Pasta with Scungilli Marechiaro
You may have had Scungilli Marinara but have you ever had Scungilli Marechiaro? Marechiaro is a small village in Naples and the word literally means “clear sea.” Dishes that are in the style of Marechiaro usually contain fish, clams or mussels in a tomato sauce seasoned with garlic and parsley. Think linguine with red clam sauce only with scungilli and a little more heat. The sauce uses tomato paste and not tomato sauce which gives it a very light texture when combined with the white wine and lemon juice so that the seafood really shines. It’s perfect for a quick Friday pasta or Christmas Eve first dish.
Ingredients
- 1 pound of long pasta – spaghetti, linguine or tonnarelli
- 1 – 29 ounce can of scungilli
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- Pinch or more of red pepper flakes
- Juice of a half of lemon (add the zest of that half if you prefer a more lemony flavor)
- 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
- 1/4 cup white wine that you would drink
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Empty the can of scungilli into a strainer and rinse well with very hot water for 2 minutes.
- Chop up the scungilli into small pieces with scissors or a knife.
- In a large sauté pan over medium heat, heat the olive oil until glistening and sauté the garlic until golden and fragrant, then add the red pepper flakes and salt to taste. Stir until incorporated. Add the lemon and white wine and lower to simmer until the wine is reduced, about 2 minutes. After reduced a bit, add the tomato paste and stir. Lastly, add the scungilli, stirring occasionally, for about 2 minutes. Be careful not to overcook that scungilli as it has the tendency to get rubbery. It is already fully cooked in the can so this is just reheating it and marrying it with the sauce.
- Bring pot of salted water to boil and boil pasta until one minute less than al dente. Reserve one cup of salted pasta water.
- Transfer the pasta into the sauce, mixing well while simultaneously adding pasta water a little at a time. Garnish with parsley and serve with extra red pepper, if desired.
