It's a fish pasta cooked in a richly flavoured fish ragu pasta sauce. This is a great way to extend fish and cook it with outrageously delicious big, bold Italian Calabrian spices!
Calabrian Fish Ragu Pasta
The name of today's recipe needs explaining.
I don't feel like I'm being completely honest if I call it a ragu if it's not slow-cooked for hours like my Shredded Beef Ragu, but it's stewy and braisy and stinks of beautiful depth of flavour without having been slow-cooked for hours. NEWS FLASH: it doesn't have to be slow-cooked for hours to call anything a ragu.
What about the Calabrian bit of the name? It's because the seasoning is inspired by the flavours of Calabria: particularly nduja, the intensely flavoured salami paste from the region that's becoming increasingly popular in the foodie world, and chillies. Loaded onto pizza with dollops of dipping sauce; stuffed into focaccias, it's got big, bold flavors without even needing to use much.
Therefore, as you'd expect, this is a fish pasta that is packed with flavour. I love that it is exotic and restaurant-y but somehow inexpensive and easy!
What's in this Fish Ragu Pasta
1. THE FISH
The importance of the spice mix for fish is key to this pasta. We mentioned earlier that this fish pasta has the flavours of the seasoning used on nduja, an Italian type of salami. So, use fennel and paprika with a hint of spiciness. Makes me think 'bold'.
BEST FISH FOR THIS PASTA
This recipe can be used with any firm white fish fillets (skinless and boneless). Here are some suggestions: John or Silver dory, barramundi, bream, tilapia, pollock, cod, flathead, perch, ling, bass, basa, hake, hoki, monkfish (pricey there, which I save for other uses... like this recipe). If using frozen, thaw thoroughly and pat dry; if using canned, drain, break into pieces, and pat dry.
I recommend avoiding:
- Fish that dry out easily when cooked, e.g. swordfish, tuna, bonito, kingfish, marlin.
- Delicate and thin filleted fish such as flounders, sole, plaice, turbot, whiting. This type of cooking isn't really what the texture of the flesh is cut out for.
- Oily fish – Sardines and mackerel. Flavours don't quite match and are a bit too overwhelming.
THE CALABRIAN SPICES
Toasted and ground, for maximum flavour impact, whole fennel and black peppercorns. But if I really didn't think it was worth it, I wouldn't ask you to make the effort to toast and grind. It is! But, if it's all you have, there are substitutions in the recipe notes for substitute ground fennel and ground pepper.
Other spices (Nutmeg, paprika, chilli flakes (red pepper flakes). If you require there to be less spiciness, you can dial back the chilli.
2. IN THE PASTA AND THE SAUCE
- Any long strand thinnish pasta is ideal here. I use fettuccine.
- Tomato passata – Pureed, strained pure tomatoes from Mutti, etc., labelled 'tomato puree' in the US. These days, it's easily available in Australian supermarkets alongside pasta sauces. Canned tomato costs about the same.
- Tomato paste - To give the sauce some tomatoey flavour and to thicken it.
- Garlic – Because, garlic. Savoury recipes rarely happen around here without garlic.
- Garnishes – parsley and parmesan. I know that parmesan isn't really traditional for Italian fish and seafood pastas. But, it works. We're not looking for lots of parmesan cheesiness. It just adds saltiness.
3. PANGRATTATO
Pangrattato is an Italian breadcrumb topping sold by the chunk once and gives an addictive crunch and flavor to pasta accompanied by salads. This fish ragu is particularly good with it, it gives great texture and is a real contrast with the soft fish.
Use a denser bread like sourdough, ciabatta etc which are structured and when toasted really go crunch. Lightweight sandwich bread is just too delicate and just becomes powder when it hits the crunch... :( BUT if it's all sandwich bread, then do it! You could also replace with panko breadcrumbs.
How to make fish ragu
There are things I've said earlier about this being a ragu, but this doesn't need to be slow-cooked for hours! In fact, if you can multi-task you will have this on the table in less than 20 minutes although they don't tell you that in the video. 🙂
1. PANGRATTATO FIRST
First get the pangrattato in the oven. Bake the bread in a 180°C / 350°F (160°C fan-forced) oven for 10 minutes, or until crisp all the way through, tossing in a little bit of olive oil and a touch more salt in the middle of sticking it in the oven.
2. CALABRIAN SPICED FISH NEXT
We toast the spices and coat the fish in the yummy flavours...
- Toast the fennel and black peppercorns for a couple of minutes until they smell fragrant—you can see the fennel lightly browned as you do so. It's a large deep skillet, the kind that works well when you toss the pasta with the sauce. This stage requires no oil.
- You can grind the spices using a grinder, or in a mortar and pestle.
- Meanwhile, coat the fish with the ground fennel and peppercorns, nutmeg, chilli flakes, sugar, salt and olive oil and tomato paste.
- When it is coated, set aside while doing the other ingredients. No need to marinate.
3. MAKING THE PASTA
Since the pasta sauce cooks about the same time as the pasta, you can prepare both at the same time.
- Cook pasta according to packet directions, minus a minute. Al dente is what it should be — cooked through but still a little firm. When tossed with pasta sauce, it will still soften up more as that pasta cooks through more.
- Scoop out about 1 1/2 cups of pasta cooking water. We will need this for the pasta tossing at the end.
- Cook fish – Sauté the garlic until golden, then add the fish (scrape out every bit of the paste!) and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the tomato passata and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add reserved pasta cooking water and simmer for a further 2 minutes. The pasta cooking water has starch in it which makes the sauce thicken so it clings to the pasta strand.
- Toss with pasta – Then add the pasta and most of the parsley. Toss, still on the stove, for 1 minute or until the pasta strands are stained red and all the fish ragu is clinging to the pasta strands rather than pooled in the pan.
- If the pasta gets too thick (excessively enthusiastic tossing, heat too high are typical causes), just add a splash of extra pasta cooking water to thin it out and give it another good toss!
Now, it's ready for serving. Twirl into bowls and cover liberally with a shower of the crunchy pangrattato and finish with parmesan!
Matters of serving fish ragu
As with any pasta, this fish ragu is best served and eaten piping hot and fresh, straight out of the pan while the pasta is sticky and slippery and saucy. As it sits around, the pasta continues to absorb the liquid, drying it out so it's thick and stodgy.
So, whenever you are making any pasta, be sure to have the hungry hoards at the table, ready to twirl and slurp the moment you bring the pasta bowls to the table, for maximum enjoyment!
Really hope you love this as much as I do. The fish ragu is divine as it is. But with that crunchy pangrattato? It's sheer perfection. Enjoy! – Nagi x
