Swordfish Pasta
Author & Photographer: Ella Anderson
Italian food is strictly regional with each area having its own specialities. In the north, dishes are heavier and consist of more meat, while southern cuisine is light and frequently uses fish. Sicily is the large island off the southwest coast of Italy and therefore has some of the best seafood. Seafood pasta is a staple of Sicilian cuisine, and there is nothing more Sicilian than swordfish pasta in the summer. Every Sicilian family has their own rendition of it, but the basic backbone stays the same. After trial and error with several different recipes, I found that this is the one I like best. In Italian cooking, exact amounts of what you add do not really matter. Everything is made to taste, and often without a strict recipe. I never measure out ingredients when I make this dish. Though the name might sound daunting, it’s impossible to mess up with swordfish pasta.
Ingredients:
1.5 pounds swordfish
500 g bronze-cut pasta
fennel seeds
capers
garlic
800 g canned cherry tomatoes
fresh mint, basil, and oregano
Instructions:
1.Finely chop four cloves of garlic and add to heated oil in a pan.
2. Cut the swordfish into small cubes and add to pan with garlic and oil. Add in fennel seeds to taste, approximately one tablespoon. Cook on medium heat.
3. When swordfish is done cooking (should be white and flaky, no shimmering or transparency), pour contents of pan into a bowl (including all liquid) and set to the side.
4. Add in the cans of tomatoes and about two tablespoons of capers.
5. Smash the tomatoes and let the liquid cook down while on medium heat. Add more fennel seeds if desired. While the sauce is cooking, add the pasta to thoroughly salted, boiling water. Set a timer for two minutes less than the suggested cooking time on the package.
6. When the tomatoes are thick, the pasta timer should be just about ready to go off. Scoop out a cup of the pasta water from the pot and set it to the side. Add the swordfish to the sauce (including all of the liquid) and herbs to taste. Also add salt and pepper to taste.
7. Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce. Pour in about half of the saved pasta water.
