5/7 Special: Seafood Pasta

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

ironchef

Executive Chef
Joined
May 11, 2003
Messages
3,557
Location
The SPAM eating capital of the world.
Had to cover the lunch shift at the cafe/bistro restaurant today because the restaurant chef was sick. Pretty slow day today anyway but I also have to cover the dinner shift. Gotta love those 14 hour days...

Orecchiette ai Fruitti di Mare
Lobster, Calamari, Shrimp, Scallops, Teardrop Tomatoes, Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Ricotta Salata

$23.95
 

Attachments

  • seafoodpasta.jpg
    seafoodpasta.jpg
    148.6 KB · Views: 201
Wow that looks good! Two of my favorites, seafood & pasta, on one plate. May I ask, what is Ricotta Salata. Is it a ricotta sauce? Thanks IC, for sharing these culinary delites.
 
mish said:
Wow that looks good! Two of my favorites, seafood & pasta, on one plate. May I ask, what is Ricotta Salata. Is it a ricotta sauce? Thanks IC, for sharing these culinary delites.

Ricotta Salata is ricotta cheese that has been pressed to remove the excess liquid, then dried, salted, and aged. It results in a semi-firm cheese similar to feta in texture and color, but a little more mild in flavor. It actually goes very well with seafood, much more so IMO than other cheeses like parmesan, pecorino, etc. because it doesn't have that sharp flavor that overpowers the seafood. Ricotta salata compliments sauces that uses an olive oil, citrus, and herb base and despite it's name, is not that salty. I would not recommend it for tomato based sauces because you'll lose the flavor of the cheese. It's also a good grating cheese to finish dishes like bruschetta, crostini, pasta al olio, etc.
 
ironchef said:
Ricotta Salata is ricotta cheese that has been pressed to remove the excess liquid, then dried, salted, and aged. It results in a semi-firm cheese similar to feta in texture and color, but a little more mild in flavor. It actually goes very well with seafood, much more so IMO than other cheeses like parmesan, pecorino, etc. because it doesn't have that sharp flavor that overpowers the seafood. Ricotta salata compliments sauces that uses an olive oil, citrus, and herb base and despite it's name, is not that salty. I would not recommend it for tomato based sauces because you'll lose the flavor of the cheese. It's also a good grating cheese to finish dishes like bruschetta, crostini, pasta al olio, etc.

Thanks, IC. Sounds like a refreshing change from heavy sauces. Would this sauce be similar/comparable to the one you make? Never tried it, but looks good. Thinking I could use it over stuffed seafood shells, perhaps.

1/2 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup chopped roasted garlic
1/4 cup chopped roasted shallots
1/2 cup white wine
3 cups vegetable stock
3 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 3 tablespoons water
1/2 cup fat-free ricotta cheese
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper


Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and add the olive oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan. Stir in the roasted garlic and shallots and cook until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Pour in the wine and cook until reduced and the pan is almost dry, about 3 to 5 minutes, to concentrate the flavors of the sauce. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Mix in the cornstarch mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes.

Place the ricotta cheese and about 1/3 cup of the garlic mixture into a blender. With the blender on, slowly pour in the remaining sauce through the opening in the blender lid; the sauce will thicken.

Transfer the sauce back into the saucepan and stir in the basil, oregano, salt and pepper.
 
Last edited:
mish said:
Thanks, IC. Sounds like a refreshing change from heavy sauces. Would this sauce be similar/comparable to the one you make? Never tried it, but looks good. Thinking I could use it over stuffed seafood shells, perhaps.

1/2 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup chopped roasted garlic
1/4 cup chopped roasted shallots
1/2 cup white wine
3 cups vegetable stock
3 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 3 tablespoons water
1/2 cup fat-free ricotta cheese
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper


Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and add the olive oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan. Stir in the roasted garlic and shallots and cook until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Pour in the wine and cook until reduced and the pan is almost dry, about 3 to 5 minutes, to concentrate the flavors of the sauce. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Mix in the cornstarch mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes.

Place the ricotta cheese and about 1/3 cup of the garlic mixture into a blender. With the blender on, slowly pour in the remaining sauce through the opening in the blender lid; the sauce will thicken.

Transfer the sauce back into the saucepan and stir in the basil, oregano, salt and pepper.

You could use this recipe, but it's a lot heavier than the sauce I make. The pasta and sauce are really quick. The sauce for the recipe above sounds like one that you would bake rather than use for a quick saute. For my sauce, I saute the garlic in olive oil with a little red chili flake, then add the seafood (lobster, scallops, and shrimp first, then the calamari when the other seafood is about 1 minute away from being done), season with kosher salt, and quickly saute. I then add lemon juice, then add the pasta to the saute pan (keep in mind the pasta has just come out of the water so it is still slightly wet). I then add the finely grated cheese, tomato, and herbs, then toss until the cheese gets incorporated into the sauce. If your pasta is fully drained when you add it to the pan, you won't be able to melt the cheese as well because of the lack of liquid. To compensate for this, you could always add more oil (which wouldn't be a bad thing if you're using extra virgin).
 
ironchef said:
You could use this recipe, but it's a lot heavier than the sauce I make. The pasta and sauce are really quick. The sauce for the recipe above sounds like one that you would bake rather than use for a quick saute. For my sauce, I saute the garlic in olive oil with a little red chili flake, then add the seafood (lobster, scallops, and shrimp first, then the calamari when the other seafood is about 1 minute away from being done), season with kosher salt, and quickly saute. I then add lemon juice, then add the pasta to the saute pan (keep in mind the pasta has just come out of the water so it is still slightly wet). I then add the finely grated cheese, tomato, and herbs, then toss until the cheese gets incorporated into the sauce. If your pasta is fully drained when you add it to the pan, you won't be able to melt the cheese as well because of the lack of liquid. To compensate for this, you could always add more oil (which wouldn't be a bad thing if you're using extra virgin).

Thank you, IC.

I prefer yours, as I think this one was going for a "light" version of Alfredo. Like the idea of the roasted garlic, too. Saved your recipe. :)
 
Back
Top Bottom