fish. I have used pappardelle in this recipe as I wanted a wide ribbon pasta so the sauce would coat the pasta really well. I have had a similar dish to this in a fantastic restaurant in Puglia, southern Italy. The town is Ostuni and the restaurant is called Aqua Sale. They used a pasta called pacceri which is a large tube pasta that flattens when it is cooked and therefore traps all the sauce.

Make sure your clams are clean and alive. A good way to check is to get a sharp little knife and insert it into the clam. If the clams holds onto the knife then it is alive. If it opens then it is obviously dead. Don't leave the clams to soak in water as they will die because they are only used to salt water. Place them in a colander and run the tap on them so any surface sand will be washed off. Have a great week!

Ingredients - Serves Two

250g of fresh or dried pappardelle pasta

100g of fresh swordfish (cut into small pieces)

200g of fresh clams ( washed thoroughly )

4 good sized raw prawns ( cut into 1 cm pieces)

6 cherry tomatoes ( cut into quarters)

1 clove of garlic finely chopped

1 tblsp of chopped flat leaf parsley

3 tblsp of olive oil

50ml of dry white wine

Method

In a hot frying pan add one tblsp of olive oil then the clams , place a lid on top and cook for 30 seconds. Add the chopped garlic and white wine shake the pan then place the lid back on to the pan and cook until the clams have opened. Add the swordfish, prawns, cherry tomatoes and parsley.Take off the heat.

In a pot of boiling salted water cook the Pappardelle pasta until al dente. Take out of the pan with a pair of tongs and add to the frying pan with the Clams Prawns and Swordfish and a couple of spoonfuls of the pasta water. Cook for a couple of minutes and toss the frying pan so the starch from the pasta starts to thicken the sauce. Check the seasoning and add the remaining olive oil and toss together one more time then serve. Try this with a glass of Fiano di Avellino.

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