Name: Spaghetti marinara
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1/3 cup (80ml) extra virgin olive oil; 4 clove garlic, crushed; 2 400g peeled chopped tomatoes; 6 large fresh basil leaves; 1 teaspoon sea salt flakes; 1 teaspoon caster sugar; 12 small black mussels; 12 baby clams; 12 uncooked medium king prawns; 250 gram firm white fish fillets, chopped coarsely; 2 medium (200g) fresh calamari; 375 gram spaghetti; 2 tablespoon white wine; salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste; 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley

A classic, easy seafood pasta made using a mix of fresh seafood tossed through a simple, tasty tomato sauce.

Take a visit to your local fish market and be inspired by the huge array of fresh Australian seafood on offer. This is one of our favourite ways to incorporate more seafood into your diet whatever the season. Your family will love our seafood marinara for its simplicity and gorgeous flavour.

Looking for more spaghetti recipes or more sensational seafood recipes?

How to buy fresh seafood with confidence

Do you know how to spot the freshest fish? Follow these tips to make sure you’re buying the best quality of seafood for your family.

Fresh seafood (fish and shellfish) should always be bought from seafood markets or a reputable fishmonger.

Try to avoid supermarket seafood where possible as these are usually farmed varieties and are often less fresh than if you were buying first thing in the morning from a market.

Whole fish should have firm, not spongy, flesh with red gills; the skin should be shiny with close-fitting scales and the eyes should be clear and bright.

Fish fillets and cutlets should have moist flesh with a firm texture; there should be no signs of discolouration or dryness. Any bones should be firmly attached to the flesh.

Crustaceans and molluscs should have brightly coloured shells or flesh, and the tentacles, heads, flesh or shells should be plump, firm and intact. Shells should be closed, or should close when tapped on a bench. There should also be no discolouration of the joints.

In general, seafood should look undamaged, with moist flesh and a firm texture.

All seafood should look fresh and have a fragrant, clean “sea” smell. Any seafood that smells “fishy” is no good to eat, the same goes with any seafood that smells slightly bitter and chemical. If you find yourself offended by the powerful fish odor, choose a different piece or visit another fishmonger.

How to transport seafood home:

Bring an esky with you! If you are not going to use eat the seafood straight away then you need to keep it chilled for the journey home.

Ask the staff at the fishmongers to give you a little ice to add to your esky or cooler bag. Or ask them to double bag your seafood with a little ice.

Ingredients

1/3 cup (80ml) extra virgin olive oil

4 clove garlic, crushed

2 400g peeled chopped tomatoes

6 large fresh basil leaves

1 teaspoon sea salt flakes

1 teaspoon caster sugar

12 small black mussels

12 baby clams

12 uncooked medium king prawns

250 gram firm white fish fillets, chopped coarsely

2 medium (200g) fresh calamari

375 gram spaghetti

2 tablespoon white wine

salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley

Method

1.Heat half the oil and half the garlic in a large heavy-base frying pan; cook, stirring, for about 1 minute or until fragrant but not browned. Add the tomatoes, basil, salt and sugar, bring to the boil, then simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for abut 30 minutes or until sauce is very thick. Remove sauce from pan.

2.Meanwhile, scrub mussels; remove beards. Rinse clams. Shell and devein prawns, leaving intact. Cut fish into 3cm chunks. Remove head and entrails from calamari; remove clear backbone (quill) from inside the body. Remove side flaps and skin from hood. wash well, slice hood into rings. Cut tentacles into pieces.

3.In same large frying pan, add well-drained mussels, clams and wine. Cook, covered, over high heat for 2 minutes. Uncover, for a further 1 minute or until liquid has almost evaporated and mussels and clams are open.

4.Push mussels and clams to the side of the pan, add remaining oil to pan; add prawns, fish, calamari and remaining garlic; cook, turning seafood carefully, for about 2 minutes, add the tomato sauce, stir gently until seafood is just tender and tomato sauce is heated through. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. Sprinkle with parsley.

5.Gently toss the hot pasta with the seafood mixture.

Not suitable to freeze. Not suitable to microwave.
Note

Women's Weekly Food

Trusted by home cooks for 90 years, The Australian Women’s Weekly’s Test Kitchen and cookbooks hold a singular place in shaping home cooking within the Australian culinary landscape. Today, the AWW Test Kitchen in Sydney is a thriving hub for food content, connected to two bustling photographic studios where a talented team of Australia’s best recipe developers, art directors, editors and photographers create our world class food content. Our recipes are thoroughly tested and tasted and given the Test Kitchen tick of approval, guaranteeing you’ll get great results in your home kitchen.

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