Spaghetti with red mullets
Spaghetti with red mullets is a very refined recipe everybody will love.
When a was a kid spaghetti with red mullets was one of my favorite pasta. It is one of those “Sunday with your family” dishes that takes you back in time! There is a special ingredient in this dish: mullets. Cooking this fish in the way I’ll explain, is key to getting the perfect creaminess. A very elegant pasta dish that will leave your guests speechless. Mostly because they’ll be too busy eating the pasta!
Spaghetti with red mullets: Sourcing the ingredients
The little red mullets used in the recipe are mostly available in November in Italy. Usually I buy a lot of mullets and then freeze them. This way I’ll have it ready all year long. You can make this dish with regular mullets, but I that case I guess using a blender will be better to get a good consistency.
Fish should always come from sustainable sources. Make sure you buy certified fish and, if you cannot get fresh, the best alternative is frozen. Fish is frozen directly on the fishing boat as soon as it’s caught, to ensure freshness.
Why you will love this spaghetti with red mullets recipe
- Originality: this dish is unique. You won’t find this recipe in any restaurant around the world. I cannot remember who taught my mother how to prepare it but I know it’s a recipe that has been pass down by word. My mom is so proud of this recipe that I wanted to spread it around the world on her behalf.
- Taste and texture: the creaminess of the sauce wraps the pasta and each bite will taste like heaven! the delicate yet distinct flavor of the fish will fill your mouth and it goes perfectly with the spaghetti.
- Easy and quick: even though the end result is very refined, this recipe can be ready in less than 20 minutes.
How to fillet red mullets
To fillet red mullets you just need a little confidence is deboning small fish. It’s good to know that If you want to fillet the fish you will need to take out only the central bone. All the other bones are soft and can be eaten.
You can remove the bones by cutting the fillets with a knife or even by hands.
Fillet by hand: Cut the head of the fish and remove the intestines. Then simply slide your thumb along the bone from one side to the other, and remove the small fillet. Finally detach the central bone from the other half of the mullet by pulling it.
Fillet with a knife: put the fish on the cutting board, remove the head. Then slide the knife along the central bone and cut the fillet. Do the same on the other side.
Anyway if you know well your fishmonger, I’m sure they’ll be glad to fillet the fish for you.
Ingredients for for servings
- 2 small red mullets per person (just 1 if they’re bigger than 10cm)
- 400gr of tomato puree/passata
- 1/4 cup of single cream (if you can’t find it you can substitute with milk with a teaspoon of starch dissolved in it)
- 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
- salt, pepper and chili pepper to taste
- 400gr of spaghetti (or any other pasta you like)
- parsley
- 1 clove of garlic
Method
Step 1
Cook the pasta as usual, by bringing a pot of salted water to a boil, then add the spaghetti.
Step 2
While spaghetti are cooking, put the oil in a pan with the crushed garlic and the chili pepper. Let it sizzle for 20 secs then add the tomato passata. Add salt and pepper and stir. Let it cook for a couple of minutes.
Step 3
Add the mullets fillets and crushed them well with a spatula, let them cook for 5 minutes then add the cream or milk, stir well to mix evenly and then turn the heat off. Remove the garlic.
TIP: If you are using bigger mullets you can put the sauce into a blender and blend until smooth.
Step 4
Drain the spaghetti a couple of minutes before the cooking time, and remember to set aside a cup of cooking water. Add the pasta to the pan and stir well, pour some water and cook for a minute. Add the chopped parsley and serve.
