Seafood Pasta With Tomato and Crushed Olives

Seafood Pasta With Tomato and Crushed Olives
Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott for The New York Times
Total Time
35 minutes
Rating
4(854)
Notes
Read community notes

Think of this as a weeknight fish stew with pasta rather than a seafood pasta. It's highly customizable: You can use whatever seafood you like, including but not limited to shellfish, like mussels, clams or shrimp, and firm-fleshed white fish, such as cod, halibut or flounder. The trick is to make sure the garlicky tomatoes are brothy enough to gently poach the seafood (which then further flavors the sauce), yet thick enough to coat each tube of pasta. Finished with briny olives and a smattering of fresh parsley, it's best eaten with a spoon and lots of thick-cut toast for sopping up all the goods.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 8ounces rigatoni or another tube-shaped pasta
  • Kosher salt
  • 3tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 4garlic cloves, sliced
  • Pinch of red-pepper flakes (optional)
  • 1(28-ounce) can whole San Marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand
  • ½pound mussels or clams (optional)
  • 1pound firm-fleshed white fish, such as cod, halibut, swordfish, hake or flounder, cut into 2-inch pieces
  • ½pound shrimp, peeled and deveined if you like
  • ¾cup Castelvetrano or other green olives, pitted and crushed
  • ½cup parsley, tender leaves and stems, chopped
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

565 calories; 17 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 11 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 55 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 48 grams protein; 1221 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water. Once it reaches al dente, drain and set aside while you finish the sauce.

  2. Step 2

    Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium heat. Add garlic and season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic is lightly browned and toasted around the edges, about 2 minutes. Add red-pepper flakes, if using.

  3. Step 3

    Add tomatoes and then fill the empty can about ¾ of the way up with water. Swirl the can to loosen the tomatoey bits left behind and add that to the pot. Season with salt, bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce has thickened slightly (it should still look quite brothy), 10 to 15 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Add the mussels or clams to the sauce, if using, along with the fish, and season again with salt. Let the seafood settle into the brothy tomato sauce and gently swirl the pot, encouraging the seafood to cook evenly. Cook a minute or two, then add the shrimp, swirling the skillet again. Cook until all the seafood is just cooked through and the mussels or clams have opened, another 3 to 5 minutes.

  5. Step 5

    Add the pasta and very gently toss to coat, cooking another 1 to 2 minutes, just to let the flavors meld. Add olives and remove from heat.

  6. Step 6

    Divide among bowls, top with parsley and drizzle with olive oil before serving.

Ratings

4 out of 5
854 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

If it was me, I'd peel the shrimp, and make a quick stock (30 min) with the shells, then use it for the water portion of the recipe. That way you get the taste without having to mess with peeling the shrimp while eating.

A Cuban/Spanish version of this recipe calls for a pinch of oregano, a splash of white wine (instead of the water), and a bay leaf in addition to what's described here. One could also add some red pepper flakes for a bit of heat (I don't). We serve it over rice instead of pasta but I'l try fettuccini next time.

Needs capers

wait to cook the pasta until you are just starting the last phase of step 4 and make sure to undercook the pasta a bit so that it doesn't get soggy when added to the sauce for a couple of minutes.

We loved this! Suoer easy to put together and would cost $30 in a high-end restaurant. I read others’ tips and highly recommend the following... —two healthy pinches of saffron to tomato broth —replace some of the water with one cup of dry white wine —increase garlic by 50% —one lb of cod and 1/2 lb of shrimp is plenty seafood —Top with chopped fresh oregano AND parsley. Amazing —try to find the high quality, large rigatoni. Only use 8 oz —serve with thick slices of buttered toasted baguette

this is a lot like the cioppino i used to make when i cooked for a living. i always put a little shredded orange rind in it. this recipe is making me hungry.

Add a cup or so of cornmeal to a pot of cold water with the live clams. Let it sit for at least an hour, then drain in a colander to rinse sand and cornmeal. Then fill pot with fresh water to cook. The clams will ingest the cornmeal then spit it out along with the sand which significantly reduces the sand. It really works!

