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Calabrian Fish Ragu

Recipe video above. This is a fish pasta in a richly spiced fish ragu pasta sauce. The spice mix is based on njuda, the bold flavoured spreadable Calabrian salami paste that's rising in popularity in the restaurant scene! It's a great way to make fish stretch further, cooked in a unique way that's outrageously delicious with big, bold Southern Italian flavours.No stale bread? Use panko instead. See notes. 3 servings? I know it's a little odd, but the spice mix didn't scale down neatly to make pasta for 2! (3/8 tsp nutmeg?!). Leftovers are always delicious. :)

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Servings: 3
Calories: 714 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian-American Fussion

Ingredients

Calabrian spiced fish:
  • 250g/ 8 oz firm white fish fillets , skinless, boneless, cut into 2 cm / 0.8" cubes (barramundi, snapper, cod - Note 1)
  • 3/4 tsp black peppercorns (Note 2 for ground option)
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds (Note 2 for ground option)
  • 1 tbsp smoked paprika (sub ordinary paprika)
  • 1/2 tsp red chilli flakes (red pepper flakes), feel free to reduce/omit
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg powder
  • 1/2 tsp caster / superfine sugar
  • 3/4 tsp cooking / kosher salt
  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
Pasta:
  • 250g/8 oz linguine pasta (or fettuccine, spaghetti)
  • 1 tbsp cooking / kosher salt , for pasta water
  • 1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 garlic cloves , finely minced
  • 3/4 cup tomato passata (US: tomato puree, Note 3)
Garnish:
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
  • Parmesan Cheese , finely grated, for serving
Pangrattato
  • 1 cup stale bread like sourdough, ciabatta , crusts removed, torn/chopped into irregular 1cm/0.4" pieces (Note 4)
  • 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 pinch cooking / kosher salt

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Toast & grind - Preheat a large deep skillet or pot over medium heat (Note 5), no oil. Toast black peppercorn and fennel for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes until it smells fragrant and the fennel is lightly browned. Transfer to a mortar and use a pestle and grind to a powder while still hot.
  2. Coat fish - Transfer to a medium bowl with remaining Calabrian spiced fish ingredients. Stir well with a spatula until combined. Set aside.
  3. Cook pasta - Boil 3 litres of water with the cooking salt. Cook pasta per packet directions minus 1 minute. Just before draining, scoop out 1 1/2 cups pasta cooking water. Then drain in a colander and leave until ready to use.
  4. Calabrian fish ragu - While the pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in the same skillet you used to toast the fennel on medium high. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the fish. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring regularly. Add tomato passata. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1 cup of the reserved pasta cooking water and simmer for 2 minutes.
  5. Toss pasta - Add pasta and 3/4 of the parsley. Toss for 1 minute to coat the pasta with the sauce. Most of the fish will break up into flakes but some will remain in larger chunks - this is good! We don't want disintegrated mush, nor giant chunks. Once the pasta turns red and the sauce and fish bits are clinging to the pasta straws, remove from heat and divide between bowls immediately.
  6. Serve - Sprinkle with pasta, pangrattato and parmesan. Eat immediately!
Pangrattato:
    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F (160°C fan-forced).
  2. Toss bread, oil and salt in a small bowl. Spread on a tray and bake for 10 minutes, tossing at the 5 minute mark, or until light golden and fully crisp.

Notes

  • Firm white fish fillets - Works best with fairly firm white fish fillets that are not too thick. Some suggestions: snapper, John or Silver dory, barramundi, bream, tilapia, pollock, cod, flathead, perch, ling, bass, basa, hake, hoki. If using frozen, thaw thoroughly and pat dry before using.
  • I recommend avoiding:
  • Grinding whole spices will give the best flavour in this recipe, it really makes a difference here. I only emphasise this when it matters, I will use pre-ground whenever I can! But you can use pre-ground if that's all you've got. 1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper and 1/2 tsp fennel powder. No toasting, just mix in with other spices.
  • Tomato passata – Pureed, strained pure tomatoes, sometimes labelled “tomato puree” in the US (here’s a photo of Mutti tomato passata sold at Walmart). Readily available in Australian supermarkets nowadays, alongside pasta sauces. Excellent for making thick, smooth sauces. More on tomato passata here.
  • Back up - use 1/2 cup panko instead, toast for shorter time. If the bread isn't stale that's fine too, it'll take a little longer to go crunchy and is a little harder to cut into small pieces.
  • Cooking vessel needs to be large enough to toss the sauce with the pasta.
  • Recipe reference - inspired by this recipe torn out from the Delicious magazine during a flight. Though, my resulting recipe is very different. Much saucier (good thing), faster (also a good thing) with bolder flavours (that's just how I roll!).
  • Leftovers will keep for 3 days in the fridge. Warm in microwave with a splash of water and toss well. Store pangrattato in the pantry.
  • Nutrition per serving assuming 3 servings.
  • Fish that dry out easily when cooked - Like swordfish, tuna, bonito, kingfish, marlin.
  • Delicate and thin-filleted fish - Like flounder, sole, plaice, turbot, whiting. The texture of the flesh is a bit too delicate for this type of cooking.
  • Oily fish - Like sardines or mackerel. A bit too overwhelming, flavours don’t quite match.

Nutrition Information

Calories 714cal (36%) Carbohydrates 86g (29%) Protein 31g (62%) Fat 28g (43%) Saturated Fat 4g (20%) Polyunsaturated Fat 4g Monounsaturated Fat 18g Trans Fat 0.01g Cholesterol 38mg (13%) Sodium 3264mg (136%) Potassium 844mg (24%) Fiber 7g (28%) Sugar 9g (18%) Vitamin A 1661IU (33%) Vitamin C 11mg (12%) Calcium 112mg (11%) Iron 5mg (28%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 3Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 714

% Daily Value*

Calories 714cal 36%
Carbohydrates 86g 29%
Protein 31g 62%
Fat 28g 43%
Saturated Fat 4g 20%
Polyunsaturated Fat 4g 24%
Monounsaturated Fat 18g 90%
Trans Fat 0.01g 1%
Cholesterol 38mg 13%
Sodium 3264mg 136%
Potassium 844mg 18%
Fiber 7g 28%
Sugar 9g 18%
Vitamin A 1661IU 33%
Vitamin C 11mg 12%
Calcium 112mg 11%
Iron 5mg 28%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.