Seafood Linguine with Lemon & Garlic
Living in the Inner West of Sydney means I have super easy access to the Sydney Fish Markets. The diversity of their beautiful seafood really allows us to be spoilt for choice.
Making a simple, yet deliciously tasty, seafood pasta dish doesn't have to be hard. It also doesn't have to be time consuming. Sometimes the quicker, the better! That way you can spend a little extra time throwing together a gorgeous table setting. Nothing fancy, but definitely one that feels special.
To create a beautiful dinner space I have used my trusty brown paper as a runner. These are available from supermarkets and office stores. I've had mine for over 4 years and have used it to wrap gifts and set tables many times. I highly recommend you invest in a roll yourself, as it makes a table setting come together, especially if you like more of a rustic look like I do. Sometimes I pair the runner with a tablecloth, doilies or another runner, but for this setting I'm keeping it simple.
Place a cutting board in the centre for bread when serving and some lemons or other fruit you have in the house. Alternatively I often use a small jar filled with some green herbs or foliage from my garden to decorate.
Last of all I set each place. For this setting I've used mismatched plates. I collect interesting plates from garage sales and op-shops, this way my table is eclectic and has some character. Being a pasta for this meal, I like to set the pasta dish over a painted plate which acts as a place mat. Pop your cutlery, a wine glass and water glass on the top right of each place and you're done.
It's as simple as that!
The only thing left to do is pop wine in the fridge, fill a water jug for the table and prep your ingredients to throw together before eating.
And with that, follow the recipe below to create a special linguine that everyone will love.
SEAFOOD LINGUINE WITH LEMON & GARLIC
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
Dry linguine
Olive oil
Salted butter
6 garlic cloves, peeled, smashed and finely chopped
16 green prawns
12 scallops
1 salmon fillet, pin-boned and skinless
1/4 cup dry white wine (a splash from your glass!)
A handful of fresh parsley, roughly chopped
1 lemon, zested and juiced
Salt and cracked pepper
To Serve:
Pecorino
Lemon olive oil (optional)
METHOD
1. Ensure everything is prepared before cooking the linguine.
2. Peel the green prawns. Remove the intestinal tracts (devein) and butterfly.
TIP: to make the prawns go further, cut right through each prawn, lengthways, instead of butterflying.
To devein prawns, gently run a sharp knife along the back.
Carefully use the tip of the knife to lift the intestinal tract away from the flesh.
Gently pull the tract from the prawn. If it doesn't come away easily,
use your knife to cut a little further towards the tail
After the tract is gone, use your knife to cut a little deeper along the length of the prawn to
butterfly them, or cut in half lengthways.
Cut the salmon into large 2cm cubes and set all of the seafood aside in a dish. It is important to make sure the seafood pieces are all about the same size so they will cook evenly.
3. Prepare the parsley garlic, lemon zest and lemon juice. Set these ingredients aside separately.
4. Cook the linguine until it is al denté or even tosta (slightly less cooked than al denté). Reserve 1/3 cup of the cooking water just prior to draining.
Set the linguine aside in the strainer and get the pot back onto a medium-high heat, ready to get the seafood element done quickly to avoid the linguine sticking.
5. On another part of the stove, heat a fry pan over a medium-high heat and sear the seafood, turning carefully and removing to drain on absorbent paper when each of the seafood elements of just 'off from being cooked' through (remember this will cook more when tossed into the main sauce due to the residual heat).
6. Heat the original pasta pot on the stove again over a medium-high heat, drizzle a good amount of olive oil and a knob of butter into the pot.
Just as the butter melts, add the garlic and cook until just aromatic.
At this point add the wine to deglaze the pan. As it reduces add the pasta water, dash-by-dash, allowing it to thicken the "sauce" that is forming with each addition. When there appears to be just enough sauce to coat the linguine lightly, quickly remove from heat and stir in the parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice and add the seared seafood.
Season to taste and then add the linguine and toss everything together.
TIP: If the linguine appears to be sticking together in the strainer before adding to the seafood and sauce, quickly rinse in a splash of hot tap water to loosen.
7. Serve in giant pasta bowls, top with shaved pecorino and a drizzle of lemon olive oil, if using. Eat with crusty bread, a delicious white wine and enjoy!
WINE SUGGESTION
A chilled bottle of Verdelho is perfect with the deliciously zesty flavours of this seafood linguine. Typically good with shellfish (think oysters), a Verdelho is a beautiful grape variety and there are some wonderful examples of this in the Hunter Valley just north of Sydney. Funnily enough, the Hunter Valley was the first region of Australia that began growing the Verdelho variety. The flavours of Verdelho range from a zesty fresh flavour when a young wine, through to richer tropical fruit flavours finishing with attributes of honeysuckle, pineapple and lime. How delish!
Krinklewood, which is located in Broke, just west of Pokolbin, has a brilliant organic and biodynamic vineyard which I really love. Their 2016 Verdelho (link is to their 2017 vintage) is what we've chosen to match with our Seafood Linguine with Lemon and Garlic.
Visit their cellar door for yourself to sample their wines and buy the Verdelho (along with other drops) in person for this dish, or pop online and order some to arrive at your door.
It can't get more convenient than that.
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