Can't wait to try this version. I have long made a similar fish/tomato stew with olives and parsley sans pasta---using fresh summer tomatoes really makes a big difference here. Fun to add a splash of cream too.

I added lime juice, saffron and oregano, and used cilantro instead of parsley. It's not unlike a Cioppino; doesn't really need the pasta if you increase the volumes (white wine, fish broth...). Just some good crusty bread or maybe rice, as suggested by José . And I agree with KW about capers, and José about the bay leaf!

Add anchovy paste after toasting the garlic. Use half can of water max. Start cooking pasta after step three. Next time I will use capers which I like better than olives. An easy midweek dinner that works!

" . . . shrimp, peeled and deveined if you like." I'm embarrassed to ask, but while I can believe including the shells improves the flavor of the broth, I've always wondered in dishes like this, especially with a lot of liquid, how one is supposed to eat unpeeled shrimp at dinner.

I love Alison’s style and this new column! Keep it coming

Has anyone tried this with fresh tomatoes? I'm new to cooking. I have a neighbor who is keeping me flush with fresh tomatoes and I would like to use them with this recipe

If chunks of tomato skin in your finished sauce don’t bother you then sure. I like to stem my fresh tomatoes, throw them in a blender and liquify them. That pulverizes the skin so it’s not detectable in the finished sauce. Of course from a texture point of view you're starting with puréed tomato rather than crushed. BTW if your big tomatoes are not really jucy you may need to add, to the blender, some of the water the recipe calls for.

Beautiful, made with the best seafood in the world, from Lofoten, Norway!

I love cod but whenever I use cod in a stew or chowder, it breaks down. Tastes good but it’s just little pieces of cod. How do other cooks use cod in recipes?

I had lobster shell in the freezer, and made a stock to use instead of water - divine. Really tasty, comforting, and surprisingly light. Grill the bread with olive oil.

Absolutely delicious! Definitely a huge hit with me and my girlfriend for our anniversary dinner

Could have added some saffron!

Used shrimp and scallops in this seafood pasta and double the amount of garlic. Use one can of diced tomatoes and capers instead of olives. Mike really liked this recipe. Use a different kind of pasta also but I can’t remember the name.

Kind of two dimensional and plain. Added extra anchovies, white wine with water, crushed or purée tomato

Whole San Marzano tomatoes are superior in quality to crushed or purée tomatoes.

This is a lovely recipe. I had some good fish stock in the fridge so I swapped out about half the water for that, and also used some of the pasta cooking water for flavor/body. And I did fresh basil along with the parsley. Mahi mahi worked great. Next time I might add a little butter at the end, but this is something I'll make again and again.

Pups says ‘way too much salt’. Well, gee, there is no given amount of salt in this recipe. If you used too much salt while seasoning, whose fault is that?

Has anyone tried this with gluten-free pasta?

Wonderful recipe. Once the garlic and pepper flakes are warmed up, I start off the crushed tomatoes with a handful of fresh herbs from the garden: Thyme, Basil. Italian parsley and Oregano. Undercook the pasta seriously, it could be in that broth a long time. If your store doesn't sell the 12 oz boxes of pasta, you'll probably be adding the whole16. Just add a cup or two of the pasta water to the tomato mix.

White wine & chicken broth instead of water 1 lb long cod 1 lb medium shrimp Tomato and anchiove paste Large elbow pasta

I found the sauce lacked flavor even though i had added more garlic. If i were to make it again, i would add fennel seeds, at least.

I made this without the olives and substituted shell pasta and added fresh basil. . It turned out great

This was easy and delicious. I used cod and shrimp. Made as written except I added fresh basil and oregano to the sauce as it cooked and added capers with the olives at the end. I forgot to drizzle oil at the end. Didn't miss it.

Add your own spices, and needs more slat than I added. Would also substitute red wine for the water you add to rinse out the tomato can

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