Marinara is one of those dishes that people think is complicated, but it's actually just a question of having great seafood and not over-thinking it. This is our version – a generous tangle of linguine loaded with prawns, mussels, clams and squid in a light, garlicky tomato sauce. It's a Sunday night dish, a birthday dinner dish, a dish that says we're celebrating.
Use whatever seafood looks best on the day. The combination is flexible – what matters is that it's fresh and cooked with care.
Linguine Marinara
Serves 4
You'll need
- 400 g linguine
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, finely sliced
- 1 long red chilli, finely sliced
- 200 g raw king prawns, peeled and deveined
- 300 g mussels, cleaned and debearded
- 200 g clams (vongole), soaked and rinsed
- 200 g squid, cleaned and cut into rings
- 125 ml dry white wine
- 400 g can crushed tomatoes
- salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
- large handful of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
- extra-virgin olive oil, to finish
How to make it
Cook the linguine in a large pot of well-salted boiling water until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water before draining.
While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil in a very large frying pan over high heat. Add the garlic and chilli and cook for 30 seconds. Add the squid and cook for 1 minute. Add the prawns and cook for another minute. Add the mussels and clams and pour in the white wine. Cover and cook for 2–3 minutes until the shells open (discard any that don't). Add the crushed tomatoes and simmer for 3–4 minutes until slightly thickened.
Add the drained pasta to the pan and toss well, adding pasta water as needed to bring everything together. Season generously and scatter with parsley. Drizzle with extra olive oil and serve immediately.
This recipe is from The Fishmonger's Son Cookbook — available in-store at 781 Nicholson Street, Carlton North — come and say hello.