Penne al Pesce Spada (Swordfish with Penne)
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1¼ lb swordfish steaks skin removed, in bitesize cubes
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 3 tbsp capers rinsed and dried
- 2 tbsp thinly sliced garlic
- 1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes halved
- 12 pitted black olives
- 1 lb fresh penne
- 1 lemon zested
- 1 tbsp minced flat-leaf parsley leaves or basil
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or more or less to taste
Instructions
- Place a large sauté pan on high heat, add 3 tbsp of the oil. When oil begins to shimmer and is hot, add the swordfish, spreading the pieces around in the pan in a single layer. Sear about 2 minutes until just starting to brown. Turn the fish, and cook another couple of minutes. If you need to, turn again, you want the fish to be nearly cooked through. Season generously with salt and pepper and remove to a bowl. Reduce heat to medium.
- Add another tablespoon of the oil and the capers and cook a couple of minutes until the capers start to crisp and brown. Turn the heat to low, stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for a couple of minutes until it starts to color. Add the tomatoes and olives. Cook gently, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes to combine the flavors, then turn off the heat. While the tomatoes are simmering bring a pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Cook the pasta until it’s al dente. Remove 1 cup of pasta water, then drain the pasta and add it to the sauté pan.
- Reheat the pasta in the sauce on medium-low heat, folding everything together with a big spoon. Add a half cup or more of the pasta water to give the tomatoes a nice saucelike consistency, stirring until the pasta is well coated. Gently fold in the swordfish and the lemon zest, and stir until you have everything well mixed and heated through. Add more pepper or salt if required. Transfer to a warm serving dish, scatter parsley on top and serve.
Notes
Top with a little parmesan if you like!