Sustainable Seafood Recipe Contest Honorable Mention: Giorgia Troiani and Angelo Lucia
Swordfish and Cherry Tomato Pasta
By Giorgia Troiani & Angelo Lucia
Makes 2 servings
Ingredients
1 tablespoons of pine nuts
7 oz / 200 gr of cherry tomatoes
1 garlic clove
1 ½ tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon chili flakes (optional)
Salt to taste
5 oz / 150 gr of swordfish trims
(This is a great way to use swordfish trims, and not have them go wasted. If you don’t have trims available, you can use a fillet instead (removing the skin before cooking it).
A few leaves of fresh basil, washed
7 oz / 200 gr of short pasta (e.g. rigatoni)
Instructions
Cooking time: 30 min
Put a large pot of water on the stove and bring it to a boil.
In the meantime, toast the pine nuts in a small pan, until they become golden. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Wash the tomatoes and slice them in half. Set aside.
Peel and crush the garlic clove.
In a large pan, warm up the olive oil at medium heat, and add the crushed garlic. Optionally, add the chili flakes.
When the garlic becomes golden, add the tomatoes. Season with a few pinches of salt, so that the tomatoes will start releasing a bit of water.
Sauté the tomatoes for about 3-4 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Wash and pat dry the swordfish trims. Slice them into small bites, and add to the tomatoes. Add a pinch of salt. Cook for 8-10 minutes, until the fish is cooked and starts to flake. Add the basil halfway through. If the sauce becomes too dry, add a splash of water to the pan. The tomatoes should not puree completely but keep a bit of their shape.
The pot of water should be boiling by now. Add abundant salt, and once the water is boiling again, add the pasta.
Drain the pasta 1 minute before what you would usually have done, as the pasta will finish cooking in the pan. Add the pasta to the pan, add a splash of olive oil, the toasted pine nuts, and cook for 1 minute over medium heat, tossing and stirring often.
Divide up the pasta into bowls and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Where was the seafood purchased or caught? The swordfish was purchased via Get Hooked, our local Community Supported Fishery company serving Santa Barbara and the surrounding areas.
Why did you select this particular seafood for your recipe? We like this recipe because it makes great use of fish trims, which are too often discarded, but are great for this kind of preparation. It is an easy to master and cheap recipe that is delicious and impresses guests.
How was your seafood raised or caught and what makes it sustainable? The swordfish that Get Hooked sells is caught by Cliff Kent, and it is caught by harpooning. It is a very sustainable technique since there is no by-catch, and it has minimal impact.