from Fish For You
Stuffed seafood shells with a tangy sauce of Italian tomatoes, roasted peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, and salty anchovies? Yes, please! This pasta rocks, and my favourite part is the pasta-to-seafood ratio. With creamy ricotta and braised spinach, do not count on leftovers. My favourite cooking and plating vessel happen to be the same for this recipe: a nice, deep, oval-shaped porcelain casserole dish. It’s perfect for cooking and serving—just add a serving spoon.
Ingredients
20 jumbo pasta shells
Olive oil, for drizzling over the shells
Parmesan cheese, to taste
Puttanesca Sauce
1 Tbsp (15 mL) olive oil
⅓ cup (80 mL) diced onion
1 tsp (5 mL) minced garlic
2 tsp (10 mL) chopped capers
⅓ cup (80 mL) pitted and chopped Kalamata olives
⅓ cup (80 mL) chopped sun-dried tomatoes
1 cup (250 mL) red wine
1 tsp (5 mL) sugar
1½ cups (375 mL) tomato purée
¼ tsp (1 mL) salt
¼ tsp (1 mL) pepper
Pinch of chili flakes
½ cup (125 mL) water
Braised Spinach
1 Tbsp (15 mL) vegetable oil
4 cups (1 L) spinach
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Crab and Ricotta Stuffing
3 cups (750 mL) Dungeness crab meat
½ tsp (2.5 mL) pepper
1 Tbsp (15 mL) lemon zest
Garlic Shrimp
12 large, butterflied shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 Tbsp (15 mL) unsalted butter
¼ tsp (1 mL) salt
Special equipment
Piping bag
Directions
Jumbo Pasta Shells: Bring a large pot of salted water to a hard boil and cook the pasta shells according to the package instructions. Remove the shells from the water and place on a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and cover with a damp towel until ready to stuff.
Puttanesca Sauce: Heat 1 Tbsp (15 mL) olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion and garlic for 30 seconds. Add the capers, olives, and sun-dried tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the red wine and add the sugar. Reduce by half. Add the tomato purée and season with the salt, pepper, and chili flakes. Add the water and simmer over low heat until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Keep warm over low heat.
Braised Spinach: Heat 1 Tbsp (15 mL) olive oil in a skillet over mediumhigh heat. Add the spinach and cook while turning several times to wilt. Season with the salt and pepper to taste and set aside.
Crab and Ricotta Stuffing: Mix the crab meat with the ricotta, pepper, and lemon zest until well combined. Put the mixture into a piping bag and cut a quarter-size hole in the end.
Assembly: Spread ½ cup (125 mL) of the puttanesca sauce on the bottom of the baking dish or baking tray with sides. Using the piping bag full of ricotta and crab, fill each pasta shell and place on top of the sauce. Stagger the braised spinach around the shells and top with any remaining sauce. Sprinkle the entire tray with Parmesan cheese and bake for 10 minutes.
Garlic Shrimp: Melt the butter in a frying pan over high heat and add the butterflied shrimp and garlic. Cook until slightly pink and season with the salt. Remove from heat and add the shrimp to the hot baked pasta. Pour any butter left in the pan overtop. Serve hot and enjoy!
Tip: When I’m looking for crab, I always buy fresh and local. I often use Dungeness crab, but it can be on the pricey side. An alternative is snow crab, which is equally sweet and delicious. If you want real bang for your buck, save the shells and make soup or sauce with them. The shells have unbelievable flavour and, with a few vegetables and seasonings, you can stretch your dollar and have some delicious dishes along the way.
Nada’s Tips & Tricks: We all love fresh seafood and of course, it’s the best. But if we live in a landlocked province or fresh seafood isn’t readily available or out of our price range, you can cut some corners with this recipe. Imitation crab is a lot cheaper (granted, not as flavourful) and will do in a pinch. Since time was of the essence, I also sautéed the shrimp with the spinach and garlic and added them to the dish together. You can get cheaper shrimp (I bought a bag for $4.99 – smaller and no need for butterflying). Instead of making the Puttanesca sauce, we used a pasta sauce we had in the cupboard – another quick (not as authentic, but…) shortcut. Remember: recipes are the launching pad, substitute ingredients and directions to suit your preferences and time constraints. Even with all these cheaper ingredients, the dish was a big hit!
Contents and images used with permission by Whitecap Books. https://www.whitecap.ca/Detail/1770503641
