Black Spaghetti with Seafood

Black spaghetti with seafood is very popular in Italy and rightly considered a delicacy. The dish usually includes lemon, since seafood and lemon juice go together very nicely. And of course greens: sometimes basil, more often arugula or parsley. Black pasta is easy to get: it is rare in ordinary stores, but easy to order. For the seafood you can use fresh, if you have the chance, or a “seafood cocktail,” a frozen mix of shrimp, squid, octopus, mussels and so on.

Since seafood cooks in just a couple of minutes, start by boiling the black pasta. It cooks exactly like regular pasta. Bring 2-3 liters of water to a boil in a large pot and salt it. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook for the time given on the package, which gets you spaghetti al dente. Drain the cooked pasta in a colander.

Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a skillet. Peel 1-2 cloves of garlic and crush them with the flat of a knife. Fry the garlic in the olive oil until it starts to brown, then immediately throw it out. Frozen seafood doesn’t need to be thawed. Add the seafood to the hot oil, season lightly with salt and ground black pepper. Fry the seafood in the oil for 1-1.5 minutes, then squeeze 1-2 tbsp of lemon juice into the skillet.

Turn the heat down and let the seafood simmer in the lemon juice for no more than 1 minute, or it will turn “rubbery.” Immediately add the cooked black spaghetti and toss. Turn off the heat, add a little arugula and toss again. The dish is ready to serve.

Divide the black pasta with seafood among plates. Pasta is usually sprinkled with grated Parmesan, but here it is better to add more greens and a little more black pepper. Serve the pasta hot. If you like, add a lemon wedge.

As extra ingredients you can use green peas or green beans, and a cream sauce works well. Don’t use basil, which is too aromatic, but parsley or spinach are excellent